Peppy

As Katana notes, มนต์รักลูกทุ่ง was a hit movie in the 70's. It's been remade quite a few times, most recently as a Channel 3 soap opera in 2010.

The word มนต์ is actually cognate with the English word "mantra"--I think the meaning is perhaps best described as "a magical incantation". Together with รัก, it's something like "love spell".

(Oh, and the name of the 2001 black comedy that Meadish mentions, "Monrak Transistor", is a reference to the 70's hit.)

อ่าน ๆๆๆๆๆ หนังสือไงครับ

I'll do some reading, but that doesn't bring good pronunciation and listening skills.

Thanks for the ANKI tip, it seems like a great tool, and there's quite a few modules downloadable. Is there any of them that are especially recommended?

And for something just slightly related, where can one buy Thai letters to stick on a western keyboard?

Most any shop that sells computer equipment should have them... just ask for สติ๊กเกอร์คีย์บอร์ด "sa-tik-ger kee-bawt".

On the topic of vocabulary, I agree that reading doesn't help your listening much... but it might actually do more for your pronunciation than you think, since recognizing the consistencies between written letters and their sounds can help you recognize and reproduce those sounds accurately and consistently than you otherwise would. For example, your ear may hear two words that actually have the same vowel sound as being pronounced with a different sound (perhaps owing to them having different tones), but if you see the words in print you will realize they actually have the same vowels, allowing you to correct your error and develop clearer and more accurate pronunciation. This system works just as well with tones, and with initial and final consonants. Spot the consistencies, and implement them in your speech.

Of course, all the consistency in the world won't be of much help if you're lacking real-world examples of how the sounds actually sound when spoken in sentences by real Thai speakers. For the last six years, I've spent at least an hour every evening watching Thai-language television (though it's frequently more than an hour, and Mrs. Peppy and I usually watch at least three or four Thai-language movies a week as well--some actual Thai movies, and some foreign movies dubbed in Thai). When I first started watching, it was usually game shows, which are relatively easy as the questions are always written on the screen, and the topic of conversation is always the questions. Later I graduated to soap operas, and for the last few years it's been the news (I'm also quite addicted to The Star Season 7, an American Idol-style singing competition, at the moment). Anyway, my spoken Thai and my listening comprehension are pretty decent (IMHO), and the TV has been (and is) an important contributing factor.

Last but not least, you should try to make some Thai-speaking acquaintances that you can practice on and learn from as well. To summarize: read, read, read, listen, listen, listen, and then get out and speak, speak, speak! Best of luck to you!

ไม้เรียว is actually still widely employed as part of the curriculum at most schools, especially those upcountry. The sound is best described as a "whooshing", followed by a short, sharp "crack" at the end, and it serves to intensify the meaning of words so that they may not be easily forgotten.

That's a fine (if slightly literal/not so very idiomatic) translation, Puschl. The only major change I'd make would be to use "deposit" rather than "collateral" for ค่าประกัน/เงินประกัน.

วัดราชฐูรณะ Wat Rat Burana.

Think that's just a typo--ฐ and บ are in the same place on the keyboard.

In some older books (60's, for example), the combinations ปั ฝั ฟั have a gap in the consonant's tail to let the mai hanakat through.

I always thought that was because of the typographic techniques of the time--i.e. ป ฝ and ฟ were printed as บ ผ and พ, and then a little line was placed above them to extend the "tail", but sometimes it was a little off, causing the gap. This is actually quite common in books as recent as the mid-nineties...

ไม้หน้าสาม is basically a two-by-four.

จดหมาย (letter) is just one of those words that's usually abbreviated, since everybody knows what จม. means. (That is to say, this author isn't the only person who does this--she's just conforming to the norms of written Thai.)

It would appear that you stopped using the water at some point (perhaps you're now on a well?) and so they'd like you to claim your deposit back from them. Go and show them your previous water bill payment receipts, ID, and house registration, and they'll reimburse you for the amount mentioned at the end of the second line in the letter. (If you don't go before the date mentioned in the final blank you've whited out, you'll forfeit your rights to the money.)

EDIT: Whoops, Patrick got here first.

