Bangkok Post: Forum

by **anna** on Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:50 am

sulasno wrote::lol:

and I suppose jai ron maak means very hot heart

Jai Ron Maak is something you don't want to do as it means you are rushing into making dicision, conclusion, etc... depend on the situation and environment you are in, obviously it's the opposit to Jai Yen. I'm sure you know more about Thai language than you lead me to believe.

by **sulasno** on Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:59 am

I speak very basic Thai

by **anna** on Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:47 am

sulasno wrote::lol:

I speak very basic Thai

I apologize for the wrong assumption about your Thai language and not properly introducing myself before butting in. This is something new to me as I've never joined in any forum on the internet before. Greetings from the land of Mickey Mouse.

by **sulasno** on Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:54 am

actually I could pass off as a Thai if I keep my mouth shut :lol:

by **anna** on Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:13 am

That would defeat the purpose of learning the language if you keep your mouth shut. Are you a polyglot ? Do you speak Thai on a daily basis, i.e. on business?

by **sulasno** on Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:53 pm

polygot?

maybe bilingual :lol:

on business ? nope

still trying to master the tones though

by **anna** on Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:31 am

I agree the difficult part of Thai language is the pronunciation as it is tonal. The sound of one word could mean two different things. For example, a word "Phom" could mean "hair" which is a noun, and it could also mean "I" a pronoun used by a male speaker depends on the context of a conversation. You will master that in time but it will sound as though you have an undeniable accent while you try to master it.

by **sulasno** on Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:48 am

just like the word "maa" :lol:

could mean dog, horse, come

by **anna** on Tue Mar 17, 2009 12:35 pm

I can see you know the meanings of a word but having difficulty making correct tones. For the word "maa" to mean a dog, you need to inflect the tone at the end of a word as in "mha", just like "is that RIGHT?" Actually, you can bypass a word for dog by using a word "suenug" which sounds just like "snug" = fit in English. It's a polite version of a word dog in Thai. Sometimes a word "maa" is used in a negative connotation to insult other person.

"maa" = come is easy. It's the same as mama = mother. But a horse is even a struggle for me to describe the Thai tone for this word.

Nothing is impossible, if you could find a Thai person or persons to practice with. Or you can get a tape, CD, or even watch a Thai TV program occasionally to enhance your ability to sound authenticly speaking in Thai. I have a foreign friend who can speak a proper level of Thai fluently just like a native Thai, but it also helps that he has a Thai wife. You have the incentive if you are already located in Thailand. I wish you good luck in learning Thai tonal.