Speaking Tinglish for Professional Communication: A Reflection of Thai English Used by Tour Guides along the Andaman Sea
Article Sidebar
Published:
Dec 27, 2017
Keywords:
Thai English Tinglish the basilectal variety Thai tour guides
Main Article Content
Abstract
The local identity of English emerges when non-native speakers express the language different from Standard English. Currently, the term ‘a Thai variety of English’ seems to be marginalized because of the controversial notion of ‘Thai English’. Moreover, many Thais use ‘Tinglish’ or broken English, rather than correct English. However, such ‘rotten English’ is structured for professional communication and implies a range of Thai English. This is evident in the features of spoken English by Thai tour guides in provinces along the Andaman Sea. This study aims to examine Tinglish or the basilectal variety of Thai English used in tourism spoken discourses and the tour guides’ views towards the use of this lectal variety using an integrated framework based on World Englishes by Kachru (1983; 1985; 2005) and the lectal varieties of New Englishes by Platt et al. (1984). It appears that the Thai tour guides demonstrated their unique linguistic features of Tinglish through meaningful and communicative expressions that contribute to a Thai identity of English.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Article Details
Section
Articles
All rights reserved. Apart from citations for the purposes of research, private study, or criticism and review,no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any other form without prior written permission by the publisher.
References
Bennui, P. (2013) Linguistic Creativity in Thai English Fiction. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Bennui, P. & Hashim, A. (2013) Lexical Creativity in Thai English Fiction. Kritika Kultura, 21/22, 132-163.
Bennui, P. & Hashim, A. (2014) Stylistic Creativity in Thai English Fiction. Asian Englishes 16(2), 80-100.
Bennui, P. (2015) Thai Words in English Dictionaries. ASEAN Journal of Education 1(1), 149-173.
Boongarin, G. (2007) The Proficiency in Using English for Communication of Thai Tourist Guides in Chiang Mai. MA Thesis. Burapa University, Chonburi, Thailand.
Buripakdi, A. (2012) On Professional Writing: Thai Writer’s Views on their English. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 22(2), 245-264.
Butler, S. (1996) World English in an Asian Context: The Macquarie Dictionary Project. World Englishes 15(3), 347-357
Butler, S. (1999a) A View on Standards in South-East Asia. World Englishes 18(2), 187-198.
Butler, S. (1999b) The Needs of Dictionary Users in South-East Asia. In English is an Asian Language: The Thai Context, M. Newbrook., ed., pp. 80-94. New South Wales: The Macquarie Library.
Cesarano, G. (2000) Ethnolectal and Sociolectal Creativity in Malaysian Literature with the Reference to the Work of K.S. Maniam. M.ESL. Dissertation, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Chutisilp, P. (1984) A Sociolinguistic Study of an Additional Language: English in Thailand. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, United States of America.
David, M. K. & DeAlwis, C. (2010) Learning from Movies – ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and Language Awareness’. Language in India, 10, 16-26, Retrieved on December 24, 2016 from https://www.languageinindia. com/july2010/mayadavidmovieslumdog.html.
Dayag, D. T. (2012) Philippine English. In English in Southeast Asia: Features, Policy and Language in Use E.L. Low and Azirah Hashim, eds., pp. 91-99. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Department of Tourism. (2014) Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration. Retrieved on September 23, 2014, from https://www. tourism.go.th/subweb/content/6
Hashim, A. & Tan, R. (2012) Malaysian English. In English in Southeast Asia: Features, Policy and Language in Use, E.L. Low and Azirah Hashim, eds., pp. 55-74. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kachru, B. B. (1983) Indianization of English: The English Language in India. Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (1985) Standards, Codification and Sociolinguistic Realism: The English Language in the outer circle. In English in the World: Teaching Learning of Language and Literature (R. Quirk and H.G. Widdowson, eds.) pp. 11-36. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (2005) Asian Englishes: Beyond the Canon. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Kachru, Y. & Nelson, C. L. (2006) World Englishes in Asian Contexts. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Kongsuwannakul, K. (2005) Characteristic Features in English Acknowledgements Written by Thai Graduates: Indicators for Thai English. MA Thesis, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Kravanja, B. (2011) Same Same, but Different: An Inquiry into Paradise Imagery of Tourism Industry and Tourist Practices. Ethono Antropo Zoom, 9, 73-107, Retrieved on December 17, 2016 from https://etno. pmf.ukim.mk/index.php/eaz/article/view/8.
