Abstract:
This aims to comparatively examine forms and meanings of Pali loan-words in Thai and Lao from Pali-Thai-English Dictionary, Royal Institute's Dictionary 1982 and Lao Dictionary with a total of 1,520 load-words. The results are as follows: For changes of forms, there are vowel changes, consonant changes and tone changes. Eight Pali vowels have become 16 vowels in Thai and Lao words. They are /a/, /a/, /a/, /a:/, /i/, /I:/, /u/, /u:/, / ?/, / ?:/, /e/, /e/, / ? /, / ?:/, /o/, /o:/, /ay/, /aw/. There are changes of short-long sound rates; changes to vowels occurring from the same points of articulation; vowels occurring from nearby points of articulation; and changes from vowels, which Thai and Lao do not have, to become vowels that Thai and Lao have. For changes of consonants, there are changes of sound properties, points of sound articulation and sound features. In addition, there are cutting off double-consonant sounds, shortening syllables or words by the use of karan (the mark placed above a letter to indicate that it is silent) in Thai, and shortening words in Lao according to Thai sounds. In cutting off initial, middle and final syllables of words, adding initial, middle and final syllables of words, and changing the always-attached tone marks, there are changes of both forms and sounds. When changed, these things make Thai and Lao tone marks in some words different. In analyzing meanings, the following are found. Words with narrower meanings in both Thai and Lao appear the most: 658 words. Words with meaning changes or meaning shifts in Thai but with consistent meanings in Lao appear the least. Although words with meaning changes or meaning shifts mostly still have their hidden old meanings, these words can help look up vocabularies or old word more easily.