There are a bunch of 'tap sap' words (Thai words adapted from other languages)

that relate to building and farming:

bo (noun/adj as in ‘bore hole’) - bo nam = water well bo naman = oil well

farm = fahm ฟาร์ม rim (of a place or shape) ริม

foot ฟุต (linear measurement) - not changed to 'feet' for multiple. Though the decimal system is more commonly used for measuring distances, the US system of inches and feet is used near as often as decimal in construction.

hectare lock (most often as a verb) ล็อค

mansion แมนชั่น meter = met เมตร

slope (...of a hill) = sa-lohp สโลบ

swamp = suwam สะว้าม zone = son โซน

cable เคเบิ้ล = kaebun aluminum (British pron.) อลูมิเนียม

approximate, approximately = pbramaan ประมาณ

bronze = bron บรอนซ์ caulk = cawp ขอบ

cement = seemen ซีเมนต์

centimeter = sen-dtee-met เซนติเมตร - most often heard as ‘sen’

chemical = ke-mee เคมี Note: includes pesticide or herbicide application on crops. There is no dedicated word for 'organic' in regard to gardening or farming, so the accepted way to describe it in Thai is; 'mai mee ke-mi' (doesn't have chemicals).

chemistry = ke-mee เคมี ceramic เซรามิค

check valve (noun, used in plumbing) = chek wao เช็กวาล์ว

caution, this can also sound like another 'tap sap' taken from 'jack off' and meaning the same.

concrete คอนกรีต crane (lifting tool) เครน

cutter (retractable razor knife) = kat-dteuh คัตเตอร์

foam (.... rubber) โฟม gram = gram กรัม

gypsum (sheet rock) = yipsam ยิปซั่ม

kilo = geelo กิโล most often said 'lo'

lacquer = laek-geuh แล็คเกอร์ percent = pbeuh-sen เปอร์เซ็นต์

PVC (plastic pipe) pee wee see พี วี ซี

pump = pbam ปัมพ์ shock (electric) = chawk ช้อค

screw = sa-groo สกรู - noun or verb pertaining to hardware,

not the more colorful type of screw

silicon (....caulk) ซิลิโคน

sprinkler (lawn) = sa-pbring-geuh สปิ้งเกอร์

stainless steel = sa-dtaenlet แสตนเลส

staple (fastener, verb or noun) = sa-dtay-peuh สเตปเปิ้ล

submersed / submersible (pump or diver) = submeu สับเมอ

switch (noun. toggle) = sawit สวิตช์

for a comprehensive list of Thai 'tap sap' words, go to; http://wonderfull.com/words.htm

The following two words are not 'tap sap' but are instead rather obscure Thai words used in building and farming.........

tsap = stucco, or thin layer of cement covering

saep (long A) = graft (no, not political) as in grafting a scion (pronounced; sy-on) upon rootstock

....brahmburgers, late May '07

after submitting the 'tap sap' rap, I noticed that spaces in sentences are automatically deleted by the software, so the list above may be a bit confusing where there are two listings on one line - because the original spacings are no longer there. It's rather like the online version of Bangkok Post letters column, where often one letter ends, and another starts, with nothing to discern the two - giving a run-on sentence from one to the other.

hel_l Brahm - ther're half a dozen words there I didn't know - where on earth did you dig all that info up??

MF

great stuff; mai mee kimee is a big problem cause thats not the real point in organic veggies etc.. there is chemicals, just different kinds

as for words for organic etc... then how to discuss the finer points of organic stuff? use english? in hebrew a ot of terminology just stays in english and everyone knows what is beign talked about, but what about in thai?? (permaculture/ciodiversity/natural as opposed to organic....or sites that explain what these words are, not just use them in english)

also words, if u can, for:

spontaneous combustion (in bales of hay, chicken manure)(happened yesterday to us would like to explain this, doesnt this happen in thailand??? it happened due to rain, then hamsin super dry so lots of fires yesterday and last night)

compost (not just manure - ki beeh, kee bvua)

....

anon is working in a gardening company now so need the words and they arent in a thai/english nor in a thai/thai dictionary we have. (he speaks thai thai not issaan thai so no problems there).

maybe somebody could compile a list i for one would be very grateful...

bina

israel

Bina makes some good points - about whether there are Thai words for relatively newer concepts. My guess, based on how these tap sap wind up entering the Thai language, is Thais will adopt the words when they hear them referenced often enough - and if they don't already have their own Thai word for it. So don't be surprised if the following words enter the Thai lexicon - and you can guess how the pronunciations with adapt also. My stab at new words, including time-line (sooner to later).....

organic o-gaan-ik

solar - so-lah

PV (photovoltaic) - pee wee

compost kompodt

permaculture puh-ma-kul-teu

tilth - til [[[ photo below, titled; FIRST KISS ]]]

compost is pooey mak