Kuang, T. S. & Hashim, A. (2007) Malaysian English. In World Englishes and Miscommunication (N. Michiko, ed.) pp. 45-57. Tokyo: Waseda University Press.
Low, E. L. & Brown, A. (2005) English in Singapore: An introduction. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
Mathias, P. (2011) Lexical innovation and the use of English in Thai contexts on Internet forums. BU Academic Review 10(1), 8-13, Retrieved January 6, 2017 from https://www.bu.ac.th/knowledgecenter/epaper/ jan_june2011/pdf/pdf_02.pdf.
Mehrota, R. R. (1997) Negation in Indian Pidgin English. English Today 13(2), 45-49.
Mian-Lian, H. & Platt, J. (1993) Dynamics of a Contact Continuum: Singapore English. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Morais, E. (1997) Talking in English but Thinking Like a Malaysian: Insights from a Car Assembly Plant. In English is an Asian Language: The Malaysian Context, Mohd Said (H. and N. Keat Siew, eds.) pp. 90-106. Kuala Lumpur and New South Wales: Persatuan Bahasa Moden Malaysia and The Macquarie Library.
Oxford University. (2016) Online Oxford Dictionaries. Retrived on November 20, 2016, from www.oxforddictionaries.com
Phongsrisai, R. (2007) Awareness of Language Ability and Language Confidence of Thai Tour Guides in Bangkok. MA Thesis, Uttaradit Rajabhat University, Uttaradit, Thailand.
Pingkarawat, N. (2002) Cohesive Features in Documentary Articles from English Newspapers in Thailand and in America. Asian Englishes 5(2), 24-43.
Platt, J., Weber, H. & Ho, M. L. (1984) The New Englishes. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Prasithrathasint, A. (1999) What is ‘Good English’ for Thais? In English as an Asian Language: The Thai Context (M. Newbrook, ed.) pp. 64-70. New South Wales: The Macquarie Library.
Rahman, T. (1990) Pakistani English: The Linguistic Description of a Non-Native Variety of English. Islamabad: National Institute of Pakistani Studies, Qauid-Azam University.
Rogers, U. (2013) Thai English as a Variety. Ph.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University, Arizona, United States of America.
Seeha-Umpai, A. (1987) Language Use of the Tourist Guide: Thai-English Code-Switching. MA Thesis, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sripracha, T. (2005) Intelligibility of English Speech between Singaporean and Thai English Speakers MA Thesis, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sukwiwat, M. (1983) Interpreting the Thai Variety of English: A Functional Approach. In Varieties of English in Southeast Asia (R.B. Noss, ed.) pp. 190-210. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Tay, M. W. (1993) The English Language in Singapore: Issues and Development. Singapore: UniPress, Centre for the Arts.
Timyam, N. (2012) A Comparative Study of English and Thai: An Introduction. Bangkok: Kasetsart University Press.
Trakulkasemsuk, W. (2007) A Comparative Analysis of English Feature Articles in Magazines Published in Thailand and Britain: Linguistic Perspectives. Ph.D. Dissertation. Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Tsow, S. (2006, November 4-10) A Discourse in Tinglish. Phuket Gazette. Retrieved on on January 17, 2017, from www.phuketgazette.net/ digitalgazette3/index.asp
Tuaychareon, P. (2003) Reflections on Thai English. Journal of Language and Linguistics, 21(2), 47-65.
Watkhaolarm, P. (2005) Think in Thai, Write in English: Thainess in Thai English Literatures. World Englishes 24(2), 145-158.
