Identity maintenance in Lanna (Northern Thai)

Abstract

The identity of the Lanna people in northern Thailand is remarkably maintained through the northern language “Kam Mueang” in a context of cultural hybridity. This study was conducted in Chiang Mai, known as the capital of Lanna to investigate the maintenance of Lanna identity through the use of Kam Mueang words on signage. Signage of any possible forms in public, composed with words from single to large strings either permanent or contemporary, especially on the side roads was collected as data used in this study. Four pattern repertoires of signage are found including signs in foreign languages, signs in different mixed languages, signs in Thai only, and signs in Kam Mueang, mixed and non-mixed, respectively. Five Kam Mueang words including “Mueang”, “Huean”, “Doi”, “Kat”, and “Kham” on signs in public spaces reflect identity maintenance of Lanna people. Kam Mueang in public signage though found at a low rate compared to the frequency of all utterances types, currently and remarkably displays salient phenomenon of social identity.