I Need Some Help -----

[giver]

Hi there .....

Could someone please help to translate the following files for me.....they are only names so it should be easy.....mind you I have tried to do it on the computer but I can not find all the necessary characters on my keyboard.

All your help would be very much appreciated.....

Thank you,

[Rikker]

One note: Now that I've typed these, you can use thai2english.com to paste in any of these words you're not clear on.. they might be in the database there. Or paste the whole list in one fell swoop and it will give you translations for each Thai word when you hover over them. Really great tool, that site.

These are mostly nicknames and kinship terms, with a few that are just words, unless they are very strange names...

A แม่ = mom

B แม่ = mom

C โฟล์ค = Folk (a nickname, could be from the English word 'folk' or from Volkswagen, which is commonly called โฟล์ค, since there is no f/v distinction in Thai)

D อ๊อด = Ot/Awt (a nickname, don't know the meaning)

E รถยนต์ = automobile

F ตั๋วเครื่องบิน = airplane ticket

G จีโอวานี = Jiowani (a name.. don't know the meaning)

H แม่ = mom

I พี่ชาย = older brother

J อ้อ = Or/Aw (a nickname)

K แฟงค์ = Fank (a nickname... I know a woman with this nickname, I don't know where it comes from.. Frank?)

L บ้านเจ้ฝน Fon's house (ฝน is a nicknmae that means rain, เจ้ is a misspelling of เจ๊, a kinship term from Chinese that means "older sister" often used among close friends of an older female friend)

M พี่ตี or maybe also พี่ตี่ = Tii (พี่ means "older sibling", Tii is a nickname)

N ป้ายุ้ย = Aunt Yui

O ป้าโน่ = Aunt No

P อพาร์ทเม้น = apartment

Q เบอร์ห้อง = room number (could be either the number on the door or the phone number of the apartment)

R ที่อยู่ = address

[meadish_sweetball]

Nice one Rikker, that is very helpful.

โฟล์ค = Folk (a nickname, could be from the English word 'folk' or from Volkswagen, which is commonly called โฟล์ค, since there is no f/v distinction in Thai)

It's possible the lack of f/v distinction in Thai is the reason, but as a side note, 'volk' in the original German is also pronounced with an /f/ sound ('w' is pronounced /v/). Whether it was adopted via English, that typically pronounces 'volkswagen' with a /v/, or not, I do not know.

G จีโอวานี = Jiowani (a name.. don't know the meaning

Might be a loan from Italian 'Giovanni' which could also be rendered similarly to that in Thai.

[Rikker]

Nice one Rikker, that is very helpful.

โฟล์ค = Folk (a nickname, could be from the English word 'folk' or from Volkswagen, which is commonly called โฟล์ค, since there is no f/v distinction in Thai)

It's possible the lack of f/v distinction in Thai is the reason, but as a side note, 'volk' in the original German is also pronounced with an /f/ sound ('w' is pronounced /v/). Whether it was adopted via English, that typically pronounces 'volkswagen' with a /v/, or not, I do not know.

G จีโอวานี = Jiowani (a name.. don't know the meaning

Might be a loan from Italian 'Giovanni' which could also be rendered similarly to that in Thai.

Spot on on both counts there, Meadish.

Didn't make the 'Giovanni' connection, but it seems obvious now. Knew it wasn't Thai, but didn't bother to think too much about it.

And I wasn't aware about the German pronunciation of "volk," but while English-speakers typically pronounce it like "vokes-wagon" (although at least some put in the /l/, though it would be a "dark l"), as you've pointed out it's sort of moot how it came into Thai, since Thai would pronounce it as /f/ regardless.

[giver]

Thanks for the help

[Richard W]

D อ๊อด = Ot/Awt (a nickname, don't know the meaning)

Tadpole! I don't know why it isn't in the dictionaries. I first encountered the word as a nickname, and it was translated to me then as a 'tadpole'. From the 'creaking' meanings of related words, I'd guess the sense development has gone 'small frog'> 'baby frog' > tadpole.

[Rikker]

Oh, that's right, I have heard of that, but I've heard it as ลูกอ๊อด. Isn't there also ลูกกบ as well?

Many Thai nicknames are based on physical characteristics of the infant--for example, it might be แดง if the baby was born very red-faced, or ตี๋ or หมวย if the baby has Chinese-looking features, etc. But many Thai nicknames don't have any commonly known meaning, it seems, or so I seem to find, when Thais can't explain them. I wonder with one like อ๊อด what the origin usually is. Do most parents who give the nickname อ๊อด think of a tadpole? Is it the association of being very small? My mother-in-law and three of her siblings have the nicknames อี๊ด อ๊อด แอ๊ด and อู๊ด. Obviously there's some euphonic naming going on there, so I'd guess it depends on the particular instance.

I'm sure there are many theses and dissertations written about Thai nickname choosing... I should go track one down.