Miss Pronunciation of Pattaya

[petercool]

^^^

Pa (short 'a') ta (short 'a') yah (long 'a')

[MrWorldwide]

Oh, <deleted> - the vid of our old mate from the Patts Tourist Police, now a hansum man in civilian garb, is NOT the correct pronunciation : it's simply the way 98% of Poms choose to pronounce Pattaya.

If you think you've had the odd boring night in Patts, these folk have you beat hands down. Serious waste of petrol, but the guy says 'Pattaya' correctly 3 times at the start of the vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Blgm8KhKPWk

Trying to tell TV'ers that the Thais dont know how to pronounce Pattaya is like trying to tell us the Germans dont know how to pronounce Stuttgart - let's settle this ridiculous argument once and for all.

The BBC and most Brits I know pronounce it Pat Tie ya. Howard and the Thais pronounce it Pat Tee ya. I think you are hearing something I'm not hearing.

OK - I admit I may have been a little quick off the mark, but I still think his pronunciation differs to his Thai guest 'Cindy' in that vid. She - naturally - has it 100% correct and he still seems to have the intonation slightly askew to my ears. Clearly, some believe the second syllable is 'tie' and I believe it's 'tay' - I guess I'm weird like that.

I have no problem with these BBC reporters pronunciation, particularly the 'on-the-spot' reporter in Patts - he totally nails the 'ya'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWmd7Gvgvj0

Mr Brendano Lee gives a classic example of the mispronunciation I hear most commonly at ~1:44 into this vid, despite the fact that the interviewer prompts him with a 'BBC' pronunciation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BnW_1_eVzA

Some of it may simply come down to the way certain folk pronounce Thai words, but I work very hard to mimic the Thai intonation when I'm trying to use their language - I have little doubt that my Aussie accent impacts those lofty intentions but we can only try

[MrWorldwide]

^^^

Pa (short 'a') ta (short 'a') yah (long 'a')

Agreed.

[canuckamuck]

Can be said as patty-ya when said quickly. Pronouncing the ta as tie sounds ridiculous and can not be explained by an accent, It is an easy easy word to get right.

พัด-ทะ-ยา Pa-ta-yah

[tropo]

You pronounce a city the way you want to as a foreigner. Paris and Berlin are also pronounced differently in their native languages. And don't forget about Bangkok...

^^^^ This

It's pretty obvious that every nationality has their own pronunciation for place names anywhere in the world.

Pattaya is a tough one, because the correct Thai pronunciation feels so awkward and clumsy coming off the tongue. I choose not to use it because I feel it sounds quite out of place in an English sentence. Even when I did try to pronounce it correctly Thais wouldn't have a clue what I'm talking about anyway.

... but who really cares? I'm sure the Thais don't as they've heard it pronounced hundreds of different ways.... probably only a few pedantic foreigners who are over confident in their own Thai speaking ability who care.

So how do you pronounce it?

I pronounce it the way most Americans do.

"Pat-eya" with no accent on the 'e'.

I'm not concerned by any criticism of this pronunciation. It's quick and efficient and gets the job done. My wife pronounces it "Pat-tie-ya" because she's Filipino and that the most natural way for her.

I find pronunciation "Nazis" quite irritating, along with grammar and spelling "Nazis". There is no one correct way to pronounce anything and in a town where people hail from all over the planet things can become even more confusing than they normally are.

On a similar note - it's actually impossible for my wife to pronounce some English words "correctly". I've tried for hours and given up. Sometimes you just have to let things go. The important thing is that we understand each other....

As English speakers we hear our own language pronounced hundreds of different ways. I don't think Thais care how we pronounce their language as long as they can understand what we're saying.

... and LOL ... the OP is complaining about how a Thai word is pronounced yet he doesn't know how to spell "mispronunciation" and wasn't even aware that such a word existed.

Edited February 27, 2014 by tropo

[Jackson86]

Amazing that this simple word garners so much attention.

[piston broke]

it is a bit infuriating hearing the folk on the local TV not saying "Pattaya" correctly.

But starting a thread moaning about it ?

i don't think so.

[DD13]

So ... did she ever get married ... poor 'ole Miss Pattaya?

Hopefully a new Sponsor ?

So many fall through the cracks in Pattaya ... I Miss that place sometimes ...

