Accession Number:

AD0672342

Title:

ROLE DIFFERENTIATION IN THAI SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN TERMS OF A SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF THAI PRONOUNS AND ROLES

Descriptive Note:

Technical rept.,

Corporate Author:

ILLINOIS UIV AT URBANA GROUP EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH LAB

Personal Author(s):

• Wichiarajote, W.
• Wilkins, Marilyn

Report Date:

1968-06-01

Pagination or Media Count:

53.0

Abstract:

Fourteen Thai first-person pronouns and sixty Thai social roles were scored on a common set of eleven features. Following a model of semantic feature analysis developed by Osgood, usage of the various pronouns within the various roles was predicted appropriate , permissible 0, or incongrous - . These predictions were obtained by multiplying feature codings on the pronouns with corresponding codings on the roles the algebraic sum of these products yielded a , 0, or - outcome for each pronoun-role combination. Validity of the model was evaluated in terms of the percentage of predictions which were accurate correspondence of the semantic features with factors obtained through factor analysis and the information revealed concerning the structure of Thai role differentiation. Fifty-three Thai high school students were asked to judge the appropriativeness of the 14 x 60 pronoun-role combinations. This data constituted the criteria for evaluating success of the semantic features and also provided material for the factor analysis. Six factors were found to describe 94 of the variance. They appeared to incorporate nine of the eleven semantic features. These, in turn, accurately predicted 85 of the Ss specific judgments. The semantic features further revealed a hierarchic, tree-like structure within the semantic patterns of Thai pronouns and social roles.

Descriptors:

• *CULTURE
• *SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
• FACTOR ANALYSIS
• GROUP DYNAMICS
• PERCEPTION(PSYCHOLOGY)
• SEMANTICS
• THAILAND
• VERBAL BEHAVIOR

Subject Categories:

• Psychology

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE