Language and Linguistics

About the Journal

กองบรรณาธิการ ภาษาและภาษาศาสตร์ — 2026-06-29

Editorial Team

กองบรรณาธิการ ภาษาและภาษาศาสตร์ — 2026-06-29

Note from the Editor

Chutamanee Onsuwan — 2026-06-29

Adversative Passives in Thai Child Language: A Lexicase Analysis

Kitima Indrambarya — 2026-06-29

This study provides systematic elicited production data on Thai adversative passives in children, contributing to the limited literature on passive acquisition in isolating languages. Using a Lexicase syntactic analysis, the study examines the predominant adversative passive constructions, marked by the passive markers thùuk and doon. The study investigated the production of 138 children aged 2 to 5 years through experimental tasks and semi-structured interviews, compared with an adult baseline production.

Findings revealed that children produced passive constructions early and accurately. In the experiment, the canonical passive pattern (Pattern 4) emerged at age 2, with high target accuracy maintained across the preschool years (86.8%, 95% CI [80.3%, 91.4%]), which confirms robust productive command of the canonical Thai adversative passive pattern. Lexical verbs in passive constructions were predominantly adversative actional verbs, consistent with the adversative nature of the Thai passive markers thùuk and doon. The extended passive pattern with body-part noun phrases (Pattern 5) emerged at ages 2–3, requiring both Patient-to-Patient control and semantic part-whole understanding. Adults produced a more elaborate passive variant not observed in children’s data. This suggests that passive elaboration continues beyond age 5. Grammatical development progressed from basic, canonical passives at age 2 to extended forms at age 3, with more elaborate patterns at age 5, establishing developmental milestones in Thai adversative passive production.

Correspondence Correlation of Word Order: A Case Study on RelN and NRel

Bin Zhu — 2026-06-29

This paper introduces a new quantitative approach to word order typology, centering on the arrangement of the relative clause (Rel) and the head noun (N) as the foundational element. Using a sample of 17 different orders, we calculate conditional percentages – called “linearization correspondences” – that link RelN and NRel to the preferred orders of other constructions (such as OV/VO, subordinator placement, and adjective-noun order) and vice versa. From these calculations, we derive linear, inverse, total, and partial correspondences, producing a comprehensive hierarchy of co-occurring orders. We argue that diachronic change reflects a balance between a bridge effect, which facilitates RelN ↔ NRel shifts, and a mirror-image effect, which stabilizes correlated clusters – a tension illustrated by patterns in both Chinese and cross-linguistic contexts and further examined through a case study of Chinese in the Introduction and Section 5. Additionally, the method applies beyond relatives to head-modifier orders, where it reveals strong correlations. The findings shed light on pathways of grammaticalization and provide predictive constraints for typological universals, while also offering a replicable analytical toolkit for investigating word order evolution across human languages.

Slogans of the Elected: Rhetoric, Meaning, and Political Identity in the 2025 Philippine Senatorial Elections

Rayns Keneth Ampon — 2026-06-29

In the Philippines, electoral politics is shaped by personality, symbolic recognition, and affective communication. Within this context, campaign slogans function as strategic linguistic tools that condense political identity, emotion, and cultural meaning into memorable expressions. While existing studies have examined Philippine political slogans, less attention has been given to the slogans of elected senatorial candidates as a bounded qualitative dataset. Addressing this gap, this study conducts a rhetorical–semantic analysis of the campaign slogans of the twelve elected candidates in the 2025 Philippine senatorial elections. Drawing on Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals, Denton’s framework of rhetorical functions of slogans, and Leech’s framework of associative meaning, the study examines how slogans construct political identity, mobilize affect, and communicate culturally recognizable meanings. Findings show that the slogans are organized mainly around pathos and ethos, while logos appears more selectively in issue-based slogans. The analysis further shows that slogans serve key communicative functions, enabling candidates to appear familiar, trustworthy, caring, or symbolically recognizable. Semantically, the slogans carry layered meanings through idioms, wordplay, family-centered appeals, gendered identity, and digital branding, as seen in Maaasahan ng Pamilyang Pilipino (Someone Filipino families can rely on), Pinay in Action (Filipina in action), and #IMEESolusyon (Imee is the solution). The study argues that senatorial slogans should not be understood as predictors of electoral success, but as rhetorical–semantic artifacts of political self-presentation.

