Vocabulary Collection and Orthographic Changes in Thai-Thai Dictionaries From 1927 to 2011: A Case Study of Special Reference to a Letter “ก”

Abstract

          The aim of this research is to analyze the collection of vocabulary and orthographic changes of the headword or entry of the Thai-Thai dictionary prepared by the government from 1927 to 2011 which has been announced. Let government agencies use spellings according to the said dictionary. To demonstrate the development of vocabulary using lexicographic concepts and important orthographic changes. By specifying the scope of data used in the study only for words in the letter category “ก”, which is the first letter category.  The results of the study found that The collection of words in the Thai-Thai Dictionary produced by the government in the 1927 edition are often words that appear in literary books. religious vocabulary proper noun or are words that are borrowed words from foreign languages such as Pali and Sanskrit.  Later, in the 1950 edition, more general vocabulary was collected. and in the dictionary The 2011 Royal Institute edition, which is the version currently in use, contains subject-specific vocabulary. There is also a vocabulary collection format that is consistent with words actually used in the Thai language. As for the orthographic changes in the letter category “ก”, the most common was the designation of words using “กระ” and “กะ”, followed by spelling changes in foreign borrowed words. This orthographic change directly affects the use of spellings in official documents and the teaching of the Thai language.