SEALTEACH Thai 'clicks' (fwd)

[Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 07:58:08 -0600
From: John Grima <MKJGRIMA at ihc.com>
Reply-To: sealteach at nectec.or.th
To: sealteach at nectec.or.th
Subject: Re: SEALTEACH Thai 'clicks' (fwd)

For sure when people are interacting with infants, that is positive,
often quite joyful.

I can't say whether it is an English or Thai usage, but it seems to me
that clicks are much more common than is credited.  There is a kind of
clicking gesture in my speech at moments of pleasurable decision about
small things.  Chocolate or pistachio? tst. Chocolate.  I can easily
imagine a similar expression from native speakers of Thai, and at the
moment of writing I am convinced it is quite wide spread.  I think
careful observation of varied contexts might find lots more of that sort
of thing.  I think one has to be careful of confusing the salient range
of an expressive item with its definitive range, especially with things
that are generally part of the undifferentiated background of speech.
Tut, tut is salient; it is "negative".  But is it clicks?

I want to say that what Frank said about clicks in Khmer sounded right
to me about Thai as well.  I think I have observed that usage also.

>>> yui at alpha.tu.ac.th 04/11/01 01:58AM >>>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 22:19:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: pascale jacq <pascalejacq at yahoo.com>
To: yui at alpha.tu.ac.th
Subject: Thai 'clicks'

Dear John,

just noting your response to David Gil's question. In
Laotian, the dental and alveolar clicks I heard in the
field tend to be used for expressing positive surprise
and amazement. I have never heard them indicating
anything negative. Are the sounds you have heard in
Thai EVER used to indicate something positive?

Regards,
Pascale Jacq (Mon-Khmer specialist but also a speaker
of Lao)

=====
Pascale JACQ
LPO Box A22
Australian National University
ACTON, A.C.T. 0200
AUSTRALIA
email: pascalejacq at yahoo.com
webpage: http://www.anu.edu.au/~a108009

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