Abstract:
The objective of this study is to search for the perception of prototype femininity and prototype masculinity in the meaning of Thai verbs and adverbs in speakers of different age and sex. The main research hypotheses are as follow: 1) The perception of prototype femininity and prototype masculinity changes by age and sex. 2) The perception of the old groups reveals a clearer distinction between prototype femininity and masculinity compared to that of the young group. 3) The perception of the female group reveals a clearer distinction between prototype femininity and masculinity compared to that of the male group. The results of the study are as follows: 1. By using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, the analysis shows that the variation in the perception of femininity and masculinity between different age and sex groups are statistically significant (p<0.05). 2. The perception of the older age group has more variation than that of the young group. This finding exhibits that the older group does not make a clear distinction between prototype femininity and masculinity compared to the young group. 3. The perception of the female group has more variation than that of the male group. This finding shows that the female group does not make a clear distinction between prototype femininity and masculinity compared to the male group. 4.There are 14 prototype femininity words, they represent 4 main semantic concepts: physical, action, emotion, and attitude. There are 12 prototype masculinity words, they represent 4 main semantic concepts: physical, action, behavior, and sexual. The 2 concepts that are not found in the prototype femininity are behavior and sexual. The 2 concepts that are not found in the prototype masculinity are emotion and attitude. The differences between the prototype femininity and masculinity found in this research reveal the social convention of femininity and masculinity in Thai society.