Hello all!

I'm French and I've been learning Thai for a year now. Can basically read, begin to enjoy writing, pick up the meanings when someone talks to me but pronounciation is still a nightmare I'll get over with the tones, it's slowly coming, but I can't get close to prounounce รอ เรือ correctly...

According to the Thai ppl I talked to, the "r" sound is produced by making the tip of the tongue vibrate. We have no such sound in French and our "r" comes from the throat. So when I try to produce a "r" sound by making something vibrate, it's my throat that takes the part, not the tongue. And when I try to just vibrate the tongue, I got no sound at all, I just can't make the tip vibrate like they do.

Does someone found clear explanations or drawings of the position of the tongue or something, whatever, to help understand how to pronounce this letter ? I'm pronouncing it like a "l" most of the time, or like the English "r" sometimes, but it's not that and I'm a bit of a perfectionist...

Can someone help ?

Thanks !

Gaelle

Lightly touch the palate with the tip of the tongue just behind the top row of teeth and and expel the air as if saying 'rrrr' and you will soon get it vibrating. Otherwise just use the 'L' as I hear most Thais doing. Mai loo.

Lightly touch the palate with the tip of the tongue just behind the top row of teeth and and expel the air as if saying 'rrrr' and you will soon get it vibrating. Otherwise just use the 'L' as I hear most Thais doing. Mai loo.

Haha, yeah, that's what I try to do But my subconscience knows I'm trying to make a "r" sound and instead of waiting for the tip to vibrate, it makes my throat vibrates instead. Or if not, I get more of a "s" sound...

Try making a glutteral sound in the base of the throat and move it forward to the tip of the tongue. Maybe it's impossible for a French person to produce that sound. For the life of me, I can't speak like Inspector Clouseau no matter how hard I try

Try saying "L" ,but start with the tongue rolled up a bit and further back in the mouth, not touching the palate and only move the tongue slightly backwards, not forwards.

I actually believe that the French R is closer than the English R. Some Thais do Roll it the same as the French

Edited March 8, 200917 yr by loong

I actually believe that the French R is closer than the English R. Some Thais do Roll it the same as the French

French does not have what one would normally refer to as rolling/trilled r, except in some individual dialects or broken French... the standard French r is uvular; in the throat, as in standard German.

Spanish, Italian and Greek have rolled/trilled r though. Finnish, Northern Swedish and East (Northeastern) Norwegian as well. And Russian.

In the English-speaking world, most Scottish variations also have a tapped/trilled alveolar r.

Here's a description for pronouncing Spanish /r/ which also works for Thai ร:

1) Have the tip, and only the tip, of your tongue touch the gums right behind your front teeth, right at that ridge behind your front teeth.

2) When in position, tighten the tongue muscle firmly against that ridge, then try to push a burst of air through, but keep the tongue very tight so that it is barely possible to get air through, but don’t move it from that position right behind the teeth.

3) Now, repeat step 2, only start relaxing the tongue ever so slightly, let it detach from that spot right behind the teeth just a tiny bit. You need to keep repeating step 2, trying to find the right balance of tightness and relaxedness (?) of the tongue muscle until you can get the tip of it to start flapping against that ridge right behind the front teeth. It is the strong push of your breath trying to get through that space that gets the tongue to vibrate. But don’t get discouraged! Keep trying every week for at least a year!

Go for the L... seems most of the Thais do anyway, you'll fit right in.