25.1744, TRAVELing to Asia!

Tue Apr 15 15:03:57 UTC 2014

LINGUIST List: Vol-25-1744. Tue Apr 15 2014. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 25.1744, TRAVELing to Asia!

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Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 11:03:40
From: LINGUIST List [linguist at linguistlist.org]
Subject: TRAVELing to Asia!

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Region 9 | South and Southeast Asia | Fund Drive 2013

Hello and welcome to Bangkok, Thailand, your first stop on your tour to
Southeast Asia.  Bangkok is an economic and cultural hub of this region,
located in southern Thailand, straddling the Chao Phraya River, which empties
into the Gulf of Thailand.

To experience the grandiose architecture and the wealth of history that the
city of Bangkok exudes, you should stop by Wat Arun, which means the “Temple
of Dawn” in the Thai language.  It is one of the best-known landmarks in
Thailand and an excellent example of the architecture and culture of the
region.  Wat Arun is only one example of the beautiful architecture that
Bangkok has to offer.  There are many more temples and palaces and museums in
the nearby Dusit and Phra Nakhon Districts, home of such temples as Wat Pho
and Wat Phra Kaew, or the Dusit Palace, and the Bangkok National Museum.

Another example is the Grand Palace of Bangkok.  The Grand Palace was home to
many Thai monarchs throughout history, such as the Kings of Siam.  With its
labyrinth of halls, gardens, courtyards and temples, it is another gem of Thai
architecture and history.  If your interests lead you to admire these great
edifices, the Grand Palace will be an ideal site for you to visit.

However, if you would prefer to experience a side of Bangkok other than grand
monuments and museums, there is the Taling Chan Floating Market.  A floating
market is exactly as it sounds - a market where the merchandise is sold from
boats moored along a riverbank or canal.  Floating markets are an old Thai
cultural tradition, something that Thailand has in common with other parts of
the Southeast Asian region.  This practice has been declining for many years
now, but it’s been making a comeback. Even if it is for the purposes of
tourism, it is still a cool way for visitors to experience Thai cuisine and
culture.

Another of Bangkok’s many attractions is its large and vibrant Chinatown,
located mainly along Yaowarat Road and Charoen Krung Road, the center to
Bangkok’s large Chinese community. The main attraction of Yaowarat Road is its
many shops and markets.  During your visit to Bangkok, you might be there just
in time for the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in a Chinatown, a popular Chinese and
Vietnamese festival, which is celebrated in many places throughout Southeast
Asia.  Bangkok is obviously no exception.  The purpose of the Mid-Autumn Moon
Festival is to celebrate the end of the fall harvest.  The day of festival is
dictated by the Chinese lunar calendar, and this year it will be held on
September 19th.  Some highlights of this festival are the many floating and
tower lanterns that are lit during the festival, as well as the sharing of the
traditional food of mooncakes, an integral tradition of the festival.  Another
popular tradition of the festival is of matchmaking.

Languages:

While you are touring Thailand, here are a few linguistic facts about Thailand
to keep in mind:  the majority of languages spoken in Thailand are
Southwestern Tai, which is the most divergent subgroup of the Tai-Kadai
family.  But, Thailand is a very linguistically diverse region, and in
addition to Tai-Kadai languages, at least four other language families are
spoken in the country: Sino-Tibetan, Hmong-Mien, Austro-asiatic, and
Austronesian.  Some centers for Thai and Pacific linguistics in Bangkok are
the Faculty of Arts, at Chulalongkorn University which offers an Intensive
Thai Program; the Thai Language Department, at Thammasat University; and
Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, at Srinakharinwirot University.

Thank you and be on the look out for a few surprises this week and next week
during our fund drive!

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LINGUIST List: Vol-25-1744	
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