I thought this thread was about the regional 'rounds of the "Miss Lysdexic World" beauty pageant?

Bit disappointed, to be honest

Older people always "wander off" any subject......

Oh come now ... we 'old hands' steer this ship most times.

BTW ... fancy a Zimmer Frame race down beach Rd this Saturday.

Say, meet you there opposite Soi 6.

Make it 3pm ... I will have had my Nana by then ...

I have to decline your offer of race at this time, as my zimmer is in the shop being repaired.....we were hit by a motor bike taxi.....which wasn't that bad....only the wait for the obligatory photos to be taken

Only joking

[Rimmer]

Off topic post removed

[thailiketoo]

I pronounce it the way most Americans do.

"Pat-eya" with no accent on the 'e'.

I'm not concerned by any criticism of this pronunciation. It's quick and efficient and gets the job done. My wife pronounces it "Pat-tie-ya" because she's Filipino and that the most natural way for her.

I find pronunciation "Nazis" quite irritating, along with grammar and spelling "Nazis". There is no one correct way to pronounce anything and in a town where people hail from all over the planet things can become even more confusing than they normally are.

On a similar note - it's actually impossible for my wife to pronounce some English words "correctly". I've tried for hours and given up. Sometimes you just have to let things go. The important thing is that we understand each other....

As English speakers we hear our own language pronounced hundreds of different ways. I don't think Thais care how we pronounce their language as long as they can understand what we're saying.

... and LOL ... the OP is complaining about how a Thai word is pronounced yet he doesn't know how to spell "mispronunciation" and wasn't even aware that such a word existed.

I can see your point. However when I came to Thailand I decided to learn the language the way Thais pronounced it regardless of how high in esteem I held my own culture.

I have found as a rule of thumb Thais understand me better when I speak Thai the way a Thai speaks Thai as opposed to the way an American speaks Thai.

But you may be on to something. Perhaps you could start a Thai language school for people who want to learn Thai the way other nationalities speak it.

[simple1]

Can be said as patty-ya when said quickly. Pronouncing the ta as tie sounds ridiculous and can not be explained by an accent, It is an easy easy word to get right.

พัด-ทะ-ยา Pa-ta-yah

Yep, wife born, raised in Pattaya & where we now live pronounces it as you have spelt phonetically.

Edited February 27, 2014 by simple1

[tropo]

I pronounce it the way most Americans do.

"Pat-eya" with no accent on the 'e'.

I'm not concerned by any criticism of this pronunciation. It's quick and efficient and gets the job done. My wife pronounces it "Pat-tie-ya" because she's Filipino and that the most natural way for her.

I find pronunciation "Nazis" quite irritating, along with grammar and spelling "Nazis". There is no one correct way to pronounce anything and in a town where people hail from all over the planet things can become even more confusing than they normally are.

On a similar note - it's actually impossible for my wife to pronounce some English words "correctly". I've tried for hours and given up. Sometimes you just have to let things go. The important thing is that we understand each other....

As English speakers we hear our own language pronounced hundreds of different ways. I don't think Thais care how we pronounce their language as long as they can understand what we're saying.

... and LOL ... the OP is complaining about how a Thai word is pronounced yet he doesn't know how to spell "mispronunciation" and wasn't even aware that such a word existed.

I can see your point. However when I came to Thailand I decided to learn the language the way Thais pronounced it regardless of how high in esteem I held my own culture.

I have found as a rule of thumb Thais understand me better when I speak Thai the way a Thai speaks Thai as opposed to the way an American speaks Thai.

But you may be on to something. Perhaps you could start a Thai language school for people who want to learn Thai the way other nationalities speak it.

I think you misunderstood my point. I believe this post was more about how foreigners pronounce the word when speaking to each other.

Obviously if I was speaking Thai I would pronounce the word as closely to the Thai way as possible.

To be blunt, I just think Pattaya pronounced the Thai way sounds daft in an English sentence... just like it would sound daft for an English person to say "Pari" instead of "Paris" in an English conversation.

Some countries even have 2 ways to pronounce their own country name depending on which language they speak. Canada and South Africa are some examples which come to mind. NZ has 2 totally different words for their country, one in Maori and one in English.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pattaya was pronounced differently by people from different regions in Thailand. A lot of Thai words are.

