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โครงการพัฒนาหนังสืออิเล็กทรอนิกส์เฉลิมพระเกียรติ สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดา ฯ สยามบรมราชกุมารี

handshape morphemes: ‘whole entity’ which is semantic; ‘surface’, comparable to locative;
‘depth, width and shape’, comparable to SASS; ‘instrument’; ‘perimeter’, roughly a broad
specification of shape of the referent noun, and ‘extent’ which describes volume or amount of
the referent noun, comparable to numeral and quantity in a sense. She further makes
comments in comparison between spoken Thai and Thai SL classifiers that one crucial
difference between the two is the socio-linguistic aspect. Spoken Thai is sensitive to social
stratification whereas Thai SL is not. For example, the classifier for person in general is
[k*on ] ‘คน’ but for royalties, it is [!o0] ‘องค’. So different classifiers used with the same
noun are not reflected in Thai SL classifiers. Collins-Ahlgren summarizes that both Thai and
Thai SL classifier systems are similar in that they both are natural language devices for noun
categorization similar to classifier systems of other world languages. While Thai SL is a
predicate-classifier language, spoken Thai is not, and they both are but two different natural
languages. One who acquires both is a bilingual (1990: 115-116).
On semantic categorizations of nouns: For 510 nouns selected for this study, there are
126 Thai SL classifiers. These classifiers are based on 61 basic handshapes (cf. Tables 1:a-c).
The classifiers correspond with at least 175 Thai classifiers, redundancies omitted. Most
classifiers in Thai SL cover a different set of nouns when compared with the corresponding
Thai ones, and the reverse is true for Thai classifiers. For example, the one-hand classifier
handshape number 2 (SASS) covers at least 13 nouns and corresponds with at least 12 Thai
classifiers, one of which is an SASS, [mept] ‘เม็ด’. On the contrary, this Thai classifier, [mept]
‘เม็ด’ (SASS) corresponds with at least 9 Thai SL one-hand classifiers; handshapes numbers 1,
2, 8, 9, 11, 26, 43 which are all SASS and numbers 71, 73, both of which are Semantics.
Another example: the two-parallel hands classifier handshape number 28 (SASS)
covers at least 47 nouns and corresponds with at least 26 Thai classifiers, one of which is an
SASS, [baj] ‘ใบ’. In contrast, this Thai classifier, [baj] ‘ใบ’ (SASS), corresponds with at least
4 Thai SL two-parallel hands classifiers; handshapes number 15, 16, 39 which are all SASS
and number 60, a semantic classifier. [baj] ‘ใบ’ also corresponds with ten other one-hand
classifiers; handshapes numbers 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 31, 37, 39 which are all SASS and numbers 51,
52 which are both instrumental.
It should be noted that the two-different hand classifiers will not be compared nor
discussed in details here. Of these 61 Thai SL basic classifier handshapes, half are SASS.
Each of these SASS classifier handshapes categorizes a different set of nouns when compared
with the corresponding Thai classifiers. This shows that nouns are perceived and categorized
differently in Thai SL and Thai. Some nouns that are categorized by the same SASS Thai SL
classifier are used with different classifiers in Thai and vice versa. What Thai signers
categorize as having similar or comparable shape and size may not be categorized similarly
by non-signing Thai speakers and vice versa. The categorical boundaries are drawn
differently in each language. This difference is true between classifier systems of any two
spoken languages. There is no two spoken languages that categorize all the nouns identically.
Sign languages are not different in this regard. In our comparison of classifier handshape
number 2 in table 1a as an SASS one- hand classifier for round object of small size is used
with an intestine, a roll of film, a clove of garlic, a piece of coal, an eye, a button, pearl,
larynx, etc. (cf. Table 2), with a set of at least 13 nouns.
For the same set of nouns, there are at least 12 spoken Thai classifiers used, some are
a partial repeat of the referent noun, e.g., [dua0 ] ‘ดวง’ for [dua0 taa] ‘an eye’, [lu@Ök ] ‘ลูก’ for

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