Sociolinguistic Survey of Mpi in Thailand
















Ramzi W. Nahhas

















SIL International
2007




SIL Electronic Survey Report 2007-016, August 2007
Copyright © 2007 Ramzi W. Nahhas and SIL International
All rights reserved

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Abstract

Ramzi W. Nahhas, PhD
Survey Unit, Department of Linguistics
School of Graduate Studies
Payap University/SIL International
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Mpi is a language spoken mainly in only two villages in Thailand, and possibly in one location in China,
as well. Currently, Mpi does not have vernacular literature, and may not have sufficient language vitality
to warrant the development of such literature. Since there are only two Mpi villages in Thailand, and
they are surrounded by Northern Thai communities, it is reasonable to be concerned about the vitality of
the Mpi language. The purposes of this study were to assess the need for vernacular literature
development among the Mpi of Northern Thailand and to determine which (if any) Mpi varieties should
be developed. This assessment focused on language vitality and bilingualism in Northern Thai.
Additionally, lexicostatistics were used to measure lexical similarity between Mpi varieties.

Acknowledgments

This research was conducted under the auspices of the Payap University Linguistics Department, Chiang
Mai, Thailand. The research team consisted of the author, Jenvit Suknaphasawat (SIL International), and
Noel Mann (Technical Director, Survey Unit, Payap University Linguistics Department, and SIL
International).

The fieldwork would not have been possible without the assistance of the residents of Ban Dong (in
Phrae Province) and Ban Sakoen (in Nan Province). A number of individuals gave many hours to help
the researchers learn about the Mpi people and about their village, and to introduce us to others in their
village. Indeed, all the people of Ban Dong and Ban Sakoen were very friendly and helpful. It was a
pleasure to spend time with them and learn about their language and culture.

For the research team,

Ramzi W. Nahhas, PhD
October 2005
Summary
Mpi ([m̩˧ pi˥˧], มป) is a language spoken in Thailand in two villages: Ban Dong (บานดง ม.4 และ ม.8,
ต.สวนเขื่อน อ.เมือง จ.แพร) and Ban Sakoen (บานสะเกิน ม.1 ต.ยอด อ.สองแคว จ.นาน). In Ban Sakoen,
they call the language [kɔ˥˧] (กอ). The Mpi came to Thailand from Sipsongpanna in China about 300
years ago. There may still be some Mpi speakers in Sipsongpanna, in Mengla.

The Mpi language is only spoken. It does not have a writing system. Some have attempted to write Mpi
using the Thai alphabet, but have not been satisfied with the results. Since there is no writing system,
Mpi does not have any vernacular literature. However, Mpi may not have sufficient language vitality to
warrant the development of such literature.

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Since there are only two Mpi villages in Thailand, and they are surrounded by Northern Thai
communities, it is reasonable to be concerned about the vitality of the Mpi language. In many ways, the
Mpi are very similar culturally to the Northern Thai, and they speak Northern and Central Thai with
outsiders. While Mpi is still used in Ban Dong, there are many children there who do not speak it. In
Ban Sakoen, the language shift from Mpi to Northern Thai is more advanced, with Mpi proficiency
limited to some older people.

This language survey investigated factors related to language vitality (language use, language attitudes,
and ethnolinguistic identity) as well as self-reported bilingual proficiency in order to assess the need for
vernacular literature in the Mpi language. Additionally, words were compared between the two villages
to assess how similar or different their vocabularies are.

The conclusions of the report are as follows:

• Because many children in Ban Dong seem to have only a passive understanding of Mpi, it seems
likely that, if nothing changes, Mpi might not be spoken in Ban Dong in the future.

• Because only a few people in Ban Sakoen have the ability to speak Mpi proficiently, Mpi might
not be spoken in Ban Sakoen in the future.

• Mpi people have no negative feelings toward Northern Thai people and culture. Thus, they
would have no problem accepting literature written in Northern Thai if it were available.

• Mpi people in Thailand can speak Northern and Central Thai proficiently.

• Based on the comparison of words between villages, and on the reports of Mpi people, the Mpi
varieties spoken in Ban Dong and Ban Sakoen are different varieties of the same language,
differing only in some vocabulary and a few systematic pronunciation differences.

Based on these conclusions, from a practical point of view, there may not be a need to develop a writing
system for Mpi. They have adequate access to literature in Central and Northern Thai. However, the Mpi
people themselves have expressed a desire to preserve their language. Development of a writing system
for Mpi might increase pride in the language and provide a motivation for people to use Mpi more. Mpi
people could then write down Mpi stories, history, and culture in their own language. Also, future
generations would then know how to accurately pronounce Mpi words.

