Thai Bites - Why Are the 3 Consonant Classes Called High, Mid and Low? by Stuart Jay Raj

[@Battambang1975]

I am a Khmer-American linguist and trying to learn some Thai. I couldn't understand the reason for the three consonant classes until I came across this video. Such a simple explanation.

[@inksikarnl.7421]

You are my savior! Thank you so much for a great explanation! I am Thai. I grew up speaking the language, and I've always had a hard time explaining these concepts to my friends and my students who want to learn Thai. Now, I can just guide them to your video when they have questions about these 3 consonant classes! Lol

[@weez246]

Really interesting, Stuart! I've just been wondering about the history of these classes and you've sated my curiosity! Thanks very much!

[@lowlandslist]

This is a truly excellent presentation, Stuart! Good on ya, mate!

[@StuartJayRaj]

+Ron Hahn Thanks Ron. Glad to know it was useful :)

[@lowlandslist]

Keep 'em coming, Stuart!

[@bpetnoi1472]

Stuart, you hit it right on the head. My wife a college grad from Thammasat in French and English can not herself tell me why the Thai consonants are in three distinct classes. I am presently trying to learn to read and write Thai, but for many of my questions as a student of Thai as a second language I can not get answers.

[@richardjones9007]

You are obviously an expert here, Stewart. But I feel that I would have learned more if you had said less. I simply got lost in a long journey to the answer. Do you have a “Thai consonant classes for dummies” version of this presentation?

[@StuartJayRaj]

Hi Richard, I actually covered the crux of it all in the first few minutes of this clip - and understanding the why of the Thai consonant classes requires the journey - otherwise it would just be random rote learning of seemingly arbitrary rules. I have many resources and tools out there that go into this in detail at jcademy. Cracking Thai Fundamentals is specifically Thai focused and Mindkraft is the prequel to CTF

[@jimilite]

fascinating, what a great lesson... thank you

[@kittenastrophy5951]

ภาษาไทยในระดับการเรียนภาษาศาสตร์มีสอนเรื่องนี้อยู่แล้ว แต่ไม่จำเป็นสำหรับการเรียนระดับการใช้งานทั่วไป ดังนั้นถ้าไปถามคนทั่วไปไม่มีทางตอบได้เพราะไม่ได้เรียนหรือเรียนผิวเผินมาก I myself in childhood didn't care much to seek this answer. We had something else more important to care and concern in lives.

[@StuartJayRaj]

Right - as native speakers, you already speak the language. Understanding the 'engine' running inside of you is not that relevant... just like most people who buy a car are not mechanics. They just was to drive the car. It is super useful for non-Thai learners though - as you understand exactly how to shift your current language to the new one.

[@kittenastrophy5951]

@@StuartJayRaj ประเด็นของผมคือ คุณเจย์ช่วยบอกคนต่างชาติที่เรียนไทยให้หน่อยว่า อย่าไปถามอะไรที่ยากๆเกินระดับการใช้งานในชีวิตประจำวันกับคนไทย เพราะเราไม่รู้หรอก 555

[@georgiusagricola4720]

this is the exact thing i'm looking for.

[@davegraham7550]

Tenuis, a term for unaspirated consonants. One convention is to use an equals symbol after the consonant in question e.g. k=....is useful when a k is said as a kh by people..k=, kh...two prescribed ks in Thai though the odd g and gh s have been said by some people sometimes.

[@sklantharregulus2100]

excellent - thanks

[@jotcw81]

Wow that was interesting, thx!

[@criskity]

Thank you! I was wondering why the "high" consonants are pronounced lower and the "low" consonants are pronounced higher.

[@mikedaniels3009]

Stuart, please tell me HOW, WHERE did U learn Thai, HOW long did it take U? Much obliged.

[@bhiebkk1830]

Thank you! Well done. I have been looking for the theory that /d/ comes from a glottalized n and the /b/ derived from a glottalized m, but I could not find the source? Is it J Marvin Brown in his PhD dissertation from 1963 who proposed this theory?

[@ohhanichan]

Omg thank you so much. I weirdly understand this well

[@DieFlabbergast]

Thanks very much! This was almost the first question that occurred to me when I started learning Thai (three months ago), and I couldn't find an answer anywhere!

[@StuartJayRaj]

Yeah - that system is the base of many things - same principles at work in Chinese too. I just did a TEDx talk in Malaysia on it linking the two. I cover it all in detail in my Cracking Thai Fundamentals book stujay.com/product/cracking-thai-fundamentals-book/

[@DieFlabbergast]

Thanks, I may buy your book.

[@intingido9751]

Same

[@aku7598]

Because monosyllabic language. So to increase their vocabulary, a single syllable is used with different tones to give different meaning.

[@StuartJayRaj]

That's the result - but it wasn't as though a bunch of people were thinking 'we don't have enough syllables - we need to do something!' - Tones originated from non tonal times when affixes did different tasks. Over time, these affixes shifted the throat into different positions and the tones were the by-product, eventually taking the spotlight.

[@oliverrobin8588]

Hello Im really interested in buying this Product. Where can I do it?

[@Garfield_Minecraft]

นักภาษาศาสตร์เปล่าครับ Are U languist?

[@johntarlecabague2037]

How to combine words in Thai?

[@kongmangkornkarn]

This is what the Thais should have understood their own language mechanisms.

[@davegraham7550]

Thai and Laos using the terms high, low, middle for two different concepts..unhelpful.

[@kozlo1]

you need to get a graphic tablet. it's impossible to read your thai written by a mouse. In other videos there's the same problem. also the whole lecture is difficult to understand. I will have to watch at least 2 times to understand it. that's not how a proper lesson should be done.

[@pong6857]

ภาษาไทยแกรมม่ายากอะ มีทั้งคำเป็นตายอีก แม่กก แม่กง แม่กา มีการแต่งกลอนขนาดเราเป็นคนไทยยังสอบตกภาษาไทย haaaaa

[@StuartJayRaj]

ถ้าเข้าใจที่มาก็ไม่ยากหรอก จริง ๆ แล้วเรื่องคำเป็น คำตาย ทุกภาษาก็มีอยู่ เป็นเรื่องปกติ แล้วเป็นหลักไวยากรณ์ของทั้งภาษาจีนต่าง ๆ ภาษาไทย ลาว เขมร พม่า ฯลฯ ถ้าเข้าใจที่มาก็เรียนไม่ยาก

[@SeintDirk]

+Stuart Jay Raj จริงครับ! ถ้าเรารู้รากฐานของภาษา เราจะเข้าใจภาษาได้ง่ายขึ้นครับ

[@SeintDirk]

แต่ว่าเครื่องหมายไม้ยมกที่คุณใช้นั้น ให้ด้านหลังมันวรรคมากกว่าด้านหน้าหน่อยจะดีมากๆ ครับ ตย. 1. จริงๆ นะ 2. จริง ๆ นะ

[@bpin5191]

พูดแบบนี้แสดงว่าไม่เคยเรียนภาษาเกาหลีหรือญี่ปุ่น เจอแกรมม่า 2 ภาษานี้ไปแกรมม่าไทยกระจอกไปเลย

[@kittenastrophy5951]

@@bpin5191 ภาษไทยไม่มีแกรมม่า มีแต่ grandma 55555