‘Don’t Thai to me’: A critical discourse and linguistic analysis of border crisis in the Cambodia–Thailand armed conflict

Abstract

This study examines the discourse ‘Don’t Thai to me’ within the context of the Cambodia–Thailand armed conflict. Data were drawn from Cambodian state media, official Facebook posts, and other authoritative sources from 24–28 July 2025 during the outbreak of armed conflict. The analysis follows Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, complemented by speech act theory and other relevant linguistic analyses. The discussion addresses three dimensions of this communication event. For text, the term ‘Thai’ shifts from a neutral national identifier to a stigmatized label of dishonesty in a prohibitive, which performs directive, assertive, and expressive speech acts. For discourse practice, production through official communication channels and rapid online circulation demonstrates how digital platforms enable massive engagement and dissemination, resulting also in popular cultural content. At the socio-cultural level, the discourse resonates with long-standing historical antagonisms rooted in Cambodian folklore, further reinforced by concurrent economic and political tensions between the authorities of the two states.