Abstract:
This thesis aims at finding out what Thai dialects are used in Sukhothai province and in which area, and also at producing a linguistic map of the province based on the results of the study. The questionnaire used in the study consists of thirty semantic units which were selected on the basis of their being represented by different lexical items in Northern Thai, Northeastern Thai, and central Thai. The questionnaire was sent to the headmen of all the villages in the province. Seventy eight point four per cent of the questionnaires were returned to the researcher. The study show that three Thai dialects : Northern Thai, Northeastern Thai and Central Thai are spoken in Sukhothai. Among the three dialects Central Thai is the most widely used in the plain in the east and the south of the province. Northeastern Thai is used in a few villages in Hardsiew Srisachanalai district and in Klongmaplub, Srinakorn district. Northern Thai is used in the mountainous area in the western part of the province. Furthermore Central Thai and Northern Thai are used together in the north of the province. In this study a part of the linguistic boundary between Northern Thai and Central Thai is discovered : between Tungsalium district and Srisamrong district, and in the north of Srisachanalai district.