1、 Introduction

The authority of the Thai royal family rose after the Siamese Constitutional Revolution in 1932, closely related to the development of royal language. Royal terminology originated from the deep cultural traditions of Thailand, which established exclusive vocabulary when conversing with members of the royal family to honor the king. Its history can be traced back to the Sukhothai dynasty, and later developed during the Ayutthaya and Radanagoxin eras. In modern times, it has become more complex due to the rules established by King Rama IV. The research focuses on the incorrect use of royal language, semantic uniqueness, political importance, and polite language forms. This study explores the manifestation of the concept of superiority and inferiority mapped by "head" and "feet" in the first and second person pronouns of Thai royal language within the framework of grammaticalization cognition. The aim is to construct a typical model of the first and second person pronouns of Southeast Asian languages, discuss the metaphorical relationship between "head" and "feet" and the concept of superiority and inferiority, analyze the particularity of the first and second person grammaticalization of Thai royal language, deepen the understanding of Thai royal language, and provide new research perspectives.

2、 Legalization of first person pronouns and second person pronouns in major languages in Southeast Asia

The legalization of personal pronouns in major languages in Southeast Asia is closely related to the concept of social hierarchy. In these languages, first person pronouns typically originate from low social status human nouns such as "slave" and "servant", while second person pronouns originate from high social status human nouns such as "monarch" and "master". This grammaticalization process reflects the asymmetric social hierarchy between the speaker and the listener, as well as the speaker's dynamic cognition of the listener's identity. The personal pronoun system in Thai royal language is particularly complex, including not only basic first, second, and third person pronouns, but also subtle expressions of respect, identity, and social status. In Thai, non royal members use noble first person pronouns encoded with "head" to refer to themselves and lowly second person pronouns encoded with "foot" to refer to royal members when communicating with them. This linguistic phenomenon may be related to the concept of "superiority or inferiority" formed by the mapping of the body parts "head" and "feet". The grammaticalization process of personal pronouns in Thai royal language reflects the high emphasis on respect and etiquette in Thai culture, as well as the hierarchical structure and hierarchy of society.

3、 The metaphorical mapping relationship between the body parts "head" and "feet" and the concept of "superiority or inferiority"

Explored how the body parts "head" and "feet" in Thai form a metaphorical mapping relationship with the concept of hierarchy. In Thai culture, "head" and "feet" not only represent the spatial orientation of "up" and "down", but also imply the level of social status. Through metaphorical mechanisms, the concept of spatial orientation is projected onto social hierarchy, forming a sense of superiority or inferiority. For example, in Thai, "head" not only refers to the upper part of the body, but also symbolizes nobility and high power, while "feet" are associated with lowly and lowly. This mapping is reflected in daily etiquette and language, where the body of the king is considered to be above the heads of the subjects, while the subjects are at the feet of the king. Thai people regard people with high social status as the top, and people with low social status as the bottom. This extreme opposition to the values of "head" and "feet" has shaped Thailand's social and cultural customs, and influenced people's behavior and interaction. In Thai royal language, the grammaticalization process of the first and second person pronouns is different from other languages in Southeast Asia. Thai people will refer to themselves with noble "head" and refer to the king or other royal family members with humble "foot".

4、 The first and second person pronouns' head 'and' foot 'in the legalization of Thai royal language

The grammaticalization process of first and second person pronouns in Thai royal language reflects a unique concept of superiority and inferiority. First person pronouns express respect for members of the royal family by referring to noble status or upper body parts, such as seeing oneself as a servant of the Buddha or referring to oneself with the word 'head'. This expression is different from the typical models of other Southeast Asian languages and reflects the prestigious view of the head in Thai culture. Second person pronouns demonstrate the utmost respect for members of the royal family by mentioning the lowest part of the listener's body, such as "soles of the feet" or "dust under the soles of the feet". This oppositional relationship emphasizes the difference in identity between the speaker and the listener. The person pronoun regularization model of Thai royal language is based on the unique social and cultural context of Thailand, and differs significantly from models of other Southeast Asian languages, deeply reflecting the expression of the connotations of "head" and "foot" in Thai culture.

5、 Conclusion

The grammaticalization process of personal pronouns in Thai royal language is different from other Southeast Asian languages, and its uniqueness is reflected in the concept of hierarchy related to the body parts "head" and "feet". Research has found that personal pronouns in major Southeast Asian languages are mostly derived from human nouns representing social status, while Thai constructs personal pronouns using body part nouns as input. In Thai, first person pronouns such as p ʰ o ̌ m, kra ̀ʔ p ʰ o ̌ m (meaning "hair on top of the head") and second person pronouns such as na ∝ j (meaning "owner") reflect this uniqueness. In addition, there may be two models simultaneously in Thai language: one is a typical model under the concept of social hierarchy, and the other is an atypical model under the concept of "head" and "feet" in Thai culture. In the royal response, the noble value of the body part "head" is also reflected.