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Contents


Abstract
Acknowledgments
Summary
List of Tables
List of Figures
1 Introduction
1.1 Geography
1.2 Peoples
1.3 History
1.3.1 Based on Previous Research
1.3.2 Based on This Survey
1.4 Previous Linguistic Research
1.5 Previous Sociolinguistic Research
1.5.1 Intelligibility with Bisoid Languages
1.5.2 Grammar Questionnaire
1.5.3 Sociolinguistic Questionnaire
2 Purposes, Goals, and Research Questions
3 Methodology
3.1 Timeline
3.2 Sample Selection
3.2.1 Questionnaire Subject Selection
3.2.2 Wordlist Consultant Selection
3.3 Instruments
3.3.1 Sociolinguistic Questionnaires
3.3.2 Wordlist
3.3.3 Observation and Informal Interview
3.4 Analysis
3.4.1 Summary of Sociolinguistic Data
3.4.2 Wordlist Comparison
3.4.3 Criteria for Answering Research Questions
4 Results
4.1 Summary of Individual SLQ Results
4.2 Summary of Village Leader SLQ Results
4.3 Summary of Wordlist Comparison
4.4 Towards Answers to the Research Questions
4.4.1 Language Vitality
4.4.2 Attitude toward Northern Thai
4.4.3 Northern Thai Proficiency
4.4.4 Intelligibility between Mpi Varieties
4.4.5 Reported Groupings of Mpi Varieties
5 Conclusions
5.1 Need for Vernacular Literature
5.2 Relationship between Mpi Varieties
6 Recommendations
Appendix A Generalizing from the Sample to the Population of Mpi in Thailand

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Appendix B Individual Sociolinguistic Questionnaire – Thailand
Appendix C Village Leader Sociolinguistic Questionnaire – Thailand
Appendix D Sociolinguistic Data
Appendix E Summary of Individual Sociolinguistic Questionnaire Results
E.1 Background Information
E.2 Inventory of Languages Spoken
E.3 Domains of Language Use
E.4 Other Mpi Villages
E.5 Dialect Perceptions
E.6 Comparison of Villages – Where is Mpi spoken the best?
E.7 Comparison of Villages – Which village has higher status?
E.8 Stopped Speaking Mpi
E.9 Inventory of Children’s Languages
E.10 Language of Play
E.11 Mpi in 20 Years
E.12 Feelings about Language Decline
E.13 Children’s Speech Quality
E.14 Marriage with Non-Mpi Speakers
E.15 Cultural Differences
E.16 Ethnolinguistic Identity
E.17 Feelings about Literacy
E.18 Reported Bilingualism
Appendix F Mpi Phones
Appendix G Wordlist Comparison Criteria
Appendix H Wordlist
References

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List of Tables

Table 1 - Mpi (Ban Dong) - Akha Wordlist ............................................................................16
Table 2 - Sample Size by Location, Gender, and Age.............................................................20
Table 3 - Summary of Language Vitality Criteria ...................................................................23
Table 4 - Summary of Village Leader SLQ Answers..............................................................25
Table 5 - Regular Sound Correspondences Observed .............................................................26
Table 6 - Summary of Indicators of Language Vitality...........................................................32
Table 7 - Self-Reported Bilingualism - Northern Thai............................................................61
Table 8 - Self-Reported Bilingualism - Central Thai...............................................................61
Table 9 - Self-Reported Mpi Proficiency.................................................................................62
Table 10 - Occupation by Location, Gender, and Age ............................................................67
Table 11 - Educational Attainment by Location, Gender, and Age.........................................67
Table 12 - Language Names by Location ................................................................................68
Table 13 - People Group Names by Location..........................................................................69
Table 14 - Languages Spoken by Location..............................................................................69
Table 15 - Languages Spoken by Domain and Location [Ban Dong only].............................70
Table 16 - Inventory of Children’s Languages [Ban Dong only]............................................74
Table 17 - Language of Play [Ban Dong only]........................................................................74
Table 18 - Mpi in 20 Years [Ban Dong only]..........................................................................75
Table 19 - Self-Reported Bilingual Proficiency [Ban Dong only] ..........................................79
Table 20 - Mpi Consonants......................................................................................................80
Table 21 - Mpi Initial Consonant Clusters...............................................................................80
Table 22 - Mpi Vowels ............................................................................................................80
Table 23 - Feature Differences for Creaky and/or Nasalized Vowels .....................................84
Table 24 - Criteria for Lexical Similarity ................................................................................84
Table 25 - Full 436-Item Wordlist ...........................................................................................85
Table 26 - Comparative Wordlist (100 words) ......................................................................104

