Why are some words basically identical, except one is generally reserved for speech and the other for script?

The examples that just spurred this question are:

Foot - เท้า script, ตีน speech

Head - ศรีษะ script, หัว speech

and several others

I'm pretty sure one is not exclusively reserved for speech and the other for writing, but I think that is the general way most Thais do it (maybe I'm wrong?). Is this a very common thing with words? What are some other examples?

The examples that just spurred this question are:

Foot - เท้า script, ตีน speech

Head - ศรีษะ script, หัว speech

and several others

Well, I am not sure what you are reading, but I normally see head as หัว and I would not use the word ตีน at all in written or spoken; it is a fairly impolite word!

There are however, differences in written and spoken Thai; my lack of knowledge tends to prevent me from explaining further; in general from what I understand the written is more formal and polite and "old style".

That said, reading the pocket books of say Nui Sujira, it is clear that many of the younger generation just use the spoken Thai and write it down now, rather than the more formal stuff one might see in some older books or text books.

Foot - เท้า script, ตีน speech

บาท บาทา

Head - ศรีษะ script, หัว speech

กบาล

eye ตา เนตร นัยน์

neck คอ ศอ

nose จมูก นาสิก

hand มือ กร หัตถ์

etc...

Bambi

I notice a trend with body parts. Are there other things that follow this patern?

I notice a trend with body parts.  Are there other things that follow this patern?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

home - บ้าน เรือน เหย้า

I recommend practicing reading Thai government documents. They use a language all to themselves, and writing something in Phasaa Ratchakarn is a skill not many people have. While not as different from standard Thai as Royal Thai, it can sometimes be a challenge to read (and write). So much so, that government departments often have a specialist person hired to make sure all documents are written in government speak many civil servants are unable to write in this style.

Why are some words basically identical, except one is generally reserved for speech and the other for script?

The examples that just spurred this question are:

Foot - เท้า script, ตีน speech

Head - ศรีษะ script, หัว speech

and several others

I'm pretty sure one is not exclusively reserved for speech and the other for writing, but I think that is the general way most Thais do it (maybe I'm wrong?).  Is this a very common thing with words? What are some other examples?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as I know ตีน is only used in reference to animals and ศรีษะ is just the formal word for หัว - some people still use ศรีษะ as a more polite way of speaking

Why are some words basically identical, except one is generally reserved for speech and the other for script?

The examples that just spurred this question are:

Foot - เท้า script, ตีน speech

Head - ศรีษะ script, หัว speech

and several others

I'm pretty sure one is not exclusively reserved for speech and the other for writing, but I think that is the general way most Thais do it (maybe I'm wrong?).  Is this a very common thing with words? What are some other examples?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It depends on the propriety of situations.

For example;

Head-ศีรษะ, หัว, เศียร, กระบาล

You can use these Thai words in both script and speed.

- ปวดศีรษะ, ปวดหัว, ปวดเศียรเวียนเกล้า, ปวดกระบาล all have the same meaning and you can use all of them with the same person you talk with which each word can show your mood at that moment.

There are lists of these words which you can see in the book คำราชาศัพท์และคำสุภาพ. But there is no detail to tell you how to use them in each situation.

Its nothing to do with 'written vs spoken' but 'polite vs informal.' As many documents, papers and books are formal then they therfore tend to use the formal version if the word which is why there is this common mis conception that Thai has a written form and a spoken form.

Like English, Thai has, over time, become slightly basterdized. The common terms tend to be words based upon Tai language roots. The more "polite" and "formal" terms tend to be based upon roots from either Pali or Khmer. In English the same thing happens with more common spoken words having roots from the Germanic side and fancier words being borrowed from Latin. In both casese the original words tend to be monosyllabic and the fancier words multisyllabic.

Many of the posh and royal words come from Pali and Sanskrit - which being the language of religious texts, has higher status. Body parts (*wink*) are a good example. Blood is another - leuad or lohit. Thus really, you could say they are two different languages.