The Study of Personal Pronouns of Dai Le and Thai Languages from Social Culture Perspective

Abstract

： The Dai Le and Thai languages are closely related, and both of Dai Le and Thai languages belong to the Zhuang-Tai branch of the Zhuang-Dong group of Tai-Kadai Language Family (Diller & Edmondson & Luo, 2008:7). Throughout their long historical development ， both Dai Le language and Thai language have formed their own complete systems of personal pronouns. Due to their genetic relationship, the personal pronouns of Dai Le and Thai languages have a lot of similarities, including: showing respect for seniority, sharing meanings for some personal pronouns, can use name, position title or kinship terms for addressing others instead personal pronouns, and having dedicated personal pronouns for monks. On the other hand, these pronoun systems also have some differences. For instance, gender is distinguished in the Thai personal pronoun system, but this distinction is not made in the Dai Le language. Furthermore, the Thai language has dedicated personal pronouns for royal, but the Dai Le language lacks these pronouns. The factors that influence the use of personal pronouns in Dai Le and Thai languages are as follows: social hierarchy, interpersonal relationships, religious belief, and political system. Speakers must pay careful attention to the use of personal pronouns depending on situational and social hierarchical contexts.