List of Figures

Figure 1 - Thailand and Neighboring Countries ........................................................................9
Figure 2 - Northern Thailand .....................................................................................................9
Figure 3 - Phrae City and Surroundings ..................................................................................10
Figure 4 - Northern Nan Province ...........................................................................................10
Figure 5 - Map to Mueang La (not to scale) ............................................................................11
Figure 6 - Probable Location of Mueang La, China ................................................................12
Figure 7 - Mpi Vowels.............................................................................................................83
Figure 8 - Mpi Phonetically Similar Consonants.....................................................................83

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1 Introduction
Mpi is a language spoken in two villages in Thailand. The Mpi came to Thailand from Sipsongpanna in
China about 300 years ago. There may still be some Mpi speakers in Sipsongpanna, in Mengla.
Currently, Mpi does not have vernacular literature, and may not have sufficient language vitality to
warrant the development of such literature. Since there are only two Mpi villages in Thailand (Ban Dong
and Ban Sakoen), and they are surrounded by Northern Thai communities, it is reasonable to be
concerned about the vitality of the Mpi language. In many ways, the Mpi are very similar culturally to
the Northern Thai, and they speak Northern and Central Thai with outsiders (Bradley 1979:47:48).
Northern Thai1 is used as a language of wider communication in Northern Thailand. The national
language, Standard Thai2, is also widely used in this region. Mpi children who attend school are
instructed in Standard Thai. In Ban Dong, according to Bradley (1997:46), “All Mpi are now bilingual
in Northern Thai and culturally assimilated, but the village maintains the language.” While Mpi is
indeed still used in Ban Dong, there are many children there who do not speak it. In Ban Sakoen, the
language shift from Mpi to Northern Thai is more advanced, with Mpi proficiency limited to some older
people.

This survey investigated factors related to language vitality (language use, language attitudes, and
ethnolinguistic identity) as well as self-reported bilingual proficiency in order to assess the need for
vernacular literature in the Mpi language. Additionally, lexicostatistic comparison was used as a screen
for lack of intelligibility between the varieties of Mpi spoken in Ban Dong and Ban Sakoen.
1.1 Geography
The political divisions of Thailand are (from smallest to largest) the Village (หมูบาน, numbered and
abbreviated as M.# or ม.#); Tambon (ตําบล, abbreviated ต.); Amphoe or District (อําเภอ, abbreviated
อ.); and Province (จังหวัด, abbreviated จ.). In Thailand, the Mpi live in two communities: Ban Dong
and Ban Sakoen. A few Mpi also live in nearby villages as well as in Bangkok.

Ban Dong consists of M.4 and M.8 in Tambon Suan Khuean, Amphoe Mueang, Phrae Province (บานดง
ม.4 และ ม.8 ต.สวนเขื่อน อ.เมือง จ.แพร). Just east of Phrae city is the intersection of highways 101 and
1101 (the Rong Fong intersection – รองฟอง). To get to Ban Dong, go east on highway 1101 at this
intersection for about five kilometers to kilometer post 6. About 200 meters past this kilometer post is a
sign3, written in Thai, for Ban Dong (บานดง). Turn right at this sign and follow the road a short distance
into Ban Dong.

According to Caw Athikanniyom et al.4 (2002), the “Dong” in “Ban Dong” has two possible derivations.
One is that the area was named based on the fact that the original area of the village was a tropical
forest, or [paa˩ doŋ˧ dip˩] (ปาดงดิบ). The other is that others living in the surrounding area considered
the people of Ban Dong to be inferior, as wanderers who hired themselves out rather than cultivating the
land. Thus, they were like forest people, or [kʰon˧ doŋ˧] (คนดง). The word [doŋ˧] (ดง) in each of these
possible derivations is a Thai word for “forest” or “jungle.”

Ban Sakoen consists of M.1 in Tambon Jod, Amphoe Song Khwae, Nan Province (บานสะเกิน ม.1
ต.ยอด อ.สองแคว จ.นาน). From Chiang Kham in Phayao Province, drive east on highway 1148 for

1 Northern Thai is the regional variety of Thai spoken in Northern Thailand. It is also called [kʰam mʉaŋ].
2 Standard Thai is a standardized form of Central Thai that serves as the national language of Thailand.
3 During this survey, the sign was difficult to see due to overhanging trees.
4 The first author is Mpi and is the monk at Wat Dong Neua, one of two temples in Ban Dong.

