Research & Article

This study aims to investigate the address systems and the socio-cultural reflections embedded in these systems in the lyrics of Thai country and city songs. It appears that there are specific characteristics of address systems in these songs which are different from a previous study (Tinhsabadh and Prasithrathsint, 1986). That is, the address terms in these two forms of songs can be any one or a combination of two or more of the following: pronoun, kinship terms, rank, occupation/title, name, and expressive terms. The three most frequently used forms of address terms in Thai country songs are pronoun/title, kinship terms, and expressive terms, respectively. In contrast, the three most frequent address terms found in Thai city songs are in a different order, pronoun/title, expressive terms, and kinship terms. The study also shows that the various forms of address in Thai country and city songs not only indicate the degree of intimacy between the singer and the addressee, but also reflect the social relationship between men and women in Thai society.