Dialect Geography of Khmer in Northeastern Thailand: An Analysis of Regional Variation and Sub-dialect Classification

Abstract

This study investigates the dialect geography of the Khmer dialect in northeastern Thailand, employing Chambers and Trudgill’s dialectology approach and applying GIS for linguistic map analysis. This study is a synchronic analysis of Khmer phonological variation which aims to identify sub-dialects spoken in Thailand’s northeastern provinces, focusing on regional variations in initials, vowels, and finals. The findings result in a classification of Khmer into two main groups: a Western Khmer and an Eastern Khmer group, including fifteen sub-dialects within the studied region concerning the overlap on linguistic maps of the initial consonant, vowel, and final consonant.