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about one hour. Ban Sakoen is located very close to the Phayao-Nan provincial boundary. There is a
white sign marking “Sakoen Cave” (ถ้ําสะเกิน, or Tham Sakoen) and off to the north is a striking
looking mountain. The entrance to the village is just after the sign for the cave. There is a sign for the
village as well, but coming from the west, the sign marking the village cannot be seen as it faces east.
The entrance to the village also leads to the cave, as well as to Tham Sakoen National Park.

The following maps show the locations of Mpi villages in Thailand. Figure 1 shows Thailand and its
neighboring countries in mainland Southeast Asia. Figure 2 shows the approximate locations of Ban
Dong and Ban Sakoen in Northern Thailand.

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Figure 1 - Thailand and Neighboring Countries

Ban Sakoen
Ban Dong


Figure 2 - Northern Thailand

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(With arrows pointing to approximate locations of Ban Dong and Ban Sakoen)



Figure 3 - Phrae City and Surroundings


Approximate location of Ban Sakoen
Approximate location of Ban Dong





Figure 4 - Northern Nan Province
(Note: the black line is the Thailand-Laos border with Laos to the north)

Figure 3 and Figure 4 (above) provide more detail regarding the locations of Ban Dong and Ban Sakoen,
respectively.

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Document Outline

• Contents
• Abstract
• Acknowledgments
• Summary
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• 1 Introduction
  • 1.1 Geography
  • 1.2 Peoples
  • 1.3 History
    • 1.3.1 Based on Previous Research
    • 1.3.2 Based on This Survey
  • 1.4 Previous Linguistic Research
  • 1.5 Previous Sociolinguistic Research
    • 1.5.1 Intelligibility with Bisoid Languages
    • 1.5.2 Grammar Questionnaire
    • 1.5.3 Sociolinguistic Questionnaire
• 2 Purposes, Goals, and Research Questions
• 3 Methodology
  • 3.1 Timeline
  • 3.2 Sample Selection
    • 3.2.1 Questionnaire Subject Selection
    • 3.2.2 Wordlist Consultant Selection
  • 3.3 Instruments
    • 3.3.1 Sociolinguistic Questionnaires
    • 3.3.2 Wordlist
    • 3.3.3 Observation and Informal Interview
  • 3.4 Analysis
    • 3.4.1 Summary of Sociolinguistic Data
    • 3.4.2 Wordlist Comparison
    • 3.4.3 Criteria for Answering Research Questions
• 4 Results
  • 4.1 Summary of Individual SLQ Results
  • 4.2 Summary of Village Leader SLQ Results
  • 4.3 Summary of Wordlist Comparison
  • 4.4 Towards Answers to the Research Questions
    • 4.4.1 Language Vitality
    • 4.4.2 Attitude toward Northern Thai
    • 4.4.3 Northern Thai Proficiency
    • 4.4.4 Intelligibility between Mpi Varieties
    • 4.4.5 Reported Groupings of Mpi Varieties
• 5 Conclusions
  • 5.1 Need for Vernacular Literature
  • 5.2 Relationship between Mpi Varieties
• 6 Recommendations
• Appendix A Generalizing from the Sample to the Population of Mpi in Thailand
• Appendix B Individual Sociolinguistic Questionnaire … Thailand
• Appendix C Village Leader Sociolinguistic Questionnaire … Thailand
• Appendix D Sociolinguistic Data
• Appendix E Summary of Individual Sociolinguistic Questionnaire Results
  • E.1 Background Information
  • E.2 Inventory of Languages Spoken
  • E.3 Domains of Language Use
  • E.4 Other Mpi Villages
  • E.5 Dialect Perceptions
  • E.6 Comparison of Villages … Where is Mpi spoken the best?
  • E.7 Comparison of Villages … Which village has higher status?
  • E.8 Stopped Speaking Mpi
  • E.9 Inventory of Childrens Languages
  • E.10 Language of Play
  • E.11 Mpi in 20 Years
  • E.12 Feelings about Language Decline
  • E.13 Childrens Speech Quality
  • E.14 Marriage with Non-Mpi Speakers
  • E.15 Cultural Differences
  • E.16 Ethnolinguistic Identity
  • E.17 Feelings about Literacy
  • E.18 Reported Bilingualism
• Appendix F Mpi Phones
• Appendix G Wordlist Comparison Criteria
• Appendix H Wordlist
• References

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