Characteristics of the Thai language in AX Semantics
Fundamentals
Generally, Thai has neither gender nor number for nouns. However, the AX NLG platform supports two numbers (singular and plural) mainly for the usage of determiners and pronouns. Additionally, Thai has no cases for nouns.
| grammatical name | values | examples |
|---|---|---|
| number (personal pronoun) | singular | เขา [kǎo] (he) |
| plural | พวกเขา [pûuakkǎo] (they) | |
| adjectives (noun) | after noun | แอปเปิ้ลแดง [xæppeîl dæng] (a/the red-ลแดง apple-แอปเปิ้) |
| verb tenses | present/past | เขากิน [kǎo gin] (he-เขา eats-กิน) |
| future | เขาจะกิน [kǎo cha gin] (he-เขา will-จะ eat-กิน) |
The standard order of a noun phrase in Thai is the following:
preposition + noun + adjective + numeral + determiner
See for example:
เกี่ยวกับ นักร้อง ยอดนิยมทั้ง สาม คนนี้
[keī̀ywkạb nák-rɔ́ɔng yxdniymthậng sǎam konnîi]
about singers popular three these
PREP NOUN ADJ NUM DET
"about these three popular singers"
Lexicon
Nouns
Thai nouns could inflect for number. Nouns should be added to the lexicon if they do not inflect regularly.
Lexicon entries for nouns may also be necessary for inflecting determiners and pronouns correctly. They are omitted, if a lexicon entry is required, but missing.
Examples
The basic lexicon entry for บ้าน [bâan] (house) contains:
- inflection table for number:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | บ้าน | บ้าน |
Adjectives
In Thai, "after noun" is the default for the adjective position. Thai adjectives stand behind the noun and do not inflect.
Verbs
Thai verbs could inflect for tense. If a verb inflects incorrectly, you should add it to the lexicon. However, Thai verb tenses are usually configured by particles instead of morphology/inflection.
Container settings
Determiner
The AX NLG platform supports the following determiners for Thai: demonstratives (proximal + distal) and possessives.
Pronoun
The AX NLG platform supports the following pronouns for Thai: demonstratives (proximal + distal), personal, and possessive.
Numerals
Four types of numerals are possible on the AX NLG platform: cardinal, cardinal as digit, ordinal, and ordinal as digit. Take วัน[wan] (day) for example:
| cardinal | ordinal | |
|---|---|---|
| text | วันเก้าอัน [wạn gâao an] (days-วัน nine-เก้า classifier-อัน) | วันอันที่เก้า [wạn xạn thī̀kêā] (the day-วัน classifier-อัน ninth-ที่เก้า ) |
| digit | วัน 9อัน [wạn 9an] (9 days) | วัน อัน 9. [ wạn xạn 9.] (the 9th day) |
For Thai, both cardinal and ordinal numerals are written out until 12 on the platform, otherwise (above 12) the output is in digit form. Take cardinal numerals for example:
สิบคัน
[sìp kan]
(ten cars)
vs.
11 คัน
[11 kan]
(11 cars)
The AX NLG platform will add the most common classifier (อัน) for ordinal and cardinal numerals. The classifier precedes ordinal numerals, and stays after cardinal numerals. If you want to use different classifiers, they could be added as plain text. Take คน[khon] for example:
นักเรียนคนที่สอง
[nákriian khon thisong]
(the student-นักเรียน classifer-คน second-ที่สอง)
the second student
Writing System
Spaces in a Thai text indicate the end of a clause or sentence. There are usually no spaces between words.