Wattanaboon, J. (2002, September 2) Languishing language. The Nation. Retrieved on November 20, 2016, from www.nationamultimedia.com
Wong, I. F. H. (1983) Simplification features in the structure of colloquial Malaysian English. In Varieties of English in Southeast Asia (R.B. Noss, ed.) pp. 125-149. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Yiamkhamnuan, J. (2011) The Mixing of Thai and English: Communicative Strategies in Internet Chat Rooms. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 32(3), 478-492.
Zichang, X. (2010) Chinese English: A Future Power? In The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes. (A. Kirkpatrick, ed.) pp. 282-298. London: Routledge.
Bennui, P. & Hashim, A. (2013) Lexical Creativity in Thai English Fiction. Kritika Kultura, 21/22, 132-163.
Bennui, P. & Hashim, A. (2014) Stylistic Creativity in Thai English Fiction. Asian Englishes 16(2), 80-100.
Bennui, P. (2015) Thai Words in English Dictionaries. ASEAN Journal of Education 1(1), 149-173.
Boongarin, G. (2007) The Proficiency in Using English for Communication of Thai Tourist Guides in Chiang Mai. MA Thesis. Burapa University, Chonburi, Thailand.
Buripakdi, A. (2012) On Professional Writing: Thai Writer’s Views on their English. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 22(2), 245-264.
Butler, S. (1996) World English in an Asian Context: The Macquarie Dictionary Project. World Englishes 15(3), 347-357
Butler, S. (1999a) A View on Standards in South-East Asia. World Englishes 18(2), 187-198.
Butler, S. (1999b) The Needs of Dictionary Users in South-East Asia. In English is an Asian Language: The Thai Context, M. Newbrook., ed., pp. 80-94. New South Wales: The Macquarie Library.
Cesarano, G. (2000) Ethnolectal and Sociolectal Creativity in Malaysian Literature with the Reference to the Work of K.S. Maniam. M.ESL. Dissertation, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Chutisilp, P. (1984) A Sociolinguistic Study of an Additional Language: English in Thailand. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, United States of America.
David, M. K. & DeAlwis, C. (2010) Learning from Movies – ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and Language Awareness’. Language in India, 10, 16-26, Retrieved on December 24, 2016 from https://www.languageinindia. com/july2010/mayadavidmovieslumdog.html.
Dayag, D. T. (2012) Philippine English. In English in Southeast Asia: Features, Policy and Language in Use E.L. Low and Azirah Hashim, eds., pp. 91-99. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Department of Tourism. (2014) Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration. Retrieved on September 23, 2014, from https://www. tourism.go.th/subweb/content/6
Hashim, A. & Tan, R. (2012) Malaysian English. In English in Southeast Asia: Features, Policy and Language in Use, E.L. Low and Azirah Hashim, eds., pp. 55-74. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Kachru, B. B. (1983) Indianization of English: The English Language in India. Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (1985) Standards, Codification and Sociolinguistic Realism: The English Language in the outer circle. In English in the World: Teaching Learning of Language and Literature (R. Quirk and H.G. Widdowson, eds.) pp. 11-36. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kachru, B. B. (2005) Asian Englishes: Beyond the Canon. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Kachru, Y. & Nelson, C. L. (2006) World Englishes in Asian Contexts. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Kongsuwannakul, K. (2005) Characteristic Features in English Acknowledgements Written by Thai Graduates: Indicators for Thai English. MA Thesis, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Kravanja, B. (2011) Same Same, but Different: An Inquiry into Paradise Imagery of Tourism Industry and Tourist Practices. Ethono Antropo Zoom, 9, 73-107, Retrieved on December 17, 2016 from https://etno. pmf.ukim.mk/index.php/eaz/article/view/8.
Kuang, T. S. & Hashim, A. (2007) Malaysian English. In World Englishes and Miscommunication (N. Michiko, ed.) pp. 45-57. Tokyo: Waseda University Press.
Low, E. L. & Brown, A. (2005) English in Singapore: An introduction. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
Mathias, P. (2011) Lexical innovation and the use of English in Thai contexts on Internet forums. BU Academic Review 10(1), 8-13, Retrieved January 6, 2017 from https://www.bu.ac.th/knowledgecenter/epaper/ jan_june2011/pdf/pdf_02.pdf.
Mehrota, R. R. (1997) Negation in Indian Pidgin English. English Today 13(2), 45-49.
Mian-Lian, H. & Platt, J. (1993) Dynamics of a Contact Continuum: Singapore English. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Morais, E. (1997) Talking in English but Thinking Like a Malaysian: Insights from a Car Assembly Plant. In English is an Asian Language: The Malaysian Context, Mohd Said (H. and N. Keat Siew, eds.) pp. 90-106. Kuala Lumpur and New South Wales: Persatuan Bahasa Moden Malaysia and The Macquarie Library.
Oxford University. (2016) Online Oxford Dictionaries. Retrived on November 20, 2016, from www.oxforddictionaries.com
Phongsrisai, R. (2007) Awareness of Language Ability and Language Confidence of Thai Tour Guides in Bangkok. MA Thesis, Uttaradit Rajabhat University, Uttaradit, Thailand.
Pingkarawat, N. (2002) Cohesive Features in Documentary Articles from English Newspapers in Thailand and in America. Asian Englishes 5(2), 24-43.
Platt, J., Weber, H. & Ho, M. L. (1984) The New Englishes. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Prasithrathasint, A. (1999) What is ‘Good English’ for Thais? In English as an Asian Language: The Thai Context (M. Newbrook, ed.) pp. 64-70. New South Wales: The Macquarie Library.
Rahman, T. (1990) Pakistani English: The Linguistic Description of a Non-Native Variety of English. Islamabad: National Institute of Pakistani Studies, Qauid-Azam University.
Rogers, U. (2013) Thai English as a Variety. Ph.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University, Arizona, United States of America.
Seeha-Umpai, A. (1987) Language Use of the Tourist Guide: Thai-English Code-Switching. MA Thesis, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sripracha, T. (2005) Intelligibility of English Speech between Singaporean and Thai English Speakers MA Thesis, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Sukwiwat, M. (1983) Interpreting the Thai Variety of English: A Functional Approach. In Varieties of English in Southeast Asia (R.B. Noss, ed.) pp. 190-210. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Tay, M. W. (1993) The English Language in Singapore: Issues and Development. Singapore: UniPress, Centre for the Arts.
Timyam, N. (2012) A Comparative Study of English and Thai: An Introduction. Bangkok: Kasetsart University Press.
Trakulkasemsuk, W. (2007) A Comparative Analysis of English Feature Articles in Magazines Published in Thailand and Britain: Linguistic Perspectives. Ph.D. Dissertation. Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Tsow, S. (2006, November 4-10) A Discourse in Tinglish. Phuket Gazette. Retrieved on on January 17, 2017, from www.phuketgazette.net/ digitalgazette3/index.asp
Tuaychareon, P. (2003) Reflections on Thai English. Journal of Language and Linguistics, 21(2), 47-65.
Watkhaolarm, P. (2005) Think in Thai, Write in English: Thainess in Thai English Literatures. World Englishes 24(2), 145-158.
Wattanaboon, J. (2002, September 2) Languishing language. The Nation. Retrieved on November 20, 2016, from www.nationamultimedia.com
Wong, I. F. H. (1983) Simplification features in the structure of colloquial Malaysian English. In Varieties of English in Southeast Asia (R.B. Noss, ed.) pp. 125-149. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.
Yiamkhamnuan, J. (2011) The Mixing of Thai and English: Communicative Strategies in Internet Chat Rooms. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 32(3), 478-492.
Zichang, X. (2010) Chinese English: A Future Power? In The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes. (A. Kirkpatrick, ed.) pp. 282-298. London: Routledge.