Fortunately, the sounds occurring
in the Thai language are not so unusual to us that they could
pose a serious hurdle. In addition, there are not nearly as
many sounds as characters.
Although these pages are designed
to learn the Thai script to make obsolete phonetic spelling
in any form, at the beginning we have to transcribe Thai words.
Therefore, in the following table the sign is given, which
is used in the transcription by ClickThai.
Single sounds
Short Sounds
Long Sounds
Sound
Transcription
As in…
a
a
park
e
e
pen
i
i
bit
o
o
cot
o
aw
done
u
u
Luke
ae
ae
fan
eu
eu
ue
ue
There is no English equivalent to this sound,
but the sound of revulsion "eugh!" comes
close to it
Sound
Transcription
As in…
ah
a:
father
ay
e:
day
ii
i:
seen
oh
o:
go
oo
a:w
dawn
uu
u:
pool
ae
ae:
air
eu
e:r
number
ue
ue:
There is no English equivalent to this sound,
but the sound of revulsion "eugh!" comes
close to it
A bit unusual for us are only the sounds of eu
and ue. Listen to these sounds and
try to imitate as close as possible. Speak them with jutting
mandible.
It is important in all cases to listen closely to and to imitate
the sound of a native Thai speaker.
Composite sounds
A number of vowel combinations have their
own character combinations in Thai. We shall return to
the characters later - listen first to the sounds and
note that multiple sounds as "eu" are not contracted.
In the sounds of the consonants,
there are no major differences to English. Although there
are 44 different consonants there are only 28 distinct sounds.
If the "soft" and "hard" versions are
not considered, then there are only 21.
Some consonants are pronounced differently at the beginning
of the syllable and at the end of a syllable (see Consonant
details). However, no new sounds are produced.
Our special friend is ง.
It can not stand at the beginning of an English syllable but
it can in Thai. Say the word "Singing" several times,
then begin to pull it apart, bit by bit by saying "Si"
and then "nging". Now omit the "Si" —
simple, isn't it?
I need your help!
I'm not a native English speaker and my English is poor.
I've translated this page from my German site because it can be helpful
for Thai students everywhere in the world.
Reference
Training
