Terrain characteristics and Tai toponyms: a GIS analysis of Muang,Chiang and Viang

Tai is a family of related languages and dialects, a subgroup of the Tai-Kadai languages, spoken by more than 85 million speakers in southern China and Southeast Asia. This paper uses GIS to map the spatial distribution of Tai toponyms (Muang, Chiang and Viang) and analyzes their relationship with terrain characteristics. In Tai, Muang means flat “basin”, Chiang means “town”, and Viang provides defense for a Chiang. These Tai toponyms are found at places with a significantly higher compound topographic index (or wetness index) than others. Watershed basins with more Muang toponyms are characterized by lower elevation, gentler slope, near zero concavity. All of these are consistent with physical conditions favorable for wet rice agriculture, culture, and commerce. The transnational spatial distribution of these toponyms and associated terrain characteristics reveal a significant regional pattern that reflects not only the geomorphology of the places where Tai expanded and settled, but also a common history and culture of naming places influenced by their wet rice agriculture and associated cultural practices and commerce.