What you see out there on the streets in Thailand are roadsign transliteration. They were made to make it easy to read by foreigners but they do not always provide accurate pronunciation the way Thai people actually pronounce them.
The fact is there is no one standardised system for paa-săa karaoke (Thai words written in English or #ThaiRomanisation) that all Thai teachers will follow. Each Thai teacher chooses which the romanisation system that they believe in. Some teachers even create their paa-săa karaoke systems too (me too).
Why is it like that?
Because Thai scripts are pretty systematic, spellable and it is quite like a phonetic language on its own so, Thai kids learn Thai writing system directly using Thai alphabets and vowels and there is no English transliteration is involved.
My advice? Ask the locals how to pronounce these romanised Thai words you see on the road signs and pick up some basic Thai conversation skills, then learn Thai reading and writing system (it is quite systematic, and not as difficult as you think).
Why should foreign Thai learners who only care to learn how to converse in Thai learn #ThaiReadingAndWritingSystem too?
Because even if you have mastered any romanised Thai system or what Thais call it as #ภาษาคาราโอเกะ #PaasăaKaraoke, Thai people who are non-Thai language teachers will still not be able to read what you text them in paa-sãa karaoke that well because of the fact that 70 millions of Thai people out there never use Thai romanisation system to learn their Thai scripts as a child.
#FundamentalThaiWorkshop🇸🇬 Paa-săa karaoke for beginners)
#ThaiLiteracyWorkshop 🇸🇬
ภาษาไทย for advanced basic and intermediate Thai learners
Author: Khun Kruu Noot
This e-Thai lesson is part of Thai Language Success E-learning and E-coaching Program
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