Frank:	tōnní lǎi yàng chàk pràthet Thai pēn thî rúchàk kān nāi lǎi lǎi pràthêt	ตอนนี้หลายอย่างจากประเทศ ไทยเป็นที่รู้จักกันในหลายๆ ประเทศ	At the moment, many things from Thailand are becoming known in many countries.
Chai:	rāo phût dâi wâ khǒng Thai “kō īntōe” láeo	เราพูดได้ว่าของไทย “โกอินเตอร์” แล้ว	We can say that Thai things have go[ne] inter[nationally].
Frank:	ô  yàng ní phût w⠓kō īntōe”  khām ní mā chàk phāsǎ āngkrìt châi mǎi	อ้อ อย่างนี้พูดว่า “โกอิน เตอร์” คำนี้มาจากภาษา อังกฤษใช่ไหม	I see! You describe this as “go inter”. This comes from English, right?
Chai:	châi  tàe phût sân sân khâe “kō īntōe”	ใช่ แต่พูดสั้นๆ แค่ “โกอิน เตอร์”	Yes, we shorten it to “go inter”.
Frank:	tàt “-nationally” òk	ตัด –nationally ออก	Leaving “-nationally” out?
Chai:	châi  yàng khâo hǒm málí  mûeakàn kô “nō nēm”  mâi mī khrāi rúchàk	ใช่ อย่างข้าวหอมมะลิ เมื่อ ก่อนก็โนเนม ไม่มีใครรู้จัก	Right. For example, jasmine rice used to be a “no name”, meaning no one knew of it.
Frank:	“nō nēm” nî kô mā chàk phāsǎ āngkrìt mǔeankān	“โนเนม” นี่ก็มาจากภาษา อังกฤษเหมือนกัน	“No name” also comes from English.
Chai:	châi châi  mī khām bàep ní lǎi khām ná thî khōn Thāi āo mā chái  ìk khām nùeng ná thî dâiyīn bòi  “īn trēn”	ใช่ๆ มีคำแบบนี้หลายคำนะ ที่คนไทยเอามาใช้ อีกคำ หนึ่งนะที่ได้ยินบ่อย “อินเทรนด์”	Right! There are more examples of words that Thais adopted, such as “in trend”.
Frank:	thâ phǒm phût wâ  thâthāng bàeb “áb-báew” kāmlāng “īn trēn” nāi phûak sǎo sǎo  chà thùk mǎi	ถ้าผมพูดว่า ท่าทางแบบ “แอ๊บแบ๊ว" กำลังอินเทรนด์ ในพวกสาวๆ จะถูกไหม	Am I right if I say the “ab-baew” persona is “in trend” among ladies?
Chai:	pé lōei  Fránk  tháng “kō īntōe” “nō nēm” “īn trēn” mī khwāmmǎi klâikhīang phāsǎ āngkrìt ná	เป๊ะเลย แฟรงก์ ทั้ง “โกอิน เตอร์ โนเนม อินเทรนด์” มีความหมายใกล้เคียงภาษา อังกฤษนะ	Exactly, Frank! I think, “go inter”, “no name” and “in trend” mean nearly the same as their English versions.
Frank:	khît wâ nâ chà châi ná	คิดว่าน่าจะใช่นะ	I would think so.
Chai:	tàe khām w⠓stō-bōe-rî” mâi châi	แต่คำว่า “สตอร์เบอรี่" ไม่ใช่	But the word “stawberRY” doesn’t.
Frank:	rǒe  mâi dâi mǎithǔeng phǒnlámái rǒe	เหรอ ไม่ได้หมายถึงผลไม้ เหรอ	Ah, so it isn’t a fruit.
Chai:	mâi châi khwāmmǎi mâi klâikhīang lōei là  lōng pāi thǎm phûean khōn Thāi dū ná	ไม่ใช่ ความหมายไม่ใกล้ เคียงเลยล่ะ ลองไปถาม เพื่อนคนไทยดูนะ	No. It means something so different. Try asking your Thai friend (for its meaning).

Match the terms with their correct meaning. 1. áb-báew = 2. chīw chīw = 3. nōi = 4. kō īntōe = 5.nō nēm” “= 6. īn trēn = 7. stō-bōe-rî =     a. not a big name. b. to be worried and tense c. easy going and taking things easy d. to have a place in foreign countries e. to be in trend f. to present an innocent demeanor g. to exaggerate in a funny and teasing way   Answer keys: 1. f;         2. C;    3. b;     4. d;     5. a;     6. e;     7. g

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This lesson was prepared by Acharn Sunee Siidao, Educational Specialist.

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Last modified: August 17, 2007 |

Welcome back to a new adaptation of Phût Phāsǎ Thāi after our transitional Songkran break. As per the valued suggestions of our readers, the transliterations now follow the Royal Institute's system (http://www.royin.go.th/th/profile/index.php), which includes tone markers. In terms of content, the column will continue to provide you with everyday language on specific topics.

๒๑ singhakhom ๒๕๕๐   21 August 2007)

Phût phāsǎ Thai Go internationally vs ‘no name’ / mûea ‘kō īntōe’ kô mâi ‘nō nēm’ Some borrowed phrases from English translate directly into Thai, while a few keep the original English-like sound but are given a new meaning in Thai. 'hom mali' rice (jasmine rice) from Non Silaleang is available at many leading supermarkets such as Tesco Lotus and Tops as well as in stores overseas. The use of popular slang among teenagers has recently been a hot issue among language experts and adults concerned. The catchiest and most spoken among them seems to be "ab-baew" and discussions center around how this word is influential on the way teens dress, behave and speak. Linguists are concerned about its impact on the speaking style. Speakers tend to use high tone to stress the emotions. Otherwise, the teens' newly invented terms are creative, interesting and worth studying in order to look into their lifestyles and minds. The terms used among today's teens are mostly a mixture of foreign words and Thai. They sometimes take part of a foreign word and attach it to a Thai word. Quite often, they coin a new word by taking just one syllable of a foreign word. Three examples are mentioned in today's conversation. The expansion of Thai silk nationwide and internationally as objects of desire are tributes to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit and her vision to make these masterpieces of craftsmanship available to the public. As the Mother of the nation, she has long kept the heritage of silk weaving alive and has promoted the use of Thai silk. Long Live Her Majesty the Queen!