Where Can I Find Resources For Muang Dialect? Or Anyone Fluent In Muang Here?

[phrakid]

aka the chiang mai dialect.

is there any websites or threads with guide to basic words n phrases to chiang mai dialect?

or anyone fluent in muang can post some basic words n phrases?

i only know a few basic words like bo aow, bo mee, bo tjai, bo hoo, an yang, yang yee, tah kee, tad dai krap, etc....

and i also know muang dialect will pronounce words starting with L in H fashion?

eg. long laem will become hong haem

lorn will become horn

lau will become hau

etc

and anyway, does anyone know whats the meaning of the word 'tjao' ? i think its some sort of interjection placed at sentences?

[chanchao]

> and i also know muang dialect will pronounce words starting with L in H fashion?

> eg. long laem will become hong haem

> lorn will become horn

> lau will become hau

No, it differs. You can't apply that universally I think. Like the word for 'hot' (rawn) will indeed become 'hawn', and 'rao' (as in 'us') indeed becomes 'hao', however 'lao' as in liquor/whiskey is never 'hao', same for Rong Raem. 'ruean' however for 'house' or building does become 'huean' Again I think, I'm by no means an expert on this. And then some words are completely different words altogether. Where a central Thai would say 'glab baan' (go home), a Northerner would say 'Pik baan'.

> and anyway, does anyone know whats the meaning of the word 'tjao' ? i think

> its some sort of interjection placed at sentences?

Completely the same as female 'kha' in central Thai and used in the same way as a polite ending to a phrase. By it self it can also just acknowledge a statement so then it's 'yes'; again the same as 'kha'.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Crow Boy]

aka the chiang mai dialect.

is there any websites or threads with guide to basic words n phrases to chiang mai dialect?

or anyone fluent in muang can post some basic words n phrases?

i only know a few basic words like bo aow, bo mee, bo tjai, bo hoo, an yang, yang yee, tah kee, tad dai krap, etc....

and i also know muang dialect will pronounce words starting with L in H fashion?

eg. long laem will become hong haem

lorn will become horn

lau will become hau

etc

and anyway, does anyone know whats the meaning of the word 'tjao' ? i think its some sort of interjection placed at sentences?

The monks at Wat Suan Dok run classes in Thai for the northern dialect so you will need to be fluent (listen, speak, read, and write) in Standard (Central) Thai. CMU run some courses as part of the languages centre - I don't have any details but contact them for information.

I don't know if you speak central Thai or why you have a specific need for Northern Thai but unless you are in isolated areas most people under the age of 50 will speak central Thai. There is also a small amount of suspicion from Thai people if a farung is trying to speak Northern Thai to them they remember the old days (20years back) when the government and central Thai attitude was that the dialect was regarded as course and for uneducated people. Isaan still gets the same slur on their language but are generally less sensitive to the criticism.

Most Thai schools will have a teacher who can teach you the northern language - try AUA or some of the smaller ones but they don't normally run classes because there is little demand for it.

I know a teacher from Payap who can teach Northern Thai but like most teachers she will suggest (strongly) that you learn central Thai fluently first and then branch over.

My suggestion is learn central Thai unless you are living in an isolated village up in the mountains in which case learning the mountain dialects would be usefull.

THe word jao is the norhern equivalent of Ka used by females as a polite ending and as a form of agreeing to a question or statement. The male equivalent is Kap which is said like cup and is the variation of krap from central thai.

CB

Edited May 8, 2007 by Crow Boy

[phrakid]

aka the chiang mai dialect.

is there any websites or threads with guide to basic words n phrases to chiang mai dialect?

or anyone fluent in muang can post some basic words n phrases?

i only know a few basic words like bo aow, bo mee, bo tjai, bo hoo, an yang, yang yee, tah kee, tad dai krap, etc....

and i also know muang dialect will pronounce words starting with L in H fashion?

eg. long laem will become hong haem

lorn will become horn

lau will become hau

etc

and anyway, does anyone know whats the meaning of the word 'tjao' ? i think its some sort of interjection placed at sentences?

The monks at Wat Suan Dok run classes in Thai for the northern dialect so you will need to be fluent (listen, speak, read, and write) in Standard (Central) Thai. CMU run some courses as part of the languages centre - I don't have any details but contact them for information.

