Reading Thai - making up vowels?

[learningthaihelp]

Let's have ผม, if you use just basic RULES, you would read it as a pm. Because there's no vowel. But they make up vowel o and it sounds as pom.

 

But you can have different word พด (just an example), again basic RULES it's pd, but you would read it as pad. You would make up vowel a.

 

But I can't find any RULES, how can you determine which vowel add between two consonants?

[Loong]

Let's have ผม, if you use just basic rules, you would read it as a pm. Because there's no vowel. But they make up vowel o and it sounds as pom.

 

But you can have different word พด (just an example), again basic rules it's pd, but you would read it as pad. You would make up vowel a.

 

But I can't find any rules, how can you determine which vowel add between two consonants?

 

if พด  existed, I'm pretty sure tha it would be pronounced pod, not pad. When there are 2 vowels in a word and the 2nd is "missing", the 2nd is pronounced "a"

[learningthaihelp]

if พด  existed, I'm pretty sure tha it would be pronounced pod, not pad. When there are 2 vowels in a word and the 2nd is "missing", the 2nd is pronounced "a"

 

And what if there's no vowel?

And if there are 2 vowels and 1 missing.

And if there are 2 vowels and 2 missing.

And if there are 3 vowels and 1 missing.

And if there are 3 vowels and 2 missing.

And if there are 3 vowels and 3 missing.

etc?

[Loong]

And what if there's no vowel?

And if there are 2 vowels and 1 missing.

And if there are 2 vowels and 2 missing.

And if there are 3 vowels and 1 missing.

And if there are 3 vowels and 2 missing.

And if there are 3 vowels and 3 missing.

etc?

 

Sorry, but it is very complicated and difficult to explain. I wasn't correct there. I should have said 3 vowels, where 2 syllables are joined by an unwritten vowel, such as in the word Pattaya

 

When a word consists of a single syllable, the unwritten vowel will be pronounced "o"

If a word consists of 2 syllables and 2 vowels are unwritten, the first will be "a" and the 2nd "o" as in the Thai word for road

If 2 syllables and the 1st vowel is missing, it will be "a" as in Dtalat (Market)

For more than 2 syllables, I think that unwritten vowels are all pronounced "a", except for the final one that is "o". Look at the spelling of some of the months

To be honest, I am not totally sure of the exact RULES and as in any language, RULES are sometimes broken.

You also need to recognise consonant clusters, so that when you see 2 consonants together that form a cluster, you don't expect to pronounce a vowel

[Sofa King High]

if พด  existed, I'm pretty sure tha it would be pronounced pod, not pad. When there are 2 vowels in a word and the 2nd is "missing", the 2nd is pronounced "a"

But there aren't 2 vowels here? There are zero, or one 'missing vowel'.... I think...

Nevermind I see what you mean, it's pronounced as a short โ because there is only one 'missing vowel'

Then again there is no visual representation for a short โ .. so it must be the multi-syllable words cannot contain short โ?

O god, I love Thai script...  

 

Sorry, but it is very complicated and difficult to explain. I wasn't correct there. I should have said 3 vowels, where 2 syllables are joined by an unwritten vowel, such as in the word Pattaya

 

When a word consists of a single syllable, the unwritten vowel will be pronounced "o"

If a word consists of 2 syllables and 2 vowels are unwritten, the first will be "a" and the 2nd "o" as in the Thai word for road

If 2 syllables and the 1st vowel is missing, it will be "a" as in Dtalat (Market)

For more than 2 syllables, I think that unwritten vowels are all pronounced "a", except for the final one that is "o". Look at the spelling of some of the months

To be honest, I am not totally sure of the exact rules and as in any language, rules are sometimes broken.

You also need to recognise consonant clusters, so that when you see 2 consonants together that form a cluster, you don't expect to pronounce a vowel

พัทยา

ถนน

ตลาด

Wow, that's great man, thanks. I've been bothered by this but have been waiting for it to pop up in my lessons.

 

 

& Good post OP.