Abstract:
The main purpose of the thesis is to compare the phonological system consisting of consonants, vowels, and tones of Yong spoken in different areas in Lamphun province. There were five study locations, two in Amphoe Muang, one in Amphoe Pa Sang, one in Amphoe Ban Hong, and one in Amphoe Mae Tha. The study also aims at classifying these varieties of Yong on the basis of phonological variations. The investigation shows that the five varieties contain the same number of phonemes and tones ; 21 single consonants, 18 monophthongs, and 6 tones. None contains any clusters and diphthongs. The phonetic realization of the six tones is similar in all of the varieties. Variation exists in the allophones of the consonant phonemes /s/, /x/, /j/ and /x[superscript w]/. The study shows that the five varieties of Lamphun Yong can be classified into two sub dialects of Lamphun Yong : the eastern sub-dialect spoken in Amphoe Mae Tha and the easten area of Amphoe Muang, and the western sub dialect spoken in Amphoe PA Sang, Amphoe Ban Hong and the western area of Amphoe Muang. The tonal systems of the two sub dialects of Lamphun Yong show different types of development from the Proto Tai. The patterns of tone splits show that the eastern sub dialect is similar to the Lue dialects of Sipsongpanna in Yunnan, China, whereas the western sub dialect is similar to the Lue dialect of Muang Yong in Shan State, Burma.