I don't know if you speak central Thai or why you have a specific need for Northern Thai but unless you are in isolated areas most people under the age of 50 will speak central Thai. There is also a small amount of suspicion from Thai people if a farung is trying to speak Northern Thai to them they remember the old days (20years back) when the government and central Thai attitude was that the dialect was regarded as course and for uneducated people. Isaan still gets the same slur on their language but are generally less sensitive to the criticism.

Most Thai schools will have a teacher who can teach you the northern language - try AUA or some of the smaller ones but they don't normally run classes because there is little demand for it.

I know a teacher from Payap who can teach Northern Thai but like most teachers she will suggest (strongly) that you learn central Thai fluently first and then branch over.

My suggestion is learn central Thai unless you are living in an isolated village up in the mountains in which case learning the mountain dialects would be usefull.

THe word jao is the norhern equivalent of Ka used by females as a polite ending and as a form of agreeing to a question or statement. The male equivalent is Kap which is said like cup and is the variation of krap from central thai.

CB

actually i am not living in thailand...

and i want to learn the northern dialect coz i have thai friends who speak to each other in that dialect, and therefore i hope to comprehend what they r saying...(eg. are they talking bad about me?)

Edited May 8, 2007 by phrakid

[Crow Boy]

aka the chiang mai dialect.

is there any websites or threads with guide to basic words n phrases to chiang mai dialect?

or anyone fluent in muang can post some basic words n phrases?

i only know a few basic words like bo aow, bo mee, bo tjai, bo hoo, an yang, yang yee, tah kee, tad dai krap, etc....

and i also know muang dialect will pronounce words starting with L in H fashion?

eg. long laem will become hong haem

lorn will become horn

lau will become hau

etc

and anyway, does anyone know whats the meaning of the word 'tjao' ? i think its some sort of interjection placed at sentences?

The monks at Wat Suan Dok run classes in Thai for the northern dialect so you will need to be fluent (listen, speak, read, and write) in Standard (Central) Thai. CMU run some courses as part of the languages centre - I don't have any details but contact them for information.

I don't know if you speak central Thai or why you have a specific need for Northern Thai but unless you are in isolated areas most people under the age of 50 will speak central Thai. There is also a small amount of suspicion from Thai people if a farung is trying to speak Northern Thai to them they remember the old days (20years back) when the government and central Thai attitude was that the dialect was regarded as course and for uneducated people. Isaan still gets the same slur on their language but are generally less sensitive to the criticism.

Most Thai schools will have a teacher who can teach you the northern language - try AUA or some of the smaller ones but they don't normally run classes because there is little demand for it.

I know a teacher from Payap who can teach Northern Thai but like most teachers she will suggest (strongly) that you learn central Thai fluently first and then branch over.

My suggestion is learn central Thai unless you are living in an isolated village up in the mountains in which case learning the mountain dialects would be usefull.

THe word jao is the norhern equivalent of Ka used by females as a polite ending and as a form of agreeing to a question or statement. The male equivalent is Kap which is said like cup and is the variation of krap from central thai.

CB

actually i am not living in thailand...

and i want to learn the northern dialect coz i have thai friends who speak to each other in that dialect, and therefore i hope to comprehend what they r saying...(eg. are they talking bad about me?)

Are you sure it is Northern Thai and not a mountain dialect? You really would be better of learning central THai which will impress them anyway and be way more useful when you visit here or go to a Thai restaurant there.

I will be going to Wat Suan Dok sometime soon and will ask the main teacher there if he knows of any online services for you to access. I would not be surprised but understand that Thai is tonal and it is hard to learn without a teacher

Lastly it will take a lot of time and effort to keep up with native Thai speakers - the dialects are spoken very quickly and even someone who learns them to quite a reasonable level will have trouble keeping up with the conversation. If it includes women it will have at least as many separate conversations as there are participants just to make it harder. I can sort of keep up with my wife in Northern dialect if we are on our own but get her with friends and family and forget it - way too fast and jumps around constantly.

You may want to check out with the Thai Language forums on this board and ask there, some of the people that frequent there live in Northern Thailand and may be able to direct you to help.

Good luck

CB