Code?
There is a lot of hard work ahead if you want to speak a new language. Especially if you can’t even read it to begin with. For me that is where the reward is hidden – it’s like breaking a code.
I was planning a trip to Thailand with the family over Christmas 2004 and thought it would be nice if I could just order my dinner, ask for direction etc. Hence I started researching what would be necessary on my part to accomplish this simple goal.
Unfortunately it turned out to be quite a challenge. I have come to realize that I will probably never be able to actually speak the language, without moving there and studying intensively for years and years. But I might be able to understand a sentence here and there if I learn the basics…
As I needed somewhere to store my notes, here goes a few lines on what I came across. I hope it will be helpful for others in the same situation.
Language structure
The Thai alphabet uses forty-four consonants and thirty two vowel characters. The letters are horizontally placed, left to right, with no intervening space between words or sentences. Vowels are written above, below, before, or after the consonant they modify – although the consonant always sounds first when the syllable is spoken.
The vowel characters (and a few consonants) can be combined in various ways to produce numerous compound vowels (dipthongs and tripthongs).
The Alphabet (Video)
Each word has a “default” tone determined by several factors, including the type of consonant(s) present. The syllable’s tone can be modified by one of four tone markers.
Some people incorrectly assume that the tone marks identify all necessary tones, or perhaps force certain tones, but this is not true. Unfortunately it is more complex than that – the final tone of a syllable is determined by the tone mark in conjunction with the type of syllable, as determined by the vowel and consonant characters present.
I am told that the grammar is quite simple though…
