History and Thai alphabet

History.

Replica of the Ramkhamhaeng inscription, the oldest inscription using proto-Thai script
The Thai alphabet is derived from the Old Khmer script (Thai: อักขระเขมร, akkhara khamen), which is a southern Brahmic style of writing called Vatteluttu. Vatteluttu was also commonly referred to as the Pallava script by scholars of Southeast Asian studies such as George Coedes. According to tradition it was created in 1283 by King Ramkhamhaeng the Great (Thai: พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช).


Thai script.


Thai script (Thai: อักษรไทย, àksǒn thai), is used to write the Thai language and other, minority, languages in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants (Thai: พยัญชนะ, phayanchaná), fifteen vowel symbols (Thai: สระ, sàrà) that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks (Thai: วรรณยุกต์ or วรรณยุต, wannayúk or wannayút). Let's go to this web site.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_script

VOWEL (สระ) And Consonant (พยัญชนะ)

Vowel

Most Thai vowel have two versions, short and long. Short vowel are clipped and cut off at the end. Long ones are drown out. This book shows short vowels with a single letter and long vowel with double letters (‘a’ for short; ‘aa’ for long)

The ‘ue’ has no comparable sound in English. Thy saying ‘u’ while spreading your lips in as wide a smile as possible. If the sound you are marking is similar to one you might have uttered after stepping on something disgusting, you are probably close!

VOWEL (สระ)

Short vowel/สระเสียงสั้น			Long vowel/สระเสียงยาว
อะ	a	ah!	อา	aa	father
อิ	i	it	อี	ii	free
อึ	eu	ruler	อึ	ue	But longer
อุ	u	put	อู	uu	Like you but longer
เอะ	e	eh!	เอ	ee	pay
แอะ	ea		แอ	ae	air
โอะ	o	oh!	โอ	oo	toe
เอาะ	oh	spot	ออ	or	or
เออะ	er		เออ	er	sir

Vowel that are made by combining two vowel

เอีย	ia	ear
เอือ	uea	no comparable sound in English except "Eugha! How horrible"
ัว	ua	tour
อำ	am	come
ไอ	ai	Thai
เอา	ao	now

Consonant (พยัญชนะ) pronounce after your teacher /ออกเสียงตามครู

1	Bor	b	บ	like b as banana
	Phor	ph	พ ภ ผ	like p as in play
	Por	p	ป	as in sport
2	Dor	d	ด ฎ	like d as in door
	Thor	th	ท ธ ฒ ฑ ถ ฐ	like t as in talk
	Tor	t	ต ฏ	as in stop
3	Kor	kh	ค ฆ ข	like k as in kiss
	Gor	g	ก	like g as in gold
4	Chor	ch	ช ฌ ฉ	like ch as in cheese
	Jor	j	จ	like j as in jar
5	Nor	n	น ณ	like n as in new
	Ngor	ng, ŋ	ง	like ng as in sing
6	Lor	l	ล ฬ	like l as in letter
	Ror	r	ร	like r as in run
7	For	f	ฟ ฝ	like f as in free
8	Hor	h	ห ฮ	like h as in happy
9	Yor	y	ย ญ	like y as in you
10	Sor	s	ส ศ ษ ซ	like s as in sky
11	Wor	w	ว	like w as in win
12	Mor	m	ม	like m as in money

The/t= (ต)/ sound lies between the /d/ and the /t/. Similarly, the /p=(ป)/ is between /b/ and /p/ ( In linguistic terms, they are both unvoiced and unaspirated.) Unlike English,/ ng,ŋ =(ง)/ frequently occurs at the beginner of word in Thai. Thai people often do not pronounce the /r=(ร)/, replacing it with /l=(ล)/ (‘rian’ will sound like ‘lian’).When the /r/ is part of a consonant cluster, it is often dropped completely. (‘kŕap’ will sound like ‘káp’ ).