Edited February 27, 2014 by tropo

[canuckamuck]

You have got this Canadian scratching his head about a second way to say Canada.

There are two ways to say Canadian, but that is because Canadien is a French word.

[BB1950]

You have got this Canadian scratching his head about a second way to say Canada.

There are two ways to say Canadian, but that is because Canadien is a French word.

I guess you've never been around Latinos. They say Can-yah-da and write it as Cañada. Meaning glen or ravine

Edited February 28, 2014 by BB1950

[thailiketoo]

I pronounce it the way most Americans do.

"Pat-eya" with no accent on the 'e'.

I'm not concerned by any criticism of this pronunciation. It's quick and efficient and gets the job done. My wife pronounces it "Pat-tie-ya" because she's Filipino and that the most natural way for her.

I find pronunciation "Nazis" quite irritating, along with grammar and spelling "Nazis". There is no one correct way to pronounce anything and in a town where people hail from all over the planet things can become even more confusing than they normally are.

On a similar note - it's actually impossible for my wife to pronounce some English words "correctly". I've tried for hours and given up. Sometimes you just have to let things go. The important thing is that we understand each other....

As English speakers we hear our own language pronounced hundreds of different ways. I don't think Thais care how we pronounce their language as long as they can understand what we're saying.

... and LOL ... the OP is complaining about how a Thai word is pronounced yet he doesn't know how to spell "mispronunciation" and wasn't even aware that such a word existed.

I can see your point. However when I came to Thailand I decided to learn the language the way Thais pronounced it regardless of how high in esteem I held my own culture.

I have found as a rule of thumb Thais understand me better when I speak Thai the way a Thai speaks Thai as opposed to the way an American speaks Thai.

But you may be on to something. Perhaps you could start a Thai language school for people who want to learn Thai the way other nationalities speak it.

I think you misunderstood my point. I believe this post was more about how foreigners pronounce the word when speaking to each other.

Obviously if I was speaking Thai I would pronounce the word as closely to the Thai way as possible.

To be blunt, I just think Pattaya pronounced the Thai way sounds daft in an English sentence... just like it would sound daft for an English person to say "Pari" instead of "Paris" in an English conversation.

Some countries even have 2 ways to pronounce their own country name depending on which language they speak. Canada and South Africa are some examples which come to mind. NZ has 2 totally different words for their country, one in Maori and one in English.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pattaya was pronounced differently by people from different regions in Thailand. A lot of Thai words are.

I get it now. You pronounce Pattaya different for foreigners than Thai folk. I know one Glaswegian a Geordie and one Welsh speaking man from Wales. Would ya speak Pattaya the same to all three now? Or a Canadian? What about or aboot a Canadian. A Canadian is Patt aye ya and a French Canadian Pat tai youngh. The gh being silent of course.

As far as the Pari thing, that's a tough one. I searched and found a New Yorker who sang a song about it. I think Pari sounds OK. Maybe not for a Brit though.

I do wonder though if the Thai people know how daft you think Pattaya sounds in an English sentence? I wonder if they care?

So is comparing Pari to Paris or Germany to Douchland the same as Pattaya to Pat tai ya?

[tropo]

So is comparing Pari to Paris or Germany to Douchland the same as Pattaya to Pat tai ya?

I thought I made that point fairly clear. You would say Germany if you're speaking English, and Deutschland if you're speaking German, right? I'm Dutch and if I'm speaking Dutch I would pronounce the country name (Netherlands or Nederland) differently than if I was communicating in English, as most Dutch people would.

So there you go then - we've just proven that it is incorrect to pronounce Pattaya the Thai way in an English sentence. .. and of course there's a lot of different English accents in Pattaya, hence a lot of different versions of Pattaya.

I don't really care where you come from, you'd get the same pronunciation from me in an English sentence, but it's quite likely you'd understand me.

Let's face it, apart from variations of "Pattaya", everyone has their own favourite accents. You can't please everyone. I find some British accents are horrible to listen to, but that's only my opinion. They probably feel the same way about how I speak English. Come to think of it I also hate my own accent and dislike hearing recordings of it.

Edited February 28, 2014 by tropo

[thailiketoo]

So is comparing Pari to Paris or Germany to Douchland the same as Pattaya to Pat tai ya?

