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- PRELIMINARY NOTES AND GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION
- RUDIMENTS OF THAI GRAMMAR
- PRELIMINARY NOTES AND GUIDE TO
- RUDIMENTS OF THAI GRAMMAR
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In Thailand the head is a respected part of the body and normally should not be touched, except perhaps in a fatherly manner by one’s parefits. There appear to be many reasons for this peculiar Thai characteristic.
Since the head contains the most delicate and important substance in the human body, the brain, it should be carefully treated and jealously guarded. Thus, Thais con- sider it improper to stand above or near the head of another person of higher or equal rank or status. On the other hand, when in the presence. of the sovereign head of state, all Thais would instinctively and spontaneously bow their heads, as if to pay obeisance.
A woman will “ wai ” first (to show respect to by placing the hands palm and raising them to the chin or forehead) during an introduction in which a man is presented. If the woman does not “wai,” the man should not presume to “wail” first. The woman is not obliged to extend this courtesy, and when she does, it is because of sincere pleasure at the introductiOn.
When one greets a person with a “wai” that person must reply with the same gesture. Not to do so, or to content oneself with merely nodding, would be a sign of low breeding.
A polite man will never touch a woman.
Another sign of bad breeding is to point an object out with one’s foot. It is with one’s right hand that one must show things. Also, to receive something from a superior, a courteous Thai will rest his right han’—the one he is holding out—upon his left hand.
Tf you are invited into a Thai house it is usual to take off your shoes before entering. The host will probably tell you not to, but will respect you if you do.
Thai people are generally very kind and polite, but rural Thais are still extremely jealous of their privacy. They may be smiling, but do not stare at them. Do not look into their eyes too long. Young and old might react violently to such gesture, which they consider to be a rude insult. They might consider it an invitation to fight, or a challenge to a duel to the finish.
Any time you pay a visit to a friend, you must go through a complicated ritual. To begin with, it is unseemly to knock at the door. A visitor who is well up in the ways of polite society will announce himself by a discreet cough. He will then come in on tiptoe, his hands clasped in the Thai manner.
Though the Thai temples are an irresistible magnet for tourists and well worth visiting, it should be remembered that they are primarily places of worship rather than tourist attractions. Remember to remove .your shoes before enter- mg a temple. While people pray, it is polite for those not participating to quietly stand aside. Ask politely for permission to take photographs; the request is seldom refused. lake it a point to wear proper attire and not brief skirts or shorts.
Ladies must on no account enter within the boundary stones of a bote (pronounced boat)—the most important - ng in the wait or monastery. It is not necessarily the est building. What sets it apart are the eight or more undary stones which surround it. Only inside the limits of s specially consecrated section of the temple area may iaonks be ordained.
Ladies must never touch a monk or hand things directly to urn. Remember always that a monk is looked up to and espected. He cannot ask you for anything, but he may - things if they are offered. Woman should never be lone in the presence of a monk.
Finally, it is an unpardonable error of sacrilege to misuse any Buddha image. Icons should be kept at a place of mrship, not used as a piece of furniture or for an ornament or commercial advertisement. Foreigners living in Thailand must be especially aware of this. Through history, the Thai people have witnessed many notorious instances of looting of relics in temples and pagodas, beheading and dismember- ing of Buddha images. These acts constitute the most beinous offences not only against the kingdom but against all the people of Thailand.
GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION
PRELIMINARY NOTES AND GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION
Some instruction vivâ voce from a Thai is almost indis- pensable in the beginning. If you are among Thais, listen and imitate. If you are not, the following general hints may prove useful.
(a) Vowels
There are five basic vowels: a, e, I, o and u.
The vowels “a,” “e” and “i” in Thai are equivalent to the |
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sounds of French or Italian; i.e., similar to “a” and “e” in café and to “i” in hit. Other vowels and dipthongs' are pronounced as follows:
aa is pronounced like “a” in barn
ae is pronounced like “a” in mat or tan
ai is pronounced like “i” in high or fine
ao, au, ow are pronounced like “ow” in how or down
aw is pronounced like “aw” in paw or “o” in song
ee is pronounced like “cc” in bee
el is pronounced like “a” in able or “ai” in air
en is pronounced somewhat like “u” in suet, and
almost exactly like “eu” in the French word
feu.
o is pronounced somewhat like “o” in more or
vote
oo, ou, is pronounced like “oo” in soon or “u” in rule
is pronounced like “oo” in book or “u” in full
When a vowel is repeated (as in rawaang), the effect is to
lengthen it to almost double the length of the single vowel.
It is very important to keep the distinction between long and
short vowels to avoid confusion (e.g., rawang means “to be
careful,” but rawaang means “middle” or “between.”)
(b) Consonants
b, d, f, k,
I, m, p, s,
v, w, y. Normally, these are pronounced asin English.
ch a palatal, nearly as in church, chat.
sh pronounced as in Shanghai, shell.
d initial “d” like English “d”; final “d” like “t” in cat.
g as in gun, get, but not as in gem or gin.
ng as in singing, banging, never as in tingle, sponging. It is
pronounced exactly like English “ing” with “i” cut
off. Quite a few words begin with “ng”, e.g. ngo
(stupid), ngarm (pretty) and ngou (snake).
th an aspirant, pronounced like English “t” in tie, not like
the “th” in thigh.
ph another aspirant, pronounced like English “p” as in
pony, not like the “ph” in phony. r is often nearly silent, like the British “r” in arm.
(c)Tones
The Thai language is tonal with five primary tones. These can be indicated in this manner:
No two tones are alike for the simple reason that no two people hear them exactly alike. Neither are any two voices absolutely the same, and while there is a similarity in trends of tone, there is great difference from person to person and region to region in the relative position of the lines repre- senting tones. Pronunciation must therefore be learned by talking with Thais. One should pay careful attention in listening, as tonal differences can represent a significant
difference in meaning For example, the word for dog is m*, horse is zn~ and come is ma. Likewise, the word for the number five is ha, while find is ha.
In speaking Thai emphasis should be given on the overall sounds and rhythm in sentences rather than single words. It is not necessary to know the meaning of each part, but the memorization of many sentences and sounds is necessary in
order to retain interest and increase the fluency of pronunciation.
It will behoove you to spend a little time in the study of pronunciation before you begin your study of the language. The better your accent, the more easy it will be to under-
stand what Thais say to you.
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