Dictionary Thai - English

[hhlimhh]

Anyone know if there is any dictionary that give ENGLISH --> THAI with English Phoenotic instead of Thai alphabet? Not the tourist kind of dictionary please..

[meadish_sweetball]

No, there are no quality dictionaries with phonetics based on English (nor based on IPA, for that matter). If you want access to the best dictionaries you'll have to consider learning how to read Thai.

You may be able to find some of questionable standard though. I bought one 5 years or so ago, but ended up giving it away to somebody else who expressed interest in it, since it was not very helpful.

[Nepal4me]

Anyone know if there is any dictionary that give ENGLISH --> THAI with English Phoenotic instead of Thai alphabet? Not the tourist kind of dictionary please..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

By far the best Thai English dictionary for English phonetics is the blue and white book by Benjawan Poonsan Becker.

There are as many transliteration systems out there as there are books but this one is by far the clearest and most intuitive.

However learning the Thai script is a lot easier than most people believe and is incredibly useful.

[meadish_sweetball]

Actually Becker is not that bad, I forgot about that one. As for transcription systems, people tend to prefer the first one they fully mastered.

[chownah]

I agree totally with Nepal4me in that learning Thai script is the best route here...not only will it help with your immediate problem but it will really move you forward in every aspect of learning Thai language...and if you never get so far as to learn any appreciable amount of the language it will let you sound out road signs and buses' destinations etc. A good way to start is to get a Kaw Kai book which is the Thai alphabet book which young students use to learn the alphabet and start memorizing...when I was at that stage of learning Thai one of the most enjoyable things was to open my Kaw Kai book on a long bus ride and practice with the children....the kids love it, the parents love it, if you like kids you'll love it, and I believe that it helps children to be proud of their culture and to value the Thai language which is important in a time when English is sometimes presented as more important than Thai.

Edited December 8, 2005 by chownah