[Tlc] T-"Siam"

[justinm at ucr.edu]

A lengthy treatise could be written about the history and
usage of the name Siam, but at this point it will suffice
merely to correct the impression that Siam is a Westernized
form of a Chinese placename (Hsien, which first occurs in the
13th century).  "Syaam" appears in an inscription at Angkor
Wat (mid-12th century) and "Syam" in 12th-century inscriptions
in Pagan, Burma--though in both cases there may be a question
of whether it is a geographical or an ethnic designation.  A
European map of 1575 has SIAM in big red letters.  True, the
indigenous usage is harder to track.  One example is the
Pali-language chronicle of Ayutthaya (1789 CE), in which the
kingdom (raajapadesa) is called Syaama-Dayya (or Syaama-Diya),
presumably "Thai Siam."

As for the background to Professor Charnvit‘s views, the book
by Jit Phumisak (1930-66), Kham pen maa khong kham Sayaam Thai
Lao lae Khom (History of the words Siam, Thai, Lao, and Khom),
published in 1981, might also be mentioned.

Hiram Woodward


______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu