Master the pronunciation of voiced and voiceless aspirated stops
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| This is บ (b) |
| ผ (ph) |
| and this is |
| ด (d) |
| ท (th) |
| 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 บาน (baan) "to bloom" |
| ผ (ph) is in words like ผัก (phàk) "vegetables" |
| ด (d) is in words like ดิน (din) "soil" |
| ท (th) is in words like ทำ (tham) "to do/make" |
| บ (b) and ด (d) are both voiced stops, |
| ผ (ph) and ท (th) are both voiceless aspirated 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 ผ (ph) sound, press your lips together lightly and release them with a strong puff of air. This sound is voiceless, meaning your vocal cords do not vibrate. It's similar to the aspirated p sound in English words like pie or puff, but with a noticeable breath of air. |
| ผ (ph) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ผ (ph) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ผ (ph) |
| ผ (ph) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ผ (ph) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ผ (ph) |
| 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 ท (th) sound, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth (the alveolar ridge) and release it with a puff of air. This sound is voiceless, so your vocal cords do not vibrate. It's similar to the aspirated t sound in English words like top or table, with a noticeable burst of air. |
| ท (th) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ท (th) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ท (th) |
| ท (th) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ท (th) (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ท (th) |
| The key difference is in voicing and aspiration. |
| Voiced stops involve vocal cord vibration and no puff of air, while voiceless aspirated stops have no vocal cord vibration but release a strong puff of air. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| บ่า (bàa) (ผ่า) (phàa) |
| "shoulder" / "to cleave, to cut open" |
| (space for repetition) |
| บ่า (bàa) (ผ่า) (phàa) |
| "shoulder" / "to cleave, to cut open" |
| บิด (bìt) (ผิด) (phìt) |
| "to twist" / "wrong" |
| (space for repetition) |
| บิด (bìt) (ผิด) (phìt) |
| "to twist" / "wrong" |
| ดำ (dam) (ทำ) (tham) |
| "black" / "to make" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ดำ (dam) (ทำ) (tham) |
| "black" / "to make" |
| ดอน (daawn) (ทอน) (thaawn) |
| "highland" / "to give change" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ดอน (daawn) (ทอน) (thaawn) |
| "highland" / "to give change" |
| Now listen to the following sentence. |
| เขาแบกมะพร้าวบนบ่าเพื่อมาผ่าเอาน้ำมะพร้าว |
| (khǎo bàaek má-phráao bon bàa phûuea maa phàa ao nám-má-phráao.) |
| "He carries a coconut on his shoulder to cleave it and extract coconut water." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| บ่า (ผ่า) |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| เธอใส่เสื้อสีดำไปทำงาน |
| (ter sài sûuea sǐi-dam bpai tham-ngaan) |
| "She wears a black shirt to work." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ดำ (ทำ) |
| By the way, if you watched til the end… |
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