Page 128 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Bangkok

126 ❯❯ Top 10 Bangkok

Phrase Book Where is the tăir-o-née mee
nearest rohng pa-yah-
Thai is a tonal language and regarded by most hospital? bahn yòo têe-năi?
linguists as head of a distinct language group, though Call an rêe-uk rót pa-yah-
it incorporates many Sanskrit words from ancient ambulance! bahn hâi nòy!
India, and some of modern English ones, too. There Call a doctor! rêe-uk mŏr hâi nòy!
are five tones: mid, high, low, rising, and falling. The Call the police! rêe-uk dtum ròo-ut
particular tone, or pitch, at which each syllable is hâi nòy!
pronounced determines its meaning. For instance
“mâi” (falling tone) means “not,” but “măi” (rising tone) Communication Essentials
is “silk.” In the second column of this phrase book is a Yes châi or krúp/kâ
phonetic transliteration of the Thai script for English No mâi châi or mâi
speakers, including guidance for tones in the form of krúp/mâi kâ
accents. In polite speech, Thai men add “krúp” at the Please can you…? chôo-ay
end of each sentence; women add “ká” at the end Thank you kòrp-kOOn
of questions and “kâ” at the end of statements No, thank you mâi ao kòrp-kOOn
Excuse me/sorry kŏr-tôht (krúp/kâ)
Hello sa-wùt dee (krúp/kâ)
Guidelines for Pronunciation Goodbye lah gòrn ná
When reading the phonetics, pronounce syllables What? a-rai?
as if they form English words. For instance: Why? tum-mai?
a as in “ago” Where? têe năi?
e as in “hen” How? yung ngai?
i as in “thin”
o as in “on” Useful Phrases
u as in “gun” How are you? kOOn sa-bai dee
reu (krúp/kâ)?

ah as in “rather”
ai as in “Thai” Very well, thank you sa-bai dee
air as in “pair” (krúp/kâ)
ao as in “Mao Zedong” How do I get to…? …bpai yung-ngai?
ay as in “day” Do you speak kOOn pôot pah-săh
ung-grìt bpen mái?
English?
er as in “enter”
ew as in “few” Could you speak chôo-ay pôot cháh
cháh nòy dâi mái?
slowly?
oh as in “go”
oo as in “boot” I can’t speak Thai. pôot pah-săh tai
mâi bpen

OO as in “book” Useful Words
oy as in “toy” hot rórn
g as in “give” cold yen or năo
ng as in “sing”
good dee
bad mâi dee
These sounds have no close equivalents in English: enough por
eu can be likened to a sound open bpèrt
of disgust - the sound could closed bpìt
be written as “errgh”
bp a single sound between a “b” left sái
kwăh
right
and a “p’ near glâi
dt a single sound between a “d” far glai
and a “t”
straight ahead yòo dtrong nâh
woman/women pŏo-yĭng
Note that when “p,” “t,” and “k” occur at the end man/men pŏo-chai
of Thai words, the sound is “swallowed.” Also note child/children dèk
that many Thais use an “I” instead of an “r” sound entrance tahng kâo
The Five Tones exit tahng òrk
toilet
hôrng náhm
Accents indicate the tone of each syllable.
no mark The mid tone is voiced at the Keeping in Touch
speaker’s normal, even pitch. Where is the nearest tăir-o née mee toh-
á é í ó ú The high tone is pitched public telephone? ra-sùp yòo têe-năi?
slightly higher than the mid tone. Can I call abroad ja toh bpai dtàhng
à è ì ò ù The low tone is pitched from here? bpra-tâyt jàhk têe
slightly lower than the mid tone. nêe dâi mái?
ă ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ The rising tone sounds like a Hello, this is… hello (pŏm /dee-
questioning pitch, starting low speaking. chún)…pôot (krúp/kâ)
and rising. May I leave a message? kŏr fáhk sùng a-rai
â ê î ô û The falling tone sounds similar nòy dâi mái?
to an syllable word for emphasis. I would like to kŏr pôot gùp khun…
speak to… nòy (krúp/kâ)
In an Emergency local call toh-ra-sùp pai nai
Help! chôo-ay dôo-ay! tórng tìn
Fire! fai mâi! phone card but toh-ra-sùp
Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Phrase book “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v1)
126-127_Top_10_Bangkok.indd 126 22/05/2017 14:30
Date 3rd June 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm