A Comparative Study Of The Word Order Of Attributes And Adverbials In Chinese And Thai Languages

Word order refers to the sequence of the arrangement and combination of linguistic units. In different languages, linguistic units may be arranged and combined in different or identical sequences. Chinese and Thai both belong to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages; both are languages without morphological changes, and in both languages, word order is the primary means for conveying grammatical and semantic relations. However, as Thai further belongs to the Dong-Tai family of languages, its word order is different from that of the Chinese language to a certain extent. In terms of word order, the different positions of attributes and adverbials relative to central words and the different sequences of multiple attributes and adverbials are the most prominent differences between Chinese and Thai languages.This paper studies the word order of attributes and adverbials in Chinese and Thai languages. On the basis of collected linguistic materials, this paper conducts a comparative analysis of the composition of attributes and adverbials in Chinese and Thai and their position relative to central words, arguing that Chinese and Thai have different sequences of attributes and adverbials relative to central words - in Chinese, the typical word order is "modifier + central word", whereas in Thai, the typical word order is "central word + modifier".This paper applies the theories of linguistic comparison and error analysis and examines the author's collected linguistic examples in which Thai students put attributes and adverbials in erroneous word orders. It ascertains that Thai students' tendency to place attributes and adverbials after central words in the Chinese language can largely be attributed to the influence of the negative transfer of the word order of the Thai language, and that errors in the sequence of multiple attributes and adverbials and the use of the attribute mark "de" and adverbial mark "di" are the result of various causes, including the influence of the "negative transfer" of the word order of the Thai language and the inadequate understanding of the characteristics of the word orders of Chinese and Thai languages and their relative relations.Last, in response to the errors that Thai students make in learning and using Chinese attributes and adverbials, this paper presents the relevant suggestions and solutions for teaching, hoping that they will provide some references for the teaching of Thai and Chinese attributes and adverbials.