Practice the distinction between aspirated and unaspirated consonants
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| This is ท (th) |
| ต (dt) |
| and this is |
| ผ (ph) |
| ป (bp) |
| 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. |
| ท (th) is in words like ทา (thaa) "to apply," ทาง (thaang) "way, path" |
| ต (dt) is in words like ตา (dtaa) "eye," ต้น (dtôn) "tree" |
| ผ (ph) is in words like ผัก (phàk) "vegetable," ผิว (phǐw) "skin" |
| ป (bp) is in words like ปา (bpaa) "to throw," ปาก (bpàak) "mouth" |
| ท (th) and ผ (ph) are aspirated stops, |
| ต (dt) and ป (bp) are unaspirated stops |
| To make the ท (th) sound, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth, then release it with a puff of air. This sound is voiceless, like the aspirated t in "top." |
| 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) |
| 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 ต (dt) sound, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth and release it softly without a puff of air. This sound is voiceless, similar to the t in stop (unaspirated). |
| 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) |
| To make the ป (bp) sound, press your lips together and release softly, without any puff of air. Similar to the unaspirated p in spin (not like the p in pin). |
| 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) |
| The key difference is in aspiration. |
| Aspirated stops produce a strong burst of airflow after the release, while unaspirated stops do not. |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| ทา (thaa) (ตา) (dtaa) |
| "to apply" / "eye" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ทา (thaa) (ตา) (dtaa) |
| "to apply" / "eye" |
| เผ็ด (phèt) (เป็ด) (bpèt) |
| "spicy" / "duck" |
| (space for repetition) |
| เผ็ด (phèt) (เป็ด) (bpèt) |
| "spicy" / "duck" |
| แทง (thaaeng) (แตง) (dtaaeng) |
| "to stab" / "melon, squash" |
| (space for repetition) |
| แทง (thaaeng) (แตง) (dtaaeng) |
| "to stab" / "melon, squash" |
| ผิด (phìt) (ปิด) (bpìt) |
| "wrong" / "to close" |
| (space for repetition) |
| ผิด (phìt) (ปิด) (bpìt) |
| "wrong" / "to close" |
| Now listen to the following sentences. |
| ป้าพับผ้าอย่างเรียบร้อย |
| (bpâa pháp phâa yàang rîiap-róoi) |
| "Aunt folds the cloth neatly." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ป้า, ผ้า |
| เธอทายาใต้ตาอย่างระมัดระวัง |
| (thooe thaa yaa dtâi dtaa yàang rá-mát-rá-wang.) |
| "She carefully applies medicine under her eye." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ทา, ตา |
| Read the following sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| ดิฉันไม่ชอบกินเป็ดผัดเผ็ด |
| (dì-chǎn mâi châawp gin bpèt-phàt-phèt.) |
| "I don't like eating stir-fried spicy duck." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| เผ็ด, เป็ด |
| By the way, if you watched til the end… |
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