I thought I made that point fairly clear. You would say Germany if you're speaking English, and Deutschland if you're speaking German, right? I'm Dutch and if I'm speaking Dutch I would pronounce the country name (Netherlands or Nederland) differently than if I was communicating in English, as most Dutch people would.

So there you go then - we've just proven that it is incorrect to pronounce Pattaya the Thai way in an English sentence. .. and of course there's a lot of different English accents in Pattaya, hence a lot of different versions of Pattaya.

I don't really care where you come from, you'd get the same pronunciation from me in an English sentence, but it's quite likely you'd understand me.

Let's face it, apart from variations of "Pattaya", everyone has their own favourite accents. You can't please everyone. I find some British accents are horrible to listen to, but that's only my opinion. They probably feel the same way about how I speak English. Come to think of it I also hate my own accent and dislike hearing recordings of it.

So you think comparing Germany and Deutschland to Pattaya and Pattaya is the same thing?

[thailiketoo]

OP - why did you make a post critical of other people's English skills when you made an asinine use of the words miss (female pronoun) and pronunciation? The correct spelling is mispronunciation!

Unless Pattaya is an English word I think the OP was critical of their Thai language skills. Exception for the poster who thinks Pattaya has both an English and Thai pronunciation.

[goatfarmer]

Mispronunciation you <deleted>.

"Miss Pronunciation", I've been waiting to meet her. No doubt she's related to Miss Spelling.

[MrWorldwide]

Mispronunciation you <deleted>.

"Miss Pronunciation", I've been waiting to meet her. No doubt she's related to Miss Spelling.

What are my chances of meeting a Miss Adventure in Patts ? Haw haw haw - we could go on like this for days, but I fear that eventually my brain cells may grow back and I'll learn to control myself. And walk upright without dribbling - happy days.

[besth]

Mispronunciation you <deleted>.

"Miss Pronunciation", I've been waiting to meet her. No doubt she's related to Miss Spelling.

What are my chances of meeting a Miss Adventure in Patts ? Haw haw haw - we could go on like this for days, but I fear that eventually my brain cells may grow back and I'll learn to control myself. And walk upright without dribbling - happy days.

I would also love to meet Miss Pronunciation, Miss Spelling (not Tory, she is ugly)

or Miss Adventure (although have had enough rubs with her so that she doesn't sound so exciting any longer).

If I remember correctly, the great Gerald Durrell had a book named First Class Ticket to Adventure. I wonder if he would have written something similar about first class ticket to pronunciation.

[tropo]

Exception for the poster who thinks Pattaya has both an English and Thai pronunciation.

It's rather incredible that you can't understand this. You and the OP make a great team. You can meet up with Miss Pronunciation and have a party.

Edited March 1, 2014 by tropo

[besth]

Exception for the poster who thinks Pattaya has both an English and Thai pronunciation.

I'd say most posters with half a brain know there's more than one "correct" English interpretation of Pattaya. Note correct is in parentheses, because in reality, in the international community there is never one correct way to pronounce anything.

I agree and I would not dare to suggest there is only one correct way to pronounce it... If we get understood, that is enough for me.

[thailiketoo]

Exception for the poster who thinks Pattaya has both an English and Thai pronunciation.

I'd say most posters with half a brain know there's more than one "correct" English interpretation of Pattaya. Note correct is in parentheses, because in reality, in the international community there is never one correct way to pronounce anything.

I agree and I would not dare to suggest there is only one correct way to pronounce it... If we get understood, that is enough for me.

How many ways are there to pronounce London or New York? Why would it surprise you if there was one way to pronounce Pattaya?

Would you correct a person who said Loondoon or Nee Gorki?

[tropo]

Exception for the poster who thinks Pattaya has both an English and Thai pronunciation.

I'd say most posters with half a brain know there's more than one "correct" English interpretation of Pattaya. Note correct is in parentheses, because in reality, in the international community there is never one correct way to pronounce anything.

I agree and I would not dare to suggest there is only one correct way to pronounce it... If we get understood, that is enough for me.

How many ways are there to pronounce London or New York? Why would it surprise you if there was one way to pronounce Pattaya?

Would you correct a person who said Loondoon or Nee Gorki?

That is a very poor analogy.

