What's The Best Word Here?

[Deserted]

Hi all, the jolting/shunting motion that trains make when they stop, particularly, in this country is best described by which word in Thai?

[Chaam local]

โยกเยก ?

[Deserted]

I believe that means rocking/swaying, but its the word for the sudden jolts/shunts -usually when stopping- that I want.

[klons]

How about กึกกัก ?

http://www.thai-language.com/id/151764

[Deserted]

I'm told that's perhaps not the best word. Will get back to you on this.

[Deserted]

A friend says it should be ขับรถรกระตุก but she's not quite sure.

[tgeezer]

I'm told that's perhaps not the best word. Will get back to you on this.

The secret is put the works In context which tells the story.

I think that กึกกัก was in the ก เอยกอไก่ books; มอ ม้ากึกกัก so perhaps it could refer to the ride one might get from a horse. Bumpy, jolting, if you can string a few words together and fit อย่างกึกกัก on the end; the listener has pictured the ride already.

From an E/T dictionary, I see that you should be able to use the adverb 'not smoothly' รถไฟแล่นอย่างกระยึกกระยักor maybe just แล่นยึกยัก.

[klons]

I went back to check where I got กึกกัก from. It was used in a story as the sound of clattering.

As in ที่ประตูมีเสียงกึกกัก

I also thought it was used to describe the jerky motion of a TUK TUK when a guy who never drove

one before tried to drive off in one as a getaway vehicle, but I can't find that example to be sure.

[tgeezer]

I went back to check where I got กึกกัก from. It was used in a story as the sound of clattering.

As in ที่ประตูมีเสียงกึกกัก

I also thought it was used to describe the jerky motion of a TUK TUK when a guy who never drove

one before tried to drive off in one as a getaway vehicle, but I can't find that example to be sure.

Exactly what I mean, the shared experience gives the description meaning, whichever word one chooses to use. There is always the possibility that communication has not taken place even though both sides think it has.

I saw a picture of horses in the กอ ไก่ book, I have just looked up กึกกัก and see that it is a sound, a pair of horses is the picture, so what the sound is would depend on one's experience of horses, eg. shod horses on a metalled road. It is safe to assume that since these are 'city books', clip,clop, is my English equivalent, so I see now that กึกกัด doesn't work for me in this context.

I don't think that I would see it in ประตู either.

I don't know whether กระยึกกระยือ would work with a Thai although someone may think so. ไม่ตรง ไม่ระเบียบ หยิกไปหยิกมา are the choices they could all be acceptable for ทึกทึก: not straight, not conforming to the rules, flicking on and back (sic); smiles all round, but would I have communicated?

I gave up trying to translate my innermost thoughts into Thai long ago, in favour of discovering what Thais were saying to me.

[klons]

There are several words that begin with สั่น that might work:

For instance:

สั่นเครือ

[V] tremble; quiver; shake; quaver; vibrate

สั่นงกๆ

[V] tremble; shake; quiver; shudder; shiver

สั่นระรัว

[V] vibrate; shake; judder; quiver; tremble

สั่นสะท้าน

[V] tremble; shake; shudder; shiver

สั่นสะเทือน

• [V] quake; shake; vibrate

[tgeezer]

There are several words that begin with สั่น that might work:

For instance:

สั่นเครือ

[V] tremble; quiver; shake; quaver; vibrate

สั่นงกๆ

[V] tremble; shake; quiver; shudder; shiver

สั่นระรัว

[V] vibrate; shake; judder; quiver; tremble

สั่นสะท้าน

[V] tremble; shake; shudder; shiver

สั่นสะเทือน

• [V] quake; shake; vibrate

It is easy to see from this list of words all meaning the same thing, (สั่น = ไหวถี่ ๆ move or cause to move repeatedly) that it takes a great deal of research to translate into Thai, whereas the translating from Thai into English is easy, or should I say, we have more confidence.

Quake,shake, tremble etc. they don't mean the same thing to me, choosing a Thai equivalent when they all seem to fit is like a turkey shoot.

For example:

เครือ ว. ลักษณะของเสียงที่สั่นพร่าไม่แจมใสเรียกว่าเสียงเครือ the character of music the rhythm of which is "wrong or spoiled, not clear". I avoid stock translations at the expense of sounding ignorant, I want to say 'discordant' but that would entail a trip upstairs to get my OED.

I should think that the reader could somehow picture a tuktuk jolting along and sound being a clue to how the ride is, but I don't see how the sound of a tuktuk could be made any more สั่นเคลือ than it is normally!

The short answer is that I find this too difficult, and I hope to convince you that English to Thai is a mug's game at this level.