"We will continue this week with more English words which can be found in the Thai language. This is an easy way for you to begin before we get down to the serious study of learning the Thai alphabet: Gor Gai, Kor Kai, Kor Kwai etc."

- Richard Barrow (Sriwittayapaknam School).

LESSON 2: English names in Thai. Alongside each English word you will see a Flash play button. Click on it to see how a Thai student pronounces the word.

BARRY	This is a vowel. It has a long "ee" sound	This little dash at the top is a tone marking.
This is a vowel. It has an "ah" sound.		This is Ror Rua. It has a "r" sound.
	This is Bor Baimai. It has a "b" sound.

As you discovered in the last lesson, you need to skip the first part of the word and go straight to the consonant. This is a "b" sound. Add to this the vowel which comes before and you will end up with "bah". The second part is a "r" sound with the vowel above making it "ree" when joined together. The whole word then becomes "ba-ree" with the emphasis on a long "ree". Don't worry about the tone mark above. We will go into that more later.

DAN	This is Dor Dek. It has a "d" sound.
This is a vowel. It has an "ah" sound.		This is Nor Noo. It has a "n" sound.

This should be getting easier for you, though I must admit I am picking the easier words at the moment. Go straight for the consonant which is in the middle. This is a "d". Combine it with the already learned "ah" sound which comes before and it becomes "dah". Finish it with the "n" which makes it "dan". Easy!!

CHARLIE
	This is a vowel. It has a long "ee" sound
This is Chor Chang. It has a "ch" sound.		This is Lor Ling. It has a "l" sound.
	This is a vowel. It has an "ah" sound.

You should be able to read the second half straight away if you have been doing your homework. This is of course "lee". For a change the first letter is a consonant and has a "ch" sound. Combine it with the vowel to get "char". This then becomes "char-lee" with the emphasis on the "lee".

DEBBIE
	This is a vowel. It has a long "ee" sound	This little dash at the top is a tone marking.
This is a vowel. It has a short "eh" sound.		This is Bor Baimai. It has a "b" sound.
This is Dor Dek. It has a "d" sound.	This is Bor Baimai. It has a "b" sound.

You have met all of these letters already. As usual, split the word up into sections. The first part starts with the second letter a "d" and is combined with the vowel in front of it and the "b" after it to become "deb". The second part is easy too. Combine the "b" sound with the "ee" sound of the vowel above it to make "bee". Again, don't worry about the tone mark.

CONNIE
This is a vowel. It has a long "ee" sound   This little dash at the top is a tone marking.
This is Kor Kwai. It has a "k" sound.		This is Nor Noo. It has a "n" sound.
This is Or Ang. It has a "oh" sound. This is Nor Noo. It has a "n" sound.

This is the last one for this lesson. It starts with the "k" sound and combines with the "oh" sound and the "n" sound, both of which you already know, to make "con". The second part again should be obvious to you. This is "nee" with the "n" below and the "ee" above. Both of these are topped by that small downward dash. As usual, Thai people would pronounce this with an emphasis on the second part making it "con-nee".

[Go to Lesson 03]