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About the Author
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| Aaron Handel is a native of California and currently lives in northern Thailand. He has studied the Thai language for more than twenty years and speaks Thai fluently. He has a BA in Economics from California State University and Masters Degree in Labor Economics and Human Resource Management from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. | |||||||||
| Thai Language
Course Copyright USA, Thailand 2006-2010 by Aaron
Handel. All rights reserved. The contents of this book and the compact discs are protected by United States copyright laws and by international agreements. Copying is prohibited without the written consent of the author. |
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Published by Tiger Press
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Preface
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| This book provides the tools for learning to speak Thai. It is designed to help you to improve pronunciation and tones. The book begins at a basic level and gradually progresses to an advanced level. The transliteration (writing Thai using English letters) is designed to be readable. A tone mark is placed above the first vowel of each syllable. | |||||||||
| Throughout the text, a literal, word-for-word translation has been provided. Word-for-word translation is a powerful learning tool, particularly for the Thai language. The translation shows the exact word order of Thai sentences. This helps you to develop an intuitive sense of how the language is constructed. Because Thai words of more than one syllable often consist of other words put together to form a single word, knowing the meaning of each word builds vocabulary and improves comprehension. | |||||||||
| Although Thai is normally written without spaces between the words, in this book, Thai words have been separated with a space between them. This makes it easier to learn to read and write Thai. | |||||||||
| The best way to learn to speak Thai is to replicate the pronunciation of native Thai speakers. The speaker on the CD in Chapters 1 through 11 is a native of Bangkok. She is a university graduate with a BA in Education. In chapters 12 through 15, there are two speakers. One of the speakers is a native of Bangkok. The other speaker is a native of Pattaya. Chapter 12 provides an introduction to Thai grammar. You may wish to study this chapter before some of the others. Chapter 16 provides a basic introduction to Thai Yai language, known as Dtai among the Shan. The speaker on the CD is a Buddhist monk and a native of northern Burma. | |||||||||
| Read, Listen, and Repeat. Focus on tone, vowel length, and the rhythm of the language. The tone drills in Chapter 1 will give you a good start. | |||||||||
| Contents | |||||||||
| Chapter 1 Tones and Transliteration |
Page 1 Disc 1 Track 1 | ||||||||
| Chapter 2 Numbers Examples |
Page 20 Disc 1
Track 2 Page 25 Disc 1 Track 3 |
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| Chapter 3 Colors Examples |
Page 29 Disc 1
Track 4 Page 30 Disc 1 Track 5 |
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| Chapter 4 Time Examples |
Page 35 Disc 1
Track 6 Page 41 Disc 1 Track 7 |
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| Chapter 5 Shopping Examples | Page 45
Disc 1 Track 8 Page 49 Disc 1 Track 9 |
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| Chapter 6 Greetings
and
Questions Examples |
Page 55 Disc 1
Track 10 Page 62 Disc 1 Track 11 |
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| Chapter 7 Food Examples Favorite Thai Foods |
Page
69 Disc 1 Track 12 Page 73 Disc 1 Track 13 Page 79 Disc 1 Track 14 |
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| Chapter 8 Accommodation Examples |
Page 82 Disc 1
Track 15 Page 85 Disc 1 Track 16 |
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| Chapter 9 Travel
and
Driving Examples Favorite Travel Destinations |
Page 89 Disc 1
Track 17 Page 96 Disc 1 Track 18 Page 101 Disc 1 Track 19 |
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| Chapter 10 Idioms and Common Expressions | Page 103 Disc 2 Track 1 | ||||||||
| Chapter 11 Conversation “Pizza Hat” | Page 123 Disc 2 Track 2 | ||||||||
| Chapter 12 Thai Grammar | Page 148 Disc 2 Track 3 | ||||||||
| Chapter 13 Money | Page 183 Disc 2 Track 4 | ||||||||
| Chapter 14 Health | Page 212 Disc 2 Track 5 | ||||||||
| Chapter 15 Romantic Relationships | Page 237 Disc 2 Track 6 | ||||||||
| Chapter 16 Thai Yài Language | Page 269 Disc 2 Tracks 7, 8 | ||||||||
| Chapter 17 Writing Thai | Page 280 Disc 2 Tracks 10, 11 |
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| Appendix The Thai Alphabet Tone Rules |
Page 329 Page 329 Disc 2 Track 9 Page 335 |
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