The Beauty Of The Thai Language - A True Story

[Richard W]

The Thai alphabet.

The Thai alphabet is just one alphabet.

What do you call those exercise books in which children trace the letters? I believe there are some readers who would like to buy one for their own use, and it would probably help to know what to ask for.

[Tahnil]

[The Thai alphabet is just one alphabet.]

That's what I said, the Thai alphabet.

And I talked about the English alphabet that these kids would be similarly learning with similar results.

They don't get good until much later.

But then westerners maybe impressed since most write like chicken scratch.

[tgeezer]

I am not impressed by kids filling in the dots learning how to form letters correctly, I did that myself. The handwriting which was on the studio screen behind the news reader, before the report, during her link to the next segment and during the report was what I liked.

[Aforek]

What I like in Thai language is that the tone rules are inside the writing ( I hope you understand what I mean )

Thai writing and spelling are very complicate to learn with a huge alphabet , I wonder how difficult it is for Thai kids to learn it . Do they have problems to learn,

because it's much more difficult than our languages with only 26 letters and no tones rules ?

Tahnil, with my basic English you guess that English is not my tongue language, but I know enough to see that your English is very impressive

how and where did you learn it ? here we say often that the English command of Thai people is poor, but I know that when they have the good oportunites, Thai

people are very gifted for foreign languages ( let's say that normal school are not good to teach English )

Edited January 26, 2016 by Aforek

[Tahnil]

I think human beings are much more capable than what is taken to be normal.

You can actually see it in physical and other feats that people train themselves to do.

Quite unbelievable feats, think of some right now and how you're just astounded.

I think a language is much more basic than that, it has to work for the least common denominator among us.

Language as the common means of communication can not be so difficult that only the best and brightest can partake.

But then again, those who are gifted will take it to a lofty level that would seem a miracle to mere mortals.

For English speakers, think what Shakespeare has done with many lines that would be at the very pinnacle of human expression through a language.

You should not be surprised that every language has its accomplished masters.

What is your native tongue, by the way?

With regard to my English, It's a long story that I started to write out but I think we better save it for another occasion.

Suffice to say that I studied abroad and lived it for many, many years.

I think in English and I think in Thai, depending on the occasion.

And I believe you are right that knowing Thai strangely enough in the end helped me a great deal in pronouncing and speaking in other languages.

The tones in the Thai language broaden my ability to hear and reproduce sound.

Think how English speakers struggle with it!

When it comes to languages, the more the merrier.

I can enunciate German with precision, pronounce French convincingly, sing well in Italian.

Not that I am fluent, just that I don't have any problem reproducing the sounds.

I highly recommend singing in the language you are interested in.

[Richard W]

Thai writing and spelling are very complicate to learn with a huge alphabet , I wonder how difficult it is for Thai kids to learn it . Do they have problems to learn,

because it's much more difficult than our languages with only 26 letters and no tones rules ?

I think it may be a lot simpler if you approach the system a bit at a time. As a first step, one only needs to learn about half the consonants, and the learning load is even less if one realises that some letters are made from others. The tone rules are a lot simpler for Thai-speakers if one learns that mai ek plus low consonant has the same tone as ค่า. A Thai-speaking child doesn't need to know that ข้า and ค่า​​ have the same tone. (Of course, it's more complicated if the child barely speaks Thai of any sort.)

I do, however, suspect that Thai children get no benefit from the rule of octets for learning the tone classes - it seems that the natural order of the Thai alphabet is only revealed if they learn the rudiments of Pali.

[Tahnil]

A Thai Shakespeare would have to be Sunthorn Phu:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunthorn_Phu

A more recent figure, King Rama VI, also ranks, responsible for a lot what would be commonly in Thai heads today.

English educated, why Thailand was on the English side even though Germans had done more for the country and without trying to appropriate any land like the British and French.

Here's one poem, the last two verses here made into a well known patriotic song:

๏ หากสยามยังอยู่ยั้ง ยืนยง เราก็เหมือนอยู่คง ชีพด้วย หากสยามพินาศลง ไทยอยู่ ได้ฤๅ เราก็เหมือนมอดม้วย หมดสิ้นสกุลไทยฯ

๏ ใครรานใครรุกด้าว แดนไทย ไทยรบจนสุดใจ ขาดดิ้น เสียเนื้อเลือดหลั่งไหล ยอมสละ สิ้นแล เสียชีพไป่เสียสิ้น ชื่อก้องเกียรติงามฯ

[amyreyna]

I don't understand Thai, but when traveling by air, the steward will announce in many language. As a steward, they always speak in good manner.

The tone I love the most in international flight is Thai language, like they sing a poetic song. The tone I don't like India / Pakistan (no offense please...I just hear the language spoken), very fast like arguing something.