There are many ways to pronounce London or New York. Obviously you're a pronunciation Nazi and will attempt to correct anyone not pronouncing a word the way you think it should be pronounced, but generally that's considered very bad manners unless someone is asking you for help with pronunciation.

eg. London would be pronounced "Rondon" by a Japanese person and there's nothing you can do about it as they cannot pronounce an "L" sound.

I pronounce New York quite differently to an American because as an Australian I don't roll the "r". Same with Brits. I'm not going to start calling it New Yorrrrk, because the Americans can understand the Australian accent and don't mind at all.

"why would it surprise me if there was one way to pronounce Pattaya"?

Seriously, why would it surprise you if there were many ways to pronounce Pattaya?

Edited March 1, 2014 by tropo

[ThaiBob]

I pronounce New York quite differently to an American because as an Australian I don't roll the "r".

Never realized an American we rolled our "r's" which was implied. Can't roll my r's properly in Thai or Spanish.

[Rimmer]

Off topic video and post denigrating Chinese removed.

Please do not attempt to Hijack the topic which is about the pronunciation of Pattaya, Thank you.

[thailiketoo]

I'd say most posters with half a brain know there's more than one "correct" English interpretation of Pattaya. Note correct is in parentheses, because in reality, in the international community there is never one correct way to pronounce anything.

I agree and I would not dare to suggest there is only one correct way to pronounce it... If we get understood, that is enough for me.

How many ways are there to pronounce London or New York? Why would it surprise you if there was one way to pronounce Pattaya?

Would you correct a person who said Loondoon or Nee Gorki?

That is a very poor analogy.

There are many ways to pronounce London or New York. Obviously you're a pronunciation Nazi and will attempt to correct anyone not pronouncing a word the way you think it should be pronounced, but generally that's considered very bad manners unless someone is asking you for help with pronunciation.

eg. London would be pronounced "Rondon" by a Japanese person and there's nothing you can do about it as they cannot pronounce an "L" sound.

I pronounce New York quite differently to an American because as an Australian I don't roll the "r". Same with Brits. I'm not going to start calling it New Yorrrrk, because the Americans can understand the Australian accent and don't mind at all.

"why would it surprise me if there was one way to pronounce Pattaya"?

Seriously, why would it surprise you if there were many ways to pronounce Pattaya?

I have asked 36 Thai language instructors of many different nationalities and they all said there was only one correct way to pronounce Pattaya. Language pronunciation does not depend on where you are from.

Language pronunciation depends on the language you are trying to pronounce.

I realize there are many ways to pronounce Pattaya. There is however only one correct way. Pattaya does not have two accepted pronunciations like Germany and Deutschland. Because you speak English does not give you a license to mispronounce every word in another language because it feels better.

No skin of my nose if you want to pronounce it wrong. Thais don't think are very bright anyway, so it is no surprise to them either.

Edited March 2, 2014 by thailiketoo

[tropo]

I pronounce New York quite differently to an American because as an Australian I don't roll the "r".

Never realized an American we rolled our "r's" which was implied. Can't roll my r's properly in Thai or Spanish.

Maybe calling it a roll was incorrect, but it's a lot different than the soft British "r". To illustrate this point, consider the way an Englishman pronounces "car" compared to an American.

Even the "new" is pronounced differently by an American - point being there isn't just one way to say New York as the other poster had suggested.

The best example, besides Pattaya, that I can think of to illustrate variance in City name pronunciation would be "New Orleans". How many ways do you hear that spoken?

Edited March 2, 2014 by tropo

[tropo]

I have asked 36 Thai language instructors of many different nationalities and they all said there was only one correct way to pronounce Pattaya. Language pronunciation does not depend on where you are from.

Language pronunciation depends on the language you are trying to pronounce.

I realize there are many ways to pronounce Pattaya. There is however only one correct way. Pattaya does not have two accepted pronunciations like Germany and Deutschland. Because you speak English does not give you a license to mispronounce every word in another language because it feels better.

No skin of my nose if you want to pronounce it wrong. Thais don't think are very bright anyway, so it is no surprise to them either.

You contacted 36 Thai Language instructors. You've been a very busy lad. Why didn't you make it a round 40? Why stop at 36?

You make incorrect analogies to try to back up your point and fail, so now you tell us you've contacted 36 Thai language instructors.

Let's just agree that you're wrong and move on.