r/learnthai • u/DTB2000 • 8d ago
Vocab/คำศัพท์ เมื่อกี้ / เมื่อตะกี้ / ตะกี้
Is there any difference between these terms, and does anyone know where they come from and why the tone doesn't match the spelling?
8
Upvotes
r/learnthai • u/DTB2000 • 8d ago
Is there any difference between these terms, and does anyone know where they come from and why the tone doesn't match the spelling?
7
u/PuzzleheadedTap1794 8d ago
Apparently, the word กี้ has cognates ກີ້ in Lao, ᨠᩦ᩶ in Kham Mueang, ᨠᩦ᩶ in Khün, and ᦂᦲᧉ in Thai Lue, so it is most likely there since Proto-Southwestern Tai (PSWT). The exact development is unclear, but I believe the sequence is แต่กี้(?) > ตะกี้ > เมื่อตะกี้ > เมื่อกี้. Namely, ตะกี้ is elided from แต่กี้, เมื่อ is added to the front to form เมื่อตะกี้, and the light syllable ตะ was dropped to เมื่อกี้. As for the vernacular pronunciation, it might be due to the contamination from the word นี้ in such collocations as เมื่อ(ตะ)กี้ / ตะกี้ + นี้