Whilst we're, (sort of), on the subject of lesbians, I'm looking for popular terms for same. At thai-language.com I found a few examples:

ดี้

ตีฉิ่ง

ทอม

ทอมดี้

เบี้ยน

Any other suggestions, or insights into these terms, would be much appreciated.

Except for ตีฉิ่ง, they're actually all shortenings of English words. ดี้ is from "lady" and means feminine lesbian--i.e. a woman who dresses and talks as a woman, but prefers female sexual partners. ทอม comes from "tomboy" and means a butch or masculine lesbian--short hair, and mannish clothes and mannerisms. ทอมดี้ is a couple, comprised of one ทอม and one ดี้, while เบี้ยน is simply a shortening of "lesbian". As for ตีฉิ่ง, the literal meaning is to beat cymbals (those little cup-like ones called ฉิ่ง), but it's also the word for the lesbian sex position known in English as "scissors".

While I'm here, I'll put in my two cents on แรด as well--I think "slut/slutty" is indeed the perfect English translation, with all of the same connotations.

See this:

Post #8, by Rikker, is especially helpful.

Note that the sound in words like เล่น isn't actually changing from เอ to แอ, but rather to เอะ (i.e. a short เอ). To hear the difference, get a Thai to read the following to you: "เลน เล็น แลน แล็น" -- เล่น sounds like the second word here, but with a falling tone.

Given that "คุณ คุณ" is a perfectly acceptable and polite way to get somebody's attention in Thai, how could you expect someone who doesn't speak much English to know any better? Just explain that "You, you!" doesn't come across as very polite, and tell them to say "Excuse me" instead.

I'm assuming it was copied and pasted from an online conversation.

Just want to make a small correction to my above post: เหมาะสม, or "appropriate"/"fitting" is misspelled as เมาะสม. Sorry!

And while I'm here, I'll put in my two cents on the usage of prepositions that Todd mentions above. Just as in English we say "go to Chiang Mai" rather than "go at Chiang Mai", "at home" rather than "in home", and "the same as" rather than "the same to", they're just things you have to get used to through exposure and practice.

I am worried about my kids.

pom bpen huang luuk pom

Why not

pom huang giawgap luuk pom

Because the correct translation of "be worried about" is เป็นห่วง bpen huang, not ห่วงเกี่ยวกับ. That's just the way it is.

This shirt is very suitable for you.

Seua dtua nii mosom gap khun maak.

Why not

Seua dtua nii mosom samrap khun maak.

This is because the correct preposition to use with เมาะสม mosom is กับ gap, not สำหรับ samrap. Again, this is just how it is.

You have the best opportunity to get this job.

khun mii ogaat dai ngaan nii dii tii sut

Why not

khun dai ngaan nii mii ogaat dii tii sut

Because "khun dai ngaan nii mii ogaat dii tii sut" says, "You get this job have the best opportunity", which isn't what you want to say here.

I think เส้น here refers to veins and tendons, or เส้นเลือด and เส้นเอ็น respectively. My understanding is that เข้าเส้น means to be "deeply ingrained".

เค้ามีแฟนเป็นพู้หญิงด้วยนะ เรียกว่าเข้าเส้นมาตั้งแต่เด็กๆ แก้ไขไม่ได้จนโต

She's even got a girlfriend. You could say it was in her blood from a young age, and there was no fixing it as she got older.

ฟ้ามันร้องครื้นครื้นครื้นครื้น // The sky thunders--rumble, rumble, rumble

ฝนตกลงมาซู่ซ่าซู่ซ่า // The rains fall--pitter patter, pitter patter

หลบให้ละอองฝน // Get in out of the rain

อย่าวิ่งซนเดี๋ยวจะเป็นหวัด // Don't run around [outside], you'll catch a cold

ฟึดฟัดๆๆ ๆ ฮัดเช่ย // Sniffle, sniffle, ah-choo!

Sounds like a children's song.

The sentences he can say are - ประโยคที่เขาสามารถพูดได้ คือ

เขาเป็นครูสอนหนังสือของภาษาศาสตร์.

