ศาลาชุมนุม

[bifftastic]

I was in the south (Koh Lanta) and I asked for some hot water with my 'lazy' non-rolling tongue and got a confused grimace in response until I rolled my tongue around the word properly. Ahhh! ok hot water! And a smile

[Toffeeman]

3, I understand the "hard tongue" because I would describe Thai speech as "soft" or "liquid" tongue, as if they don't actually close the tongue against the palate. A consequence is that English speakers cannot pronounce "do dek" or "bo baimai".

I would have to disagree with this statement. Although the differences between do dek/do dao and bo baimai/bo bpla may be difficult to learn, I wouldn't say that an English speaker cannot learn them. Recently I had this very discussion with my Thai friends. They pointed out I was using the wrong 'do'. I then asked for an exact psoitioning of the tongue to help me differentiate between do dek/do dao. Their answer was to refer me to another farang in our group who says it very clearly. With the help I have recieved I feel I can now say do dek/do dao most of the time, though I wouldn't claim 100% accuracy.

[r2d2]

Also when a word has an "L" they never substitute an "R" for it instead.

My own problem is NOT a substitution. Rather, let's assume somebody is speaking clearest central Thai, I know the terms etc. then I often think: is "Siamese r" = l (in my mother tongue) and is "Siamese l" = r (in my mother tongue). I.e. I hear the difference in a concrete speaker but I ask myself what I actually hear.

I have to add that my preceding question concerning klon (Thai) kon (Lao) = Pali? is no good question for the simple reason that Lao has no initial clusters (else than, if I recall it approriately khw) so klon is, as a matter of course kon in Lao (and the etymology of both terms is also no question).

You should, however, consider in the context of Northeast Thailand that Lao has (besides no initial cluster) a consonant shift and no r at all (r is replaced by l or h). There is a letter lo 'rot' ... but this is another story.

I was in the south (Koh Lanta) .... Ahhh! ok hot water! And a smile

In Isan: hon bo

Isan is similar to Lao so that a lot of phenomenons concerning r (whether cluster or not) can be explained in the Northeast by this fact.

[bifftastic]

Pasa Isaan would have got me even more blank stares!


น้ำร้อน is what I asked for, but didn't roll the ร

[r2d2]

blank stares!

Only for fun, and staring blank:

As a young boy I was visiting a language school at Florence. Spoken Italian has no h at all.

Being thirsty I asked: Lei ha un barattolo di Coca Cola?//Do you have a tin of Coke?
Seller: HHHosa? (Cosa=What?)
Me: Una Hoha Hola!
Seller: Ah! Un barattolo di Hoha Hola! Eccolo!

(no thesis that Fiorentino has no initial c, simply describing the situation as experienced)

[r2d2]

I forgot:

Help me with ร?

Here the help is:



This is phayanchana Thai # 45, the so called "so Lue-si"

(ษอ ฤๅษี [รือ-สี])



[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8MeE8Ik4Y]
Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.[/url]

[Jarvis1000]

I forgot:

Help me with ร?

Here the help is:



This is phayanchana Thai # 45, the so called "so Lue-si"

(ษอ ฤๅษี [รือ-สี])



[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t8MeE8Ik4Y]
Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.[/url]

Love this! This is Classic Thai! I have to agree with many here that you can use the l sound and be perfectly fine. I don't know many who roll the R right out, but I think most do a hybrid l and r sound together. I mean it just makes sense, if you are speaking at a regular speed, the roll is just going to get left behind.

[claude06thailand]

Yesterday, I was driving and couldn't stop to take a picture of a sign : ถึงเร็ว instead of ถึงแล้ว... Maybe it was a joke ?

[qwert]

Try to pronounce ล with up your tongue to palate, pull stomach in and shift air from lungs. >> ร (in Thai).
Try to pronounce ฮ with pull stomach in and shift air from lungs. >> ร (in Northern/Northeastern Thai).

However, it look like current Thais pronounce ร same as R in Spanish.