Learn to recognize voiced and voiceless unaspirated stops
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| This is บ (b) |
| ป (bp) |
| and this is |
| ด (d) |
| ต (dt) |
| 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. |
| บ (b) is in words like บ้าน (bâan) "house" |
| ด (d) is in words like ดี (dii) "good" |
| ป (bp) is in words like ปลา (bpaa) "fish" |
| ต (dt) is in words like ตา (dtaa) "eye" |
| บ (b) ป (bp) are bilabial stops |
| ด (d) ต (dt) are alveolar stops |
| To make the บ (b) sound, lightly press your lips together and release them as you produce the sound. This sound is voiced, meaning your vocal cords vibrate. It's similar to the b sound in English words like boy or bat. |
| บ (b) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| บ (b) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| บ (b) |
| บ (b) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| บ (b) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| บ (b) |
| To make the ป (bp) sound, press your lips together firmly and release them gently. This sound is voiceless, so your vocal cords do not vibrate, and there is no puff of air when you release it. It's similar to the p sound in spin (unaspirated), not the p in pin (which is aspirated). |
| ป (bp) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ป (bp) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ป (bp) |
| ป (bp) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ป (bp) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ป (bp) |
| To make the ด (d) sound, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth (the alveolar ridge) and release it as you produce the sound. This sound is voiced, so your vocal cords vibrate. It's similar to the d sound in English words like dog or door. |
| ด (d) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ด (d) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ด (d) |
| ด (d) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ด (d) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ด (d) |
| To make the ต (dt) sound, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth and release it softly. This sound is voiceless, so your vocal cords do not vibrate, and there is no puff of air when you release it. It's similar to the t sound in stop (unaspirated), not the t in top (which is aspirated). |
| ต (dt) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ต (dt) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ต (dt) |
| ต (dt) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ต (dt) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ต (dt) |
| The key difference is in voicing. |
| บ (b) and ด (d) are aspirated, which means your vocal cords vibrate as you pronounce them. |
| ป (bp) and ต (dt) are unaspirated, meaning there is no puff of air when you release them. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| ใบ (bai) (ไป) (bpai) |
| "leaf" / "to go" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ใบ (bai) (ไป) (bpai) |
| "leaf" / "to go" |
| บอก (bàawk) (ปอก) (bpàawk) |
| "to tell" / "to peel" |
| (space for repetition) |
| บอก (bàawk) (ปอก) (bpàawk) |
| "to tell" / "to peel" |
| ดี (dii) (ตี) (dtii) |
| "good" / "to hit" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ดี (dii) (ตี) (dtii) |
| "good" / "to hit" |
| ดำ (dam) (ตำ) (dtam) |
| "black" vs. "to grind" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ดำ (dam) (ตำ) (dtam) |
| "black" vs. "to grind" |
| Now listen to the following sentence. |
| ช่วยไปเก็บใบมะกรูดในสวนให้หน่อย |
| (chûuai bpai gèp bai-má-grùut nai sǔuan hâi nàuy.) |
| "Please go and pick some kaffir lime leaves in the garden." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ใบ vs. ไป |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| การตีลูกเบสบอลให้ดีต้องอาศัยการฝึกฝนอย่างต่อเนื่อง |
| (gaan-dtii lûuk-béet-bawn hâi dii dtâwng aa-sǎi gaan-fùek-fǒn yàang dtàaw-nûueang.) |
| "Good baseball hitting requires consistent practice." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ดี, ตี |
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