An Analytical Study of School Names in Phetchaburi Province Based on Semantics Features DOI:

Abstract

Background and Aims: This study examined school names in Phetchaburi Province from a semantic perspective, aiming to reveal the cultural, historical, and social values embedded within naming conventions. The purposes of this study were to 1) survey the names of the schools in Phetchaburi Province; 2) determine the structure, origin, and meaning of the school names in Phetchaburi Province; and 3) analyze the reflections on the school names in Phetchaburi Province based on semantic features.

Methodology: The study employed a qualitative method that analyzed the data by its content. There were 275 schools selected by purposive sampling based on the database under the jurisdiction of the Office Board of Basic Education, including government and private sectors (classified by primary and secondary level). The data were collected with in-depth interviews with key informants in the local areas where schools are situated, including the elderly, villagers, teachers, and significant members living near each school in Phetchaburi Province. A content analysis was utilized to categorize results, and the percentage was calculated.

Result: The findings indicated that the school names in Phetchaburi Province were entitled with meaning falling in 7 categories of semantics features: namely (1) places and lands; (2) important person or people; (3) important event; (4) ordinal numbers; (5) knowledge and educational level; (6) auspiciousness such as value, belief, and religion; and 7) sponsorship respectively. In addition, the component of school name structure was also analyzed and it was found that most of the school name structures contain 1 component (61.04%), some contain 2 components (28.91%), a few of them contain 3 components (8.84%), and rare contain 4 components (1.20%) respectively. The findings revealed that the semantic categories not only highlight the significance of school naming associated with each community identity but also reflect their historical and cultural influences and uniqueness rooted in Thai society.

Conclusion: The findings of this study give insights that contribute to a broader understanding of linguistic diversity and regional identity within Thailand, emphasizing the ethnosemantics that shed light on the cultural importance of naming practices. Future research may further explore naming conventions as expressions of cultural heritage in educational contexts across other Thai regions.