English Loanwords in the Dictionary of New words by the Royal Society of Thailand

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the characteristics of English loanwords recorded in the New Word Dictionary published by the Royal Institute of Thailand. The study classifies these loanwords according to borrowing methods and word formation processes. The findings reveal a total of 574 English loanwords, which can be categorized into three borrowing methods: (1) transliteration, the most prevalent method (543 words); (2) loan translation (28 words); and (3) coinage (3 words). Furthermore, the loanwords are incorporated into the Thai language through various word formation processes, with compounding being the most frequent, followed by reduplication and synonymous compounding. The results indicate that transliteration serves as the primary mechanism for the adoption of English vocabulary into contemporary Thai, and that these loanwords have been systematically integrated into the Thai word formation system.