Learning Thai Books/cd's

[taxexile]

get "page not found" when I try this link................

yes i do now too.

if you are in bangkok , then there is a second hand bookshop on sukhumvit road , (walk about 200 to 300 yards past the emporium towards soi55 thong lo , on the emporium side ,) i cant remember the name , there is a copy of "fundamentals of the thai language" there ,or at least it was there two days ago.

if you cant find it then ask the owner, i think it was on the right downstairs near the window.

And then buy Higbie's "Thai Reference Grammar".

i find this very useful , and if i can discipline myself to gradually work through it , it just might push me from being a stammering amateur to the fluent smartass that i crave to be.

the grammar is not that complicated or difficult , but this book seems to have all the expressions and phrases that i hear all the time , but never see in any of the other teach yourself thai books , and none of my teachers have spoken in this colloquial way.

i recommend it to anyone who has a good vocabulary but need that something extra.

[meadish_sweetball]

Good summary Taxexile. Higbie's book is an excellent source of reference.

I'd also like to push for David P Smythe's Essential Thai Grammar - not quite as extensive as Higbie, but spot-on in terms of clear explanations and brevity.

If you want to avoid confusion with different phonetics, learn the Thai alphabet. Smythe uses an IPA-based transcription in his grammar book, unlike the system in Teach Yourself Thai, which is mostly based on British English pronunciation (with a twist).

[Abandon]

taxexile - which shop are you talking about? there is Elite books (expensive, and give you peanuts for books you trade in) opposite the Benchasiri park. And there is another one down a soi on the emporium side which is owned by a relative of the Elite guy.

There used to be a third shop owned by an English guy Peter, on sukhumvit opposit soi 49, but he shut down years ago - has he reopened?

[taxexile]

DASA BOOK CAFE

710/4 sukhumvit rd.

02-6612993 (-4)

its on the emporium side of sukhumvit , walk towards thong lo (soi 55) and after soi 24 but before the small soi with the phillipines embassy (about , at a guess 200yards before) you will come to this bookshop.

the best selection of second hand books i've seen in thailand , arranged by subject and then alphabetically , hes got them all listed on a computer so if you are after a particular book you can search.good prices. run by an american i think.

chairs to sit and read , music , coffee and cake. the sort of place that you want to spend time browsing in.

it makes elite books look like the dusty , disorganised , miserable , cramped overpriced torture chamber it is.

[anna234cn]

I learn Thai from http://www.learningthai.com/greetings.html with free audio.

[Abandon]

sounds excellent tax. I'll be there next week.

I know I shouldn't mention this, but I am absolutely serious - do any of you get an urgent need for a number two when you have been in a second hand book store for 10 minutes? The only person I ever mentioned this to said he had the same experience.

[taxexile]

you should really keep such foibles to yourself but you will be relieved to know that should you get the turtle head and be touching cloth whilst browsing there , there are on site facilities where you can comfortably open the bomb bay doors , lay a cable and sink the bismark.

[RDN]

you should really keep such foibles to yourself but you will be relieved to know that should you get the turtle head and be touching cloth whilst browsing there , there are on site facilities where you can comfortably open the bomb bay doors , lay a cable and sink the bismark.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

turtle head ??!! Never heard it called that before! Glad I've already eaten...

[easyb]

Here’s my list - YMMV

Pimsler Thai 1 tape series - recommended. 10 30 min. lessons. It took me about 5 times with each lesson to feel like going on so. So that’s 25 hours or so. I think the quality and approach, conversation, listening, incrementally building on what you know is very good. If you’re stuck in your car 30+ min. every day to and from work it’s a great way to pass the time, Maybe not cheap but good.

Thai for Beginners book and tapes by Becker –not impressed. The book is OK but the tapes for me just go through too much too fast without context.

Thai for Beginners Software by Paiboon Publishing - recommended. Has been very helpful in learning the Thai script, connecting the sounds to the letter. They have exercises on tones, “different tones, different meaning” etc.

Lean written Thai – recommended I avoided this but it’s helping and not as hard as it looks (which is not to say effortless). I am learning the building block sounds not as approximations of what I know but from what they are. The software above has helped. Also beginning first grade workbooks to write the script. Writing the letter over and over make the shape more recognizable for me.

Thai, An Essential Grammar by David Smyth – recommended. Not so much a learning book as a reference book but it’s really helped my understand the structure of the language. As a sideline this helped me understand Thailish – once I understood the underlying grammar of Thai the way basic English is spoken made more sense.

Thai for Lovers – by Nit and Jack Ajee – recommended. Good reference book with interesting tips on the culture of love, relationships and sex. Some very straightforward (the name for things…), some fun and good romantic things to say out of the blue. There is also a chapter on “breaking up” which I have fun with the GF. Say a phrase like “don’t act like my mother” or “quit nagging” (be prepared to duck as you practice your Thai in this chapter)

A tutor or group – recommend. I’ve had ones I’ve paid and ones that I trade English instruction for Thai instruction. There are Internet sites that match people up. There is also a monthly Thai speaking group in my city. Rag tag bunch but I’ve gotten help.

A dictionary - I use T-E & E-T by Becker - recommended. A must have reference.

Get the GF a "talking dictionary" - recommended. Look for Cyber-Dic. They are expensive but best I can tell so is a Thai GF. Looing up things such as idioms, technical, legal and medical reference is helpful.

A translator - recommened when all else fails. Thai Translation Service will do a phone call for about $20 hour payable with PenPal. ([email protected]). There are easy and cheap 3 way conference services you can find on the web. If you're really, really stuck on something it can clear things up fast. Text translation is reasonable but word for work doing it live is cheaper.

Good luck!

[taxexile]

A tutor or group – recommend. I’ve had ones I’ve paid and ones that I trade English instruction for Thai instruction. There are Internet sites that match people up. There is also a monthly Thai speaking group in my city. Rag tag bunch but I’ve gotten

can you post the internet sites that you referred to ?

thanks.

[easyb]

A tutor or group – recommend. I’ve had ones I’ve paid and ones that I trade English instruction for Thai instruction. There are Internet sites that match people up. There is also a monthly Thai speaking group in my city. Rag tag bunch but I’ve gotten

can you post the internet sites that you referred to ?

thanks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Craig's List It may look funky but it's amazing the people you can match up with here for any sort of interest.

Hopefully it's in the city where you live,

easyb

[meadish_sweetball]

I'd forgotten about this thread, so bump.

[james512]

The Fundamentals of the Thai Language ebook can be downloaded here... you need to install the fonts before it can be read correctly.

Fundamentals of the Thai Language

Give thanks to the webmasters at www.thai-info2004.com

[paweenuch]

This website also has Thai pronunciation with audio.

http://www.thaihearttalk.info/