Learn how to transcribe Thai using the Latin alphabet
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| Michael: What types of Thai romanization are there? |
| Arnon: And which one is most common? |
| Michael: At ThaiPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following scenario: Ben Lee got confused about the romanization of the Thai language. He decided to ask a befriended teacher, Nongnuch Nimnual, |
| "Is there one romanization standard for Thai?" |
| Ben Lee: มีมาตรฐานการถอดอักษรไทยเป็นอักษรโรมันในภาษาไทยหรือไม่ (mii mâat-dtrà-thăan gaan thàawt àk-sǎawn thai bpen àk-sǎawn roo-man nai bphaa-săa thai rǔue mâi) |
| Dialogue |
| Ben Lee: มีมาตรฐานการถอดอักษรไทยเป็นอักษรโรมันในภาษาไทยหรือไม่ (mii mâat-dtrà-thăan gaan thàawt àk-sǎawn thai bpen àk-sǎawn roo-man nai phaa-săa thai rǔue mâi) |
| Nongnuch Nimnual: ไม่มี (mâi mii) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: มีมาตรฐานการถอดอักษรไทยเป็นอักษรโรมันในภาษาไทยหรือไม่ (mii mâat-dtrà-thăan gaan thàawt àk-sǎawn thai bpen àk-sǎawn roo-man nai phaa-săa thai rǔue mâi) |
| Michael: "Is there one romanization standard for Thai?" |
| Nongnuch Nimnual: ไม่มี (mâi mii) |
| Michael: "No." |
Lesson focus |
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| Michael: Most of the writing systems of the world are based on the Latin script, or, |
| Arnon: สคริปต์ละติน (sà-khríp lá-dtin) |
| Michael: Some, however, are based on a different one. Take Thai, for example, which experts believe is derived from, |
| Arnon: อักษรขอม (àk-sǎawn khǎawm) |
| Michael: or the Khmer script. In that sense, the Thai script is not an alphabet but an abugida, a writing system wherein consonant-vowel sequences are written as a unit. In terms of romanization, Thai uses several systems. While there is no one standard system used for the language, the Royal Institute of Thailand, or, |
| Arnon: ราชบัณฑิตยสภา (râat chá ban-dìt dtà yá sà-phaa) |
| Michael: has published what is known as the Royal Thai General System of Transcription in 1932, which is considered the official system for writing Thai words using the Latin script. Used by the Thai government, the RTGS is the system you will see on road signs in Thailand. In Thai, the system for romanization includes both transliteration, |
| Arnon: การทับศัพท์ (gaan tháp sàp) |
| Michael: and transcription. |
| Arnon: การถอดเสียง (gaan thàawt sĭiang) |
| Michael: The RTGS only uses unadorned Roman letters to express spoken Thai. As such, the system disregards tone and vowel length, as well as some minor sound distinctions. On the other hand, one example of transliteration is the ISO 11940, which was first published in 1998. This system was based on Thai orthography, or, |
| Arnon: อักขรวิธีไทย (àk-khà-rà wí-thii thai) |
| Michael: and makes use of diacritics. It sought to preserve all of the spelling distinctions of Thai words, but the results are words that don't seem to bear the pronunciation of the original words. Unlike the RTGS that is often used in public, the ISO 11940 is hardly seen and used publicly. A third system used in Thai romanization is that of the American Library Association - Library of Congress or ALA-LC. This system is used primarily in libraries in North America and Europe. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we learned that Thai can be romanized in several ways, and three of them are the Royal Thai General System of Transcription, the ISO 11940, and the one by the American Library Association-Library of Congress or ALA-LC. All three of them romanize the Thai alphabet in a slightly different way. While the ISO 19940 and ALA-LC are both transliteration systems, the RTGS is a transcription system. That being said, the RTGS is more concerned with phonetics, or, |
| Arnon: สัทศาสตร์ (sàt-thá-sàat) |
| Michael: while the other two seek to preserve all spelling distinctions of the original words. |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: Aside from the three that we've already mentioned, there are various other Thai Romanization systems available, most of which are considered unofficial. For instance, there's the one by Paiboon Publishing, which publishes materials for Thai learners. In this system, the expression "Hello," or |
| Arnon: สวัสดี ครับ (sà-wàt-dii khráp) |
| Michael: is written in this manner: |
| Arnon: sà wàt dii kráp |
| Michael: In the ISO 19940 system, the same word is written as: |
| Arnon: s̄wạs̄ dī khrạb |
| Michael: In the RTGS, that would be: |
| Arnon: sawat di khrap |
| Michael: And, in the ALA-LC, that would be: |
| Arnon: sawat dī khrap |
| Michael: An interesting system would be Phonemic Thai, which presents words in syllables exactly how they are pronounced, so that "Hello" would be: |
| Arnon: สะ-หฺวัด-ดี-คฺรับ (sà-wàt-dii-khráp) |
| Michael: Of course, there's the IPA system, which is considered as the bread and butter of linguists. This system is what linguists use to communicate when doing language research. In this system, the Thai word for "Hello" would be presented as: |
| Arnon: sà wàt diː kʰráp |
| Michael: The Thai romanization systems mentioned in this lesson each have their pros and cons. That said, learners of the Thai language, or |
| Arnon: ภาษาไทย (phaa-săa thai) |
| Michael: are encouraged not to find the "best" system, but to find the one that's effective for their intended purpose. The RTGS, for instance, is very useful for drivers and commuters on the Thai road system. Learners who are particular with how each syllable is pronounced, on the other hand, will appreciate the Phonemic Thai system. |
| Listeners, make sure to check the lesson transcription to see the difference in writing. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: Despite the RTGS being the one having been adopted by the government, it's not a system that is widely used by ordinary Thai people. This is especially true when it comes to spelling personal names. For one, the RTGS system doesn't indicate tones, or |
| Arnon: โทน (thoon) |
| Michael: It also combines several consonants that distinguish common words. It even combines long and short versions of vowels, as well as two completely different vowels at times. This means you'll have to guess the correct pronunciation of the word, which results in something that first-time learners of Thai won't find very useful. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Arnon: แล้วพบกันใหม่เร็วๆนี้ครับ (láaeo-phóp-gan-mài reo-reo-níi khràp) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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