A Pronunciation of English Medical Loanwords Produced by Thai Nurses

The study of English loanwords produced by Thai speakers has received much attention. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of English medical loanwords produced by Thai nurses. The aim of this study is to investigate the production of English medical loanwords produced by L2 Thai nurses. The data used was 395 English medical loanwords in sentences. The analysis was divided into two main parts: phonological and morphological. For the phonological analysis, the influence of L1 Thai was found in the production. It was also found that there is a difference between the way Thai nurses and L2 Thai learners say the same English sounds, especially when the English sounds do not exist in the Thai sound system. For the morphological analysis, seven strategies of word formation were found, including keeping the same word, acronym, abbreviation, phrasal clipping, back clipping and adding other sounds, lengthening of abbreviation, and different pronunciations to distinguish words. Some strategies, such as lengthening of abbreviation, were not found in the formation of English loanwords in Thai, and some strategies in the formation of English loanwords in Thai were not found in the formation of English medical loanwords. These results suggest that English medical loanwords used by Thai nurses have unique characteristics which enhance the communication among healthcare professionals

Linguistics · Pronunciation · Lexicography and Language Studies · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning

• Issues in loanword adaptation

  Open Access•Michael Kenstowicz, Atiwong Suchato•Lingua•2006

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