I can't believe such a simple question has led to so many conflicting answers.

The final syllable is กอ.

It is a long vowel and has no glottal stop.

If the same syllable was short with a glottal stop, it would mean island. เกาะ

Some being clever some not so much,

Sorry, it was my misunderstanding, I saw the word 'Mahlahgaw' and it honestly didn't register as I have never heard any of the locals here use it.

Is this a regional thing?

hi

If you stay in Issan the word for green papaya can be BakHong. And the word for Papayasallad (SomTham) can be ThamBakHong.(Issanlao)

I can't believe such a simple question has led to so many conflicting answers.

The final syllable is กอ.

It is a long vowel and has no glottal stop.

If the same syllable was short with a glottal stop, it would mean island. เกาะ

Right, the last syllable it very clear.

But the first 2 syllables are harder.

The fact that they are not stressed has an influence on both the tone and the glottal stop (in normal speaking). Many of the posts were about the first two syllables.

The ะ in มะละกอ and กะปะ (in normal speaking language) sounds slightly different and the rules or reason behind this are complicated (at least,for me).

I can't believe such a simple question has led to so many conflicting answers.

The final syllable is กอ.

It is a long vowel and has no glottal stop.

If the same syllable was short with a glottal stop, it would mean island. เกาะ

Right, the last syllable it very clear.

But the first 2 syllables are harder.

The fact that they are not stressed has an influence on both the tone and the glottal stop (in normal speaking). Many of the posts were about the first two syllables.

The ะ in มะละกอ and กะปะ (in normal speaking language) sounds slightly different and the rules or reason behind this are complicated (at least,for me).

Is this about diction; มะละกอ not to be confused with มลกอ มละก็ มะลกอ or what? Crikey, when people speak they just speak many of them can't read or write. As the original poster said he has heard มะละก็ which just proves the point.

อ can have 5 functions:

- the function of a long vowel like in พอ, มะละกอ

- the function of a silent first consonant like in อัน, เอา, อื่น, อก

- it can be part of another vowel like in เธอ

- the short version of the long อ vowel, if used with - ็อ like in ล็อค

- it can be used to convert a low class consonant to middle class (in only a few words), like in อยู่

The short version of the อ-vowel in an open syllable is เ-าะ like in หัวเราะ

or in a closed syllable: -็อ like in ล็อค

Not quite correct. There are three different letters that are written solely with the 'อ' character and others that incorporate it.

1. the vowel สระ อ, which is long, unless shortened by a diacritical.

2. the consonant อ อาง which is not silent. It is an initial glottal stop. Standard English lacks the initial glottal stop, but it does occur twice in the slang expression "Uh-oh" and in various dialects.

3. the 'อ' character is used to write other long vowels.

4. the 'อ' character in the word 'ล็อด' is the long สระ อ vowel shortened in this case by the mai tai khu diacritical.

5. the 'อ' represents the leading consonant อ นำ in only four words (อยาก, อยู่, อย่า, อย่าง). It is not pronounced but changes the class of the following sonorant consonant to mid resulting in a low tone for each of the four words.

Edited February 14, 201412 yr by CaptHaddock

Pa Pa Ya

All short vowels, maybe aspirate the last one.

Round here anyway.

I think the OP is referring to the Thai word for papaya, malagaw though.

Res ipse loquitur ;-)))))

"Sometimes, 'fuggedabowdit' just means fuggedabowdit."