ชื่อยาดองของไทยตามแนวอรรถศาสตร์ชาติพันธุ์

Abstract

This research aimed to study a meaning of Thai herbal liquor and cognitive systems of Thai people reflected in naming Thai herbal liquor. The collected research data conducted by interviewing one medical personnel from Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine and 15 producers and sellers of Thai herbal liquor living in many provinces in Thailand were the list of 95 Thai herbal liquor names. The analytical results of the names and meanings found that the names of Thai herbal liquor could be classified into 6 groups of meanings which were related to symptoms and treatment by 31 names, genders by 26 names (males by 9 names, females by 16 names, and both genders by 1 name), animals by 23 names (poisonous and powerful animals by 18 names and mythological animals by 5 names), cultural words by 4 names (literary characters by 2 names and ethnicity by 2 names), herbs by 5 names, and others by 6 names. The analytical results of semantic components of Thai herbal liquor found the names of Thai herbal liquor could be categorized into 6 different semantic dimensions: “symptoms and treatment”, “genders”, “animals”, “cultural words”, “herbs”, and “benefits”. When there were different semantic dimensions, semantic features or sub-meanings in each dimension were then characterized, which could be expressed in the forms of binary features. There were 2 values of binary features which were the symbols (+) and (-) used for showing the presence and absence respectively, probably being only (+). The analytical results of concepts and images found that the names of Thai herbal liquor reflected the concept about treatment and health care, the concept regarding wisdom in using herbs, the concept of sex, the concept relating to animals, the concept concerning cultures, other concepts, and the images of Thai herbal liquor.