This should be เขาเป็นครูสอนภาษาศาสตร์ "He is a linguistics teacher." If you wanted to say "He's a language teacher", that would be เขาเป็นครูสอนภาษา

เขาเรียนวิชาภาษาไทยเมื่อ๓๐ปีที่แล้ว,

This says, "He studied Thai thirty years ago." If you want to say "He's been studying Thai for thirty years", it would be เขาเรียนภาษาไทยมาเป็นเวลา ๓๐ ปีแล้ว

แต่เขาสามารถอ่านภาษาไทยได้โดยใช้พจนานุกรมช่วย.

"But he can read Thai with the help of a dictionary."

เขาก็สามารถพูด:

"He can speak." (Note: this sounds just as odd in Thai as it does in English. What language is it that he can speak?)

กรุณาเข้ามาใน,

To say "Come in", a simple เข้ามา is sufficient. If you want to say "Come inside", use เข้ามาข้างใน. If you're looking for an equivalent to "Please", เชิญ would be much better than กรุณา here. Of course, if you're talking to an inferior, no "Please" is necessary.

กรุณานั่งลง,

"Please sit down." See above regarding the use of กรุณา.

กรุณาพูดใหม่.

"Please repeat that."

ป้ะ is a shortening of หรือเปล่า--it's used informally by younger people. Other common derivations of หรือเปล่า that are used by people of all ages are รึ and เหรอ.

According to my understanding:

จนขึ้น - get poorer

จนลง - become less poor (ie richer)

ผอมขึ้น - get skinnier

ผอมลง - become less skinny (ie fatter)

ช้าขึ้น - get slower

ช้าลง - become less slow (ie faster)

As Rikker says above, these aren't opposites; each pair means the same thing (get ____-er), but the first form of each is not quite correct grammar-wise.

To actually say "become less _____", you'd have to use น้อยลง i.e. จนน้อยลง "become less poor".

This last bit I can't understand; here is what I think it says;

ข้าวหวดนั้นกกินได้แต่ไม่อร่อย sticky rice which is barely edible

เปรียบเสมือนกับความรักที่คนสองคนมีความรู้สึกดี ๆ ให้กัน is partially similar or parallel (analogeous) to love in which two people have good feelings together.

ความรักถึงจะสมบูรณ์และหอมหวานยังไงล่ะครับ how can love become perfect?

This kind of rice is edible, but doesn't taste very good--compared to a love where both sides reciprocate each other's feelings so the love is complete.]

I'm not 100% confident about my translation here, so any pointers about where I may have gone wrong are appreciated. Anyway, though, it seems your guess about the meaning of the idiom was correct--"like sticky rice steamed on only one side."

Your translation is what I would expect, but I can't make it say that, there is a question at the end too. I think it would be interesting to find out how the Thai mind works in repect of this syntax.

Thanks, Tgeezer, for your input. The part of the translation I wasn't entirely sure of was actually the bit to do with cooking sticky rice, since I've never actually done it myself or even seen it done up close--I was having trouble picturing the equipment and actions involved in all the "shaking" and "flipping".

I would maintain that กินได้แต่ไม่อร่อย means "edible but not tasting very good" rather than "barely edible", which I would say to be "แทบกินไม่ได้" (i.e. nearly inedible). Also, I don't think the ยังไงล่ะ at the end signifies a question; rather, it's saying something like "it's like that" and doesn't require a literal translation.

The 'k' in 'krap' is what is termed unaspirated, in the Thai language. Try saying 'krap' to yourself with your hand over your mouth. Do you feel a blast of air on your hand? If so, then the 'k' is aspirated. The 'k' should sound more like a 'g'; try to say 'krap' without blasting your hand then you have it. I've not mastered it yet, so don't punch yourself too hard.

The 'h' in the transliteration is supposed to convey that the preceding letter is 'unaspirated'.

If you ask a Thai the way to 'Krabi', he will be totally confused, but if you ask him the way to 'grabby', then he'll be slightly less confused.

But I thought the "h" in the transliteration was to signal that the preceding letter was in fact aspirated--thus:

ครับ khrap (with an aspirated "k" - ค)

กระบี่ Krabi (with an unaspirated "k" - ก)

Am I wrong?

