Thai
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| II | This is a Category II Language. |
[edit] Learning Thai (เรียนภาษาไทย)
Thai language (ภาษาไทย-phāːsǎːthāi) is official language of Thailand.
Like Chinese and some other Asian languages, spoken Thai is a tonal language. That means that by changing the tone of a spoken word you can change its meaning. This can be confusing for people whose first language is non-tonal, such as the European languages. The written Thai word however, is not so confusing because words with different tones are spelled differently. Though like English, it is possible for words with the same tone but different meanings, to be spelled differently too ('feet' and 'feat')
Example of some Thai words highlighting the different tones.
| Thai Word | Pronunciation key | Meaning | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| คา | khā | stuck | mid |
| ข่า | khà | galangal | low |
| ข้า | khâ | servant | falling |
| ค่า | khâ | value | falling |
| ฆ่า | khâ | to kill | falling |
| ค้า | khá | to trade, to sell | high |
| ขา | khǎ | leg | rising |
The following table is comparing Chinese with Thai about their tones. Note that pronunciation key is adapted form English alphabets with IPA tone markers for Thai. It is not same as pinyin tone marker at all.
| Chinese Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 妈 | mā | mother |
| 麻 | má | hemp |
| 马 | mǎ | horse |
| 骂 | mà | scold |
| 吗 | ma | (used as last word of question) |
Many Thai phrasebooks use pronunciation key without tone marker, even though Thai is tonal language. If you want to speak Thai correctly, you have to study its tone, otherwise Thai people will have trouble understanding what you say.
[edit] Modules
Although this Wikibook is still in its early stages of development, hopefully you will find it useful nevertheless. If you can, please help improve these articles, or add new ones.
- Adding vocabulary with word association - using mnemonics to improve your vocabulary.
- Alphabet
- Writing lessons plan - includes a list of words that sound similar to English.
- Common phrases
- Colors
[edit] Pranala Luar (External links)
- Thai language and culture learning resources – from the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University.'
