Thai language
Spoken in
- Tai - Kadai languages Kam - Tai languages Tai languages South West Tai languages Thai
Th
Tha
Tha
The Thai language ( the Thai, ภาษา ไทย - spoken: [ p ʰ a ː ː t ʰ aj sǎ ], listen / i?) Is the official language of Thailand. It belongs to the Kam - Tai languages in the Tai - Kadai language family.
In contrast to most European languages, Thai, as well as the languages of neighboring countries (except the Khmer ), called a tonal language: the most monosyllabic words gain by pronunciation in different pitches and Tonverläufen entirely different meanings. In Thai, there are five different tones.
Thai is written with its own alphabet, see Thai script.
The centuries- long hierarchical structure of society has transferred to the Thai language and is still evident today. There are at least five levels:
- The ordinary colloquial language ( ภาษา พูด, [ p ʰ a ː ː p ʰ sǎ û ː t] - literally speaking language) without politeness particles, which is mostly used between family members and close friends,
- The elevated language ( ภาษา เขียน, [ p ʰ a ː ː k ʰ sǎ ǐ ː to ] - literally writing language ) with courtesy particles and partially including vocabulary,
- The official language ( ภาษา ราชการ, [ p ʰ a ː ː ra ː sǎ tʨ ʰ aka ː n] - literally, state language ), which can be heard in public statements and news
- The court language ( ราชาศัพท์, [ ra ː ʨ ʰ a ː SAP ] ) for all matters relating to the Royal Family, with very many special courtesy particles and other vocabulary, mostly from the Khmer language, but also from the Pali
- The monk language with politeness particles and vocabulary that is used in reference to Buddhism and is very influenced by Pali and Sanskrit.
Thai knows different dialects, that is, in many parts of the country will not speak the standard language in daily life. Particularly striking is the in the Northeast ( Isan ), where there is a dialect continuum, that is a transition between Thai and Laotian, which in turn is influenced by numerous local languages and dialects.
- 2.1 Word order
- 2.2 Nouns
- 2.3 verbs
Phonology
Consonants
With the closure sounds in Thai are not only voiced and voiceless distinction as in English, but three different categories:
- Voiceless, not aspirated
- Voiceless, aspirated
- Voiced ( not aspirated )
The following table lists the pronunciation of Anlautkonsonanten in IPA is given in the first row, including the corresponding letter of the Thai alphabet. Some sounds are written several letters.
* The Glottisverschlusslaut is always after a short vowel at the end of a syllable, when no other consonant is available, as well as mute อ before a vowel.
One common deviation from the standard pronunciation is that / r / is pronounced as [ l].
Vowels
In the following table are given the vowels of the Thai. In the first line of each vowel in phonetic transcription, including the vowel in the Thai alphabet, with a dash (-) represents a Anlautkonsonanten. A second line means that a Auslautkonsonant must follow.
Each vowel can be long or short, and this feature is important distinctive. In many romanization systems, this is not observed, for example เขา [k ʰ ǎw ] " he / she " means ขาว [k ʰ ǎ ː w ] means "white."
There are also several diphthongs:
There are three triphthongs, all long:
Tones
In Thai, there are five shades: medium ( a), deep (à ), high ( á), rising ( ǎ ) and falling ( â ). In Scripture they are by the combination of consonant initial sound ( the one of three sound categories heard) vowel length, Auslautkonsonant and optionally expressed an additