THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE IN LUK THUNG MUSIC BY MORLAM SIANG-ISAN BAND

Abstract

This article aimed to examine the characteristics of language use in Luk Thung music by Mor Lam Siang Isan. The data were collected from 283 songs in live performance VCDs and on www.YouTube.com during 2000 – 2018. The purpose was to observe the characteristics of language use by Mor Lam Siang Isan, which is immensely popular among Isan people. The study revealed four unique characteristics of language use: 1) use of words and phrases, namely, 1.1) names of places, 1.2) terms of family and relatives, 1.3) expressive language, 1.4) words and phrases for sensory, 1.5) rhyme, 1.6) modifiers, and 1.7) euphonious affixes; 2) idioms, namely 2.1) old idioms, 2.2) new idioms, and 2.3) Isan dialect idioms; 3) rhetorical language, namely, 3.1) narrative language and 3.2) descriptive language; and 4) figures of speech, namely, 4.1) simile, 4.2) metaphor, 4.3) metonymy, 4.4) hyperbole, and 4.5 personification.