EDIT: Looks like Bhoydy got here first.

First time I've heard it too... funny idiom.

But a quick search turned up this page: http://www.thaipoem.com/forever/ipage/poem130835.html which has a poem about "one-sided love" as it were, and comment number 9, by "ยายแม่มด", has this:

ข้าวเหนียวนึ่งผิดตรงไหน ทำไมต้องเปรียบเทียบกับรักเขาข้างเดียวด้วยง่ะ

[What's wrong with steamed sticky rice? How does it compare to "one-sided love"?]

Further down, in comment number 12, the poem's author answers the question:

ที่เปรียบการรักข้างเดียวกับข้าวเหนียวนึ่งนั้นก็เพราะ ข้าวเหนียวนึ่งจะสุกได้ ต้องมีการซัดหวด หรือยกหวดขึ้นแล้วเขย่าแรง ๆ ให้ข้าวเหนียวด้านล่างกลับขึ้นมาอยู่ข้างบนเพื่อที่จะให้สุกทั่วกันทั้งสองด้านครับ

หากเราไม่กลับด้านข้าว หรือซัดข้าวแล้ว ข้าวข้างหนึ่งที่อยู่ด้านบนหวดก็จะแข็ง และข้าวข้างล่างหวดก็จะเละครับ

ข้าวหวดนั้นก็กินได้แต่ไม่อร่อย เปรียบเสมือนกับความรักที่คนสองคนมีความรู้สึกดี ๆ ให้กัน ความรักถึงจะสมบูรณ์และหอมหวานยังไงล่ะครับ

[The comparison between "one-sided love" and sticky rice comes from the fact that for sticky rice to cook, you have to "throw the steamer"--that, is pick up the steamer and give it a good shake--so that the sticky rice flips over and cooks evenly on both sides.

If you don't flip the rice over, or throw it around, the rice at the bottom of the steamer will be too hard, and the rice at the top will be too soft.

This kind of rice is edible, but doesn't taste very good--compared to a love where both sides reciprocate each other's feelings so the love is complete.]

I'm not 100% confident about my translation here, so any pointers about where I may have gone wrong are appreciated. Anyway, though, it seems your guess about the meaning of the idiom was correct--"like sticky rice steamed on only one side."

Since it may be of interest to our fellow learners, here's a quick translation:

"บ่ายของวันงานเฉลิมฉลองคืนสุดท้ายหลวงพ่อเรียกเณรรูปนั้นเข้าพบ เมื่อมาถึงกุฏิหลวงพ่อ เณรเคาะประตูสองถึงสามครั้งได้ยินเสียง "เชิญ" เลื่อนประตูออกเห็นหลวงพ่อกำลังนั่งจิบชาอ่านหนังสือพิมพ์

"หลวงพ่อมีอะไรจะให้ผมรับใช้ครับ?"

"เปล่าหรอก เดี๋ยวรอเสี่ยเพ้งมาก่อน หลวงพ่อจะพูดกับเขาให้เรื่องการเรียนของเณร ก็เห็นว่า เณรอยากเรียนมหาวิทยาลัยไม่ใช่หรือ"

The afternoon of the final day of the celebrations, the senior monk called for the novice to see him. When he arrived at the monk's hut, the novice knocked three times, and upon hearing the words "Come in" he slid open the door and saw the monk sipping tea and reading the newspaper.

"Is there something I can do for you, Father?"

"No, no--but wait for Mr. Peng. I want to talk to him about your education. I understand that you'd like to go to university, isn't that right?"

ลุ้น can mean "win", as in "enter to win a prize" (not "win" as in "he won the game" or "they won a prize" though).

The OP's inlaw's ideas about what kinds of things should be placed where sounds more like a Chinese thing than Thai--don't go knocking the Thais for what your wife's ancestors dragged over with them from the old country!

Of course the Thais do have plenty of whacky superstitions too--but I try not to get too deeply involved with the kinds of people who live their lives by these sorts of ideas no matter where I am. You can actually meet plenty of rational people here if you take your time looking for them.