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Animate classifiers in Tai languages

Abstract This article aims to study animate classifiers in six Tai languages, namely, Central Thai, Lao, Tai Lue, Shan, Bouyei, and Northern Zhuang. The focus is on social factors such as register choice, age, kinship, gender, social standing, and social attitudes as determinants of Tai animate classifiers which are further categorized into human and non-human classifiers. The data analysis is based on the work of Li (1977) and the continuum model posited by Conklin (1981). It has been found that in the western languages, that is, Central Thai, Lao, Shan, and Lue, social status and social attitudes are the most important factors in animate classifier usage. In addition to these social factors, Lao and Lue also employ gender and age to determine the animate classifier choice. In the easterly Tai languages, that is, Bouyei and Northern Zhuang, age and kinship are the sociolinguistic determinants of animate classifier usage. This study also reveals that each group of languages has its own classifier development.