Now that you’ve learned the five tones to Thai, and got them pretty well embedded in your head, now I will tell you that Thai people intentionally use the wrong tones when they speak. How\u2019s that for a head spin, eh?<\/p>\n
I’m definitely no expert at it, but there is one rule I’ve figured out . . . let\u2019s say you want to describe something, and you want to add a friendly emotional fun emphasis to it. Normally what you’d do is just repeat the word twice, for example:<\/p>\n
\u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e21\u0e32\u0e01\u0e46<\/strong> Very very delicious.<\/p>\n But there is another way to say it, where you repeat the word twice, but make the first time you say it a high tone. For example:<\/p>\n \u0e2d\u0e23\u0e4a\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22<\/strong> Yummy! (\u0e2d\u0e23\u0e4a\u0e2d\u0e22 is pronounced longer than \u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22)<\/p>\n \u0e2d\u0e23\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e21\u0e31\u0e4a\u0e01\u0e21\u0e32\u0e01<\/strong> Very yummy! (\u0e21\u0e31\u0e4a\u0e01<\/strong> is \u0e21\u0e32\u0e01<\/strong>, just pronounced with a short high tone)<\/p>\n You basically say the descriptive word twice, but the first one is always a high tone and slightly exaggerated, while the second is usually falling or low tone. Depending on various factors, vowel length also changes as described above. \u0e25\u0e33\u0e1a\u0e4a\u0e32\u0e01\u0e25\u0e33\u0e1a\u0e32\u0e01<\/strong> Super hard and stressful!<\/p>\n Now, that second example is pronounced more like \u0e25\u0e33\u0e1a\u0e4a\u0e32\u0e01\u0e25\u0e33\u0e1a\u0e31\u0e01<\/strong>, with the last syllable shortened. Just picture an old lady yelling this out, describing what life is like out in the country.<\/p>\n More examples:<\/p>\n \u0e07\u0e07 <\/strong> confused<\/p>\n \u0e07\u0e4a\u0e07\u0e07\u0e07<\/strong> clueless, dumbfounded<\/p>\n \u0e2b\u0e34\u0e27<\/strong> hungry<\/p>\n \u0e2b\u0e34\u0e4a\u0e27\u0e2b\u0e34\u0e27<\/strong> starving (an friendly exaggeration, not literally)<\/p>\n \u0e2a\u0e1a\u0e32\u0e22\u0e21\u0e32\u0e01<\/strong> Very relaxed.<\/p>\n \u0e2a\u0e1a\u0e4a\u0e32\u0e22\u0e2a\u0e1a\u0e32\u0e22<\/strong> Totally chill.<\/p>\n \u0e44\u0e01\u0e25<\/strong> far<\/p>\n \u0e44\u0e01\u0e25\u0e4a\u0e44\u0e01\u0e25<\/strong> really really far<\/p>\n Anyway, Thais don’t break tone rules like this very often, so don’t overdue it. It\u2019s the kind of thing to say when you are being playful around people you\u2019re close to, and what to emphasize something.<\/p>\n Now if you like this article, you must say \u0e0a\u0e4a\u0e2d\u0e1a\u0e0a\u0e2d\u0e1a<\/strong> =)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You think you know the 5 Thai tones? Did you know that you can break these rules? This tutorial will teach you how.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[10208,10341],"tags":[12545],"class_list":["post-215","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-beginner","category-intermediate","tag-thai-tones"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nWhat if you have a polysyllabic word?
\n \u0e25\u0e33\u0e1a\u0e32\u0e01\u0e21\u0e32\u0e01<\/strong> Very distressed. (\u0e25\u0e33\u0e1a\u0e32\u0e01<\/strong> is a feeling of hardship)<\/p>\n