Learn to pronounce the short and long vowels
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| This is -ะ (a) |
| -ิ (i) |
| -ึ (ue) |
| And this is |
| -า (aa) |
| -ี (ii) |
| -ื (uue) |
| By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Earn, and this is Thai Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| -ะ (a) is in words like ปะ (bpà) "to mend," จะ (jà) "will" |
| -ิ (i) is in words like ดิน (din) "soil, earth," กิน (gin) "to eat" |
| -ึ (ue) is in words like ดึก (dʉ̀k) "late," ลึก (lʉ́k) "deep" |
| -า (aa) is in words like: ตา (dtaa) "eye," นา (naa) "rice field" |
| -ี (ii) is in words like: ดี (dii) "good," มี (mii) "to have" |
| -ื (uue) is in words like: ดื้อ (dʉ̂ʉ) "stubborn," มืด (mʉ̂ʉt) "dark" |
| -ะ (a) is called a central vowel, |
| -ิ (i) is called a high-front unrounded vowel, |
| -ึ (ue) is called a high-central unrounded vowel. |
| -ะ (a) is similar to the a in the English word 'about' but slightly more pronounced and clearer. |
| -ะ (a) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ะ (a) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ะ (a) |
| -ะ (a) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ะ (a) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ะ (a) |
| -ิ (i) is similar to the i in the English word sit. |
| Keep it short and sharp, without elongating the sound. |
| -ิ (i) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ิ (i) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ิ (i) |
| -ิ (i) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ิ (i) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ิ (i) |
| -ึ (ue) doesn't exist in English, but to pronounce it, the tongue is high and close to the roof of the mouth, with lips relaxed. Try saying "ee" as in see, but pull your tongue back slightly and relax your lips. |
| -ึ (ue) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ึ (ue) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ึ (ue) |
| -ึ (ue) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ึ (ue) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ึ (ue) |
| The long vowels are twice as long as each of the short vowels. |
| -า (aa) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -า (aa) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -า (aa) |
| -า (aa) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -า (aa) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -า (aa) |
| -ี (ii) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ี (ii) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ี (ii) |
| -ี (ii) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ี (ii) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ี (ii) |
| -ื (uue) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ื (uue) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ื (uue) |
| -ื (uue) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ื (uue) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ื (uue) |
| The key difference between -ะ (a), -ิ (i), -ึ (ue) and -า (aa), -ี (ii), -ื (uue) is the length of the vowel. |
| The long vowels are twice as long as each of the short vowels. |
| -ะ (a), -า (aa) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ิ (i), -ี (ii) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| -ึ (ue), -ื (uue) |
| Long and short vowels can change the meaning of a word entirely. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| ปั่น (bpàn) / ป่าน (bpàan) |
| "to spin" vs. "ramie, hemp" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ปั่น (bpàn) / ป่าน (bpàan) |
| "to spin" vs. "ramie, hemp" |
| ขึ้น (khûen) / คืน (khuuen) |
| "to go up" vs. "night" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ขึ้น (khûen) / คืน (khuuen) |
| "to go up" vs. "night" |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. |
| จิบ (jìp) / จีบ (jìip) |
| "to sip" vs. "to flirt" |
| (1) |
| จิบ (jìp) / จีบ (jìip) |
| "to sip" vs. "to flirt" |
| (1) |
| Now listen to the following sentences. |
| เขาปั่นเส้นใยป่าน |
| (khǎo bpàn sên-yai bpàan) |
| "He spins hemp fibers." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ปั่น, ป่าน |
| เขาจิบชาไปพลางจีบเธอไปด้วย |
| (khǎo jìp chaa bpai phlaang jìip thooe bpai dûuai) |
| "He sips tea while flirting with her." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| จิบ, จีบ |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| เขาขึ้นภูเขาตอนเช้าตรู่และพักอยู่บนนั้นหนึ่งคืน |
| (khǎo khûen phuu-khǎo dtaawn-cháao-dtrùu láe phák yùu bon nán nùeng khuuen) |
| "He went up the mountain at dawn and stayed there for one night." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| เขาขึ้นภูเขาตอนเช้าตรู่และพักอยู่บนนั้นหนึ่งคืน |
| (khǎo khûen phuu-khǎo dtaawn-cháao-dtrùu láe phák yùu bon nán nùeng khuuen) |
| "He went up the mountain at dawn and stayed there for one night." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ขึ้น, คืน |
| In Thai, vowel length is not just a subtle feature—it's crucial for communication. Getting short and long vowels right is crucial for clear pronunciation and comprehension, since even slight mistakes in vowel length can cause confusion or result in unintentionally humorous misunderstandings. |
| By the way, if you watched til the end… |
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