Whats With Thai Spelling Of English Words

[yourauntbob]

Ok, so I dont expect a good answer to this question here but why to Thai's spell English words so strangely in Thai? As I have said on other posts I am learning Thai and sometime I shake my head at the way things are spelled in Thai.

Example: Kilometer; they use the equivalent of a "G" (gor gai) at the beginning. There are at least three different letters in Thai that have a "K" sound, why not use one of them? It cant be the tone rules as they have ways to straighten out the "K" sound to a mid tone.

This has to be one of the reasons Thai people have such trouble learning English.

[Gsxrnz]

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

[Khun Watchaporn]

My advice to the OP would be to not think and compare too much. Just learn.

For example:

Kilometer; they use the equivalent of a "G" (gor gai) at the beginning.

You haven't seen the abbreviation of 'kilogram' yet then.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Khun Watchaporn

[roamer]

My advice to the OP would be to not think and compare too much. Just learn.

For example:

Kilometer; they use the equivalent of a "G" (gor gai) at the beginning.

You haven't seen the abbreviation of 'kilogram' yet then.

Agreed.

" This has to be one of the reasons Thai people have such trouble learning English."

Not really, just that they are taught too much grammar instead of getting on and speaking the language

[yourauntbob]

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

Good answer!

I try not too think too much about English comparison when learning Thai and just focus on speaking as close to as they would. Although it did surprise me some time back when i found out they did have a "r" sound (raw rua).

I still think it would help them with English (i know, i know, they may not care) to use the correct sound when spelling out English words. The more I learn to read Thai the more I see why they say things in English the way they do.

[Robby nz]

About the same as English spelling of Thai words

[doji]

yep, the same thing with bad English spelling of Thai words.

like....How the heck did "Krungthep" become "Bangkok",....or "Thanon Wittayu" become "Wireless rd"?

[Gsxrnz]

yep, the same thing with bad English spelling of Thai words.

like....How the heck did "Krungthep" become "Bangkok",....or "Thanon Wittayu" become "Wireless rd"?

Well....Wireless Road is easy. Road in Thai is Tanhon. Radio in Thai is Wittayu. In English, the old fashioned word for a radio was "wireless". So.....Wireless Road.

Bangkok translates to English as “Bang,” the Thai name for “City by the bank of a river” and “Kok,” the Thai name for a Java plum. Bangkok is the old name of the original village where Bangkok/Krung-Tehp was founded back in the 1800's. The full Thai name for the city that we know as Bangkok is.........

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

Which translates as "The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (unlike Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn"

So we Falang are using the old name (Bangkok) for the city, and the Thais are using the abridged new name "Krung Thep"

[doji]

Thanks for the info, and that great translation of the long Krungthep name ......I didn't know that

Edited April 26, 2013 by doji

[Gsxrnz]

Thanks for the info, and that great translation of the long Krungthep name ......I didn't know that

No worries. The full name for Krung-Tehp is actually the longest place name in the world (or so I am lead to believe) and it also highlights one of the OP's points about the opening letter K and G in Thai. It's transliterated as a Krung in English, but the Thais speak it as a slightly guttural (back of the throat) GK cross. So if we Falang say Krung Tehp with either a hard K or hard G sound, we aren't understood too easily.

It's the same with Coffee - the transliteration is ga-fee, but of we say it as a hard K, or a C, or a G we aren't understood. I don't claim to know too much conversational Thai but I understand more than I speak, and I try hard to be fluent with the words that I do use.....but I can order hot coffee in Thai and 50% of the time I get a blank look. And I think it's 50% my fault for not being fluent enough, and 50% their fault for not being flexible in their listening/context association. It's all a learning curve I guess.

Had fun at the golf course - ordered two bottles of water and a bottle of orange juice in Thai every time for weeks at the No.1 tee. The same bloke would look blank and make me say it at least twice, and then say in poor English "oh, 2 water and I orange." One week I ordered in Thai and got the same look, so I got a little annoyed and said in English "OK clever clogs, gimme a coupla tubes o' H2O and an OJ". Blank look, so I repeated it...another blank look. I said in Thai "Can you speak English?" he answers yes. I repeated my cryptic order in English....blank look. I said in Thai " I think maybe I speak Thai better than you speak English, can I have 2 bottles of water and 1 bottle of orange juice please?". Suddenly he understood my request. He always gives me a wry smile now.

[krisb]

The more you learn Thai, the more you realise how dumb English language is.

Ie, rough and cough. Both end in ough but ones off and the others uff. No order in our language.

[Khun Watchaporn]

The more you learn Thai, the more you realise how dumb English language is.

Ie, rough and cough. Both end in ough but ones off and the others uff. No order in our language.

That's not language, that's spelling.

I suggest learning the difference.

[FritsSikkink]

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males.

Krup ????

[GaoYuk]

"suvarnabhumi"

suvarnabummy

Suvarnabhummi

Swannypoom!!!!!

[lungbing]

And the word Tanon, is spelt tnn in Thai.

Nakhon Phanom is spelt nkrpnm, not a vowel in the word.

My pet hate is the ending of my surname which, like David Beckham

is 'ham'. Thais insist on spelling it to give the sound 'airm' not 'am'.

[Khun Watchaporn]

And the word Tanon, is spelt tnn in Thai.

Nakhon Phanom is spelt nkrpnm, not a vowel in the word.

You're wasting brain bandwidth in thinking too much.

Less comparing, more learning.

[Gsxrnz]

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males.

Krup ????

I don't understand the question.

[krisb]

The more you learn Thai, the more you realise how dumb English language is.

Ie, rough and cough. Both end in ough but ones off and the others uff. No order in our language.

That's not language, that's spelling.

I suggest learning the difference.

It's grammar connected to the English language. Pretty obvious oh wise 1.

[krisb]

And the word Tanon, is spelt tnn in Thai.

Nakhon Phanom is spelt nkrpnm, not a vowel in the word.

You're wasting brain bandwidth in thinking too much.

Less comparing, more learning.

Less telling everyone what they should do. If you havnt got anything nice to say. Shhhhh. Edited April 27, 2013 by krisb

[Scully]

I find learning Thai spelling incredibly difficult, I find it even harder to work out what some posters are trying to say in Thai using the English language. There are certain words that are easily read in the English language but when people start trying to say snake or work in English I just ignore it.

I know the alphabet and with so many Thai's not being able to read I will probably stay one of them

[FritsSikkink]

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males.

Krup ????

I don't understand the question.

Don't you mean khrab - khab

[candypants]

My advice to the OP would be to not think and compare too much. Just learn.

For example:

Kilometer; they use the equivalent of a "G" (gor gai) at the beginning.

You haven't seen the abbreviation of 'kilogram' yet then.

lo?

[DtemJai]

That's not language, that's spelling.

I suggest learning the difference.

Here are

some English words in Thai spellings/pronouncing accordingly to the Thai rules.

Africa

: แอฟริกา

Alaska : อลาสกา

air-conditioned : แอร์คอนดิชั่น

album : อัลบั้ม

alcohol : แอลกาฮอล์

almond : อัลมอนด์

aluminium : อะลูมิเนี่ยม

amateur : อเมเจอร์

Amazon : อะเมซอน

America : อเมริกา

American : อเมริกัน

ammonia : แอมโมเนีย

ameba : อะมีบา

ampere : แอมแปร์

Amsterdam : อัมสเตอร์ดัม

Arab : อาหรับ

Arabic : อาระบิค

Arabia : อาระเบีย

Asia miner : เอเชีย ไมเนอร์

atom : อะตอม

Australia : ออสเตรเลีย

Austria : ออสเตรีย

automatic : โอโตเมติค

Auld lang syne : โอลดแลง ซายน

Baghdad : แบกแดด

Balkan : บอลข่าน

barbecue : บาร์บีคิว

barometer : บารอมิเตอร์

[Gsxrnz]

I've found that it's mainly due to the aspiration both at the beginning and the end of words that causes most of the issue. Essentially in English we aspirate, and the Thais don't. So that's why a K at the start of a word sounds to them more like a G, as said from the back of the throat.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males. If you breathe out and open your mouth after the P it aspirates and sounds like our English P. If you keep your mouth closed at the P, it sounds like a B.

Let's not even talk about the Krup - Kup comparison, the R's and L's totally blow me away.

A good example is when using the polite "Krup" for males.

Krup ????

I don't understand the question.

Don't you mean khrab - khab

Don't really want to get into a discussion re the spelling of Thai words transliterated into English as it's rather a subjective issue.

The point I was making is that the word in question, being the polite particle for males, should be correctly spoken with an 'R' sound as in krap/krup/khrap/khrab and a few other variations depending on which form of transliteration you want to adopt. However you rarely hear the 'R' being used when the word is spoken by a Thai male.