Audio Of The Thai Characters?

[HalfSquat]

Does anyone know where I can find audio of the sounds the Thai alphabet and vowels make? Preferably that I can download and put on my ipod.

I've found the audio of the names of the characters but not the actual sounds they make.

I want it like for k it has someone making the k sound and for ng it has someone making the ng sound.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[desi]

At langhub.com you are given a choice of downloads: pdf, text, mp3, video

You'll find what you are looking for under THAI GRAMMAR

[AjarnPasa]

Great though those vids are Desi, I'm not quite sure that was what the OP was after. I think Half Squat wants the 'ng' without the -or at the end and the 'bp' without the -or Similar to the way the roman alphabet is taught in primary schools these days as phonemes rather than names: like this

I have never seen Thai letters rendered as anything other than gor, kor, dtor etc. and would very interested too if anyone could shed light. Sorry can't be more help.

[desi]

I have never seen Thai letters rendered as anything other than gor, kor, dtor etc. and would very interested too if anyone could shed light. Sorry can't be more help.

If that's the case, then I imagine those with Thai wives could help

[AjarnPasa]

I have never seen Thai letters rendered as anything other than gor, kor, dtor etc. and would very interested too if anyone could shed light. Sorry can't be more help.

If that's the case, then I imagine those with Thai wives could help

If they can catch them in the right mood

.... actually, of the the two vids you kindly pointed out, the vowels one does the job very well. Just those pesky consonants..... hmmmm

Edited December 8, 2010 by AjarnPasa

[desi]

If they can catch them in the right mood

.... actually, of the the two vids you kindly pointed out, the vowels one does the job very well. Just those pesky consonants..... hmmmm

I noticed that too, but it's still only half of what he's asking for.

I don't have a moody Thai wife but a Thai friend is coming over on Monday so if no one else has jumped on the project, I'll see if we can make the time. But no promises as life is crazy right now.

[DavidHouston]

Great though those vids are Desi, I'm not quite sure that was what the OP was after. I think Half Squat wants the 'ng' without the -or at the end and the 'bp' without the -or Similar to the way the roman alphabet is taught in primary schools these days as phonemes rather than names: like this

I have never seen Thai letters rendered as anything other than gor, kor, dtor etc. and would very interested too if anyone could shed light. Sorry can't be more help.

อาจารย์ภาษาครับ

Is it physically even possible to sound out a consonant which is both voiceless and unaspirated? Take for example the Thai letters ก, ต, and ป. To pronounce these letters one must hold the throat, tongue, and lips (respectively) in a certain position, then say the sound of a vowel. Without the vowel articulated, there is no sound. Thus, what the OP seems to want appears to be impossible. Am I misunderstanding the posting?

Thanks.

[HalfSquat]

Perhaps it is impossible and that is why no one has done it.

So when learning the sounds how best should one do it?

Learn the whole sound with the 'or' on the end?

I've found that tricky so far I'm not sure when the sound stops and the added on bit continues.

I have no Thai wife or Thai friends I'm afraid.

[DavidHouston]

HalfSquat,

You hit the nail on the head. Look how English speakers say a letter of the alphabet, "Dee", "ehf", "Jee", "Jay". Is this not the equivalent to "Koh", "Khoh", etc.? A difference is that in reciting the English alphabet, we do not present the voiceless aspect of the consonant which do occur in real life. For example, for many English speakers the "t" in the word "stop" is as voiceless and unaspirated as "toh tao" is in Thai. (Other Enlish speakers do aspirate thee "t" in "stop".)

Let's take the hard "g" in English. One can pronounce this "g" in English with a gutteral exclamation, but this is very different from the Thai "koh kai" sound which lacks this gutteral push.

Yes, I would say what you are suggesting for Thai has not been done because doing so distorts the Thai language's pronunciation of many of its consonants.

Best of luck in your studies.

Perhaps it is impossible and that is why no one has done it.

So when learning the sounds how best should one do it?

Learn the whole sound with the 'or' on the end?

I've found that tricky so far I'm not sure when the sound stops and the added on bit continues.

I have no Thai wife or Thai friends I'm afraid.

[AjarnPasa]

David and HalfSquat

I think, while quite difficult, it is still doable. Among other things, I teach young children phonics in the way shown in the vid I linked to earlier.

The way we do this has changed recently, with the emphasis on reproducing the phoneme (or individual unit of sound) as it exists in real life.

The tendency (and certainly how I was taught) is to want to ennunciate or aspirate these tiny units of sound - so a 'k' is said kuh a 'b' is said buh. However, this is not much more accurate then calling them kay and bee in terms of what they really sound like.

When you think about these sounds as they exist in words, they are no less voiceless or unaspirated then say ต or ก, and however small, they still make a sound, and so can be rended audible in isolation.

Sometimes these sounds come out as no more than a tiny puff of air from the lips or a click of the teeth. However, all other things being eaqual, the human ear and brain can distringuish between different ones.

The synthetic phonic method of teaching spelling and reading is relatively new in the west, so it is no surprise that it is not taught using here in Thailand, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

If desi doesn't manage it, I'll have a look at getting an audio file together. I have been chatting to a Thai colleague who does an awesom job of teaching English phonics and she is trying to get her head around the challenge. Watch this space.