Cognitive Sociolinguistic Perspective on the Semantic Construction and Deconstruction of Tangping

Min Yang — 2026-06-29

Internet buzzwords, on the one hand, embody a new demand for language expression with the change of China’s online media, and on the other hand reflect the history of social transformation in China. Studies on buzzwords can not only trace the changes and development of language itself, but also perceive social life and the representation of the mindsets of large numbers of netizens behind language phenomena. From a cognitive sociolinguistic perspective, the study draws on a corpus-based qualitative approach using online and media discourse from 2021 to 2024, and, by integrating conceptual metaphor theory, frame semantics, and conceptual blending theory in cognitive linguistics, as well as applying ideology and discourse analysis, reveals the dynamic mechanism underlying the semantic formation of Tangping (lying flat; 躺平). The research finds that the semantic meaning of Tangping evolves through a metaphorical change from body posture to social attitude, forming a multi-tiered meaning network in concrete social contexts. Rather than emerging by chance, Tangping developed through the interaction of structural social pressures, pre-existing discursive resources, and accumulated affect, eventually taking shape around a core meaning of cognitive resistance. Under the circumstances of semantic deconstruction by mainstream media and the acceleration of online environments, Tangping ultimately forms a semantic compound with inner tension, and its meaning varies with the speaker’s stance and contextual changes.

Fostering English Grammatical Knowledge through Self-Directed Learning and ChatGPT: Evidence from EFL Students

Kritsana Su-ya-ai — 2026-06-29

This study investigated the effectiveness of integrating self-directed learning (SDL) activities with ChatGPT to enhance English grammatical knowledge, as well as students’ satisfaction with this approach, over a ten-week period. The participants were 58 third-year English Education students from Chiang Mai Rajabhat University. Data were gathered through SDL activities supported by ChatGPT, an English grammatical knowledge test, and a satisfaction survey. The analysis employed descriptive statistical techniques and a paired-samples t-test.

The findings indicated a significant improvement in students’ grammatical knowledge after completing the ten-week activities (p < .001, Cohen’s d = 2.52), demonstrating that the integration of SDL and ChatGPT effectively supported both grammatical development and independent learning. Students also reported very high satisfaction with all components of the activities based on SDL and ChatGPT (overall Mean = 4.51). Although a few participants noted minor inaccuracies in ChatGPT’s responses, these did not affect overall perceptions.

These findings suggest that a structured SDL model, combined with real-time AI feedback, can enhance linguistic skills, foster learner autonomy, and promote critical evaluation skills. The integration of clear activities, a comprehensive handbook, and interactive AI support offers a practical and scalable method for technology-assisted language education, providing valuable guidance for future learner-centered instructional innovations.

Effects of Song Inclusion on Vocabulary Learning and Mastery: A Case Study of the Affective Filter in Higher Education Students

Peeradej Koomwongthai — 2026-06-29

Song inclusion in language pedagogy has mainly been treated as a classical, but also functional approach to listening practice and pronunciation activities. In an effort to address previous research gaps in different learning contexts, this study examines undergraduate EFL learners’ perspectives on song inclusion via vocabulary learning and mastery in a Thai higher education setting. Of great significance is the role of affective filters in vocabulary development and constructive learning motivation. Based on quantitative and qualitative data analyses, 120 Thai undergraduates from a public university were selected as research participants. For data analysis, descriptive statistics were used to reflect the percentages, standard deviations, and mean scores. A semi-structured interview was also designed to bring further viewpoints on in-class and external classroom engagement. During the learning sessions, twelve selected songs were applied in classes, except for the periods of the pretest, posttest, midterm, and final examination. The findings exhibit positive effects of song inclusion on vocabulary learning and improvement, as reflected in the pretest and posttest outcomes. In addition, extensive results highlight beneficial impacts of song inclusion on vocabulary retention, a more relaxing and enthusiastic learning experience, and positive motivation under low affective filter conditions. Specifically in higher education contexts, the recent study provides insights and highlights the roles of English song inclusion in language pedagogy, with further contributions on attentive learning experience, communicative interactions, and resourceful inputs for language and intercultural studies.

Debt-Credit Equilibrium in Thai and Japanese Communication Patterns within the Context of Speech Events Involving Offers

Worrawan Fuangkajonsak — 2026-06-29

Indebtedness and reciprocity are fundamental concepts highly valued in many societies, including Thailand and Japan, which share several cultural parallels. When one party becomes indebted to another, an imbalance in the relationship is created. Consequently, the indebted party seeks to reciprocate in some manner to restore equilibrium in the relationship. This study examines the process of balancing indebtedness among Thai and Japanese speakers by analyzing conversational interactions within the context of offering assistance. Data were collected from five contemporary Thai television dramas and five contemporary Japanese television dramas, yielding 78 Thai and 85 Japanese conversations. The findings categorize the balancing process into three cases: 1) acceptance of the offer, 2) acceptance with negotiation, and 3) rejection of the offer. Each case demonstrates balancing mechanisms specific to each language. In Japanese, conversational turns are characterized by complexity, employing linguistic forms that express concern over being a burden and prompting the offerer to reaffirm their intention. Conversely, in Thai, interactions tend to be more concise, focusing on mitigating the degree of imposition to minimize the imbalance. Nevertheless, both languages exhibit a significant commonality: a collaborative effort between the offerer and the recipient to restore the equilibrium of indebtedness. This process is underpinned by the shared social mechanisms of ‘kreng-jai’ in Thai and ‘enryo’ in Japanese, both of which embody the concept of mutual consideration.

Terms of Endearment in Vietnamese: A Cognitive Linguistic Study

Rujiwan Laophairoj — 2026-06-29

The objective of this article is to examine the types of terms of endearment, their metaphorical meanings, and the underlying conceptualizations reflected in Vietnamese expressions for lovers. The study employs the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory within the field of cognitive linguistics. Data were collected online from three Vietnamese websites presenting terms of endearment used in Messenger and Zalo applications. The researcher further verified the usage of these terms through interviews with six native Vietnamese speakers: three males and three females, representing three age groups: 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 years.

The findings reveal that gender-neutral terms of endearment are the most frequent, totaling 75 terms, followed by 55 terms used specifically for females and 30 terms used for males. Vietnamese terms of endearment appear in three main forms: Vietnamese words or phrases used to refer to a lover, Vietnamese abbreviations, and numbers or scientific formulas used as symbolic references to lovers.

Metaphorical analysis identified eight types of metaphors in Vietnamese terms of endearment. For male referents, four metaphor types were found: human metaphor, animal metaphor, occupational metaphor, and belief metaphor. For female referents, five metaphor types were identified: human metaphor, animal metaphor, plant metaphor, occupational metaphor, and belief metaphor. For gender-neutral terms, six metaphor types were observed: human metaphor, animal metaphor, nature metaphor, occupational metaphor, property metaphor, and place metaphor.

The metaphorical meanings found in Vietnamese terms of endearment reflect conceptualizations among Vietnamese speakers that portray lovers as exalted beings, adorable living creatures, fierce beings, valuable possessions, and essential parts of life. These conceptualizations vary according to the couple’s relationship context and individual experiences with their partners.

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กองบรรณาธิการ ภาษาและภาษาศาสตร์ — 2026-06-29