Syntactic Variation in Different Styles of Tai Phake Songs

Abstract

In this paper we explore the differences in syntactic structures between three types of Tai Phake songs, two traditional genres and one modern genre. Tai Phake (Tai Kadai/South Western Tai) is a tone language with six contrastive tones. The paper proposes that where a song style allows the realization of these tones in singing, greater freedom in syntactic structure is possible, and vice-versa. Another factor in this variation is the different rhymes and other poetic devices required by the different genres.

Keywords:

• Tai Languages
• Tones
• Syntax
• Songs

Acknowledgements

The research for this paper was funded by the Endangered Languages Documentation Program (www.hrelp.org) and the DoBeS program of the Volkswagen Stiftung (www.dobes.mpi.nl). I am also grateful to the Research Centre for Linguistic Typology, La Trobe University, in particular to Professor A.Y. Aikhenvald, as well as to Reis Flora. Thanks also to the participants at the ALS workshop, my anonymous reviewers and my editors. In India, I have received much help from Palash Kumar Nath. It was Atul Borgohain of Dibrugarh who first introduced me to the Tai Phakes. Within the Phake community, I want particularly to thank Ai Che Let Hailung, Ngi Khaing, Ai Chanta, Ee Nyan Khet, Yehom Buragohain, Aithown Che, Am Saeu Khyo and Ee Khya, and also Chaichuen Khamdaengyodtai.

Notes

Superscript numbers for Tai Phake words refer to the tones, discussed in detail in Section 2.

²One exception to this is with quantifiers, such as lāi ² in example (8).

³The teacher referred to is Professor Chatthip Nartsupha, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and the two persons he introduced to me are Shri Nabin Shyam Phalung, retired officer, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies (DHAS), Guwahati, and Smt. Yehom Buragohain, now Head of Ahom Department, DHAS.