An Investigation of Self-Mention and Identity Construction in Chart Korbjiti’s “The Judgment” of Thai Written Novel

Abstract

This research article aims to explore the use of self-mentions “I” expressed by the characters in the novel “the Judgment”, the famous novel in Thailand. The results revealed that the facets of critical discourse and context interpretation cannot be separated. That is, discourse also plays a vital role in projecting an individual‘s subjectivity through the use of language, non-verbal interaction and expression. Fak, the main protagonist and the villagers are the key parts of societal discourse, with the former as a victim of the villagers’ discourse and the latter as victims of their own. The use of self-mentions “I” and identity construction could manifest the intended meaning that each character conveys. The analysis underlines the concept sociolinguistics and discourse should be considered as an interesting medium in Thai thought domination found in the novel. Moreover, instructors of the English language can apply the results of this study as a guideline for raise students’ awareness of competent novel writers with the sociolinguistic and critical discourse interpretation, along with the necessity to understand the underline meaning of Thai cultures while creating novel.