Thai Sentence­Final Imperative Discourse Particles

Abstract

The Thai imperative discourse particles include sì, ná, nâa, tɤ̀, nɔ̀i, and dâi. The distribution of these imperative discourse particles depends on the illocutionary forces and Searlean felicity conditions that constitute the forces. sì and tɤ̀ appear in a wide range of illocutionary forces but in a complementary distribution. sì signals the preparatory condition in which the speaker is socially or epistemically superior to the hearer. In contrast, tɤ̀ indicates that the speaker does not have control over the hearer and assumes that the act might not be fulfilled. ná is found with illocutionary forces that part of face-threaten acts to make them more polite. nɔ̀i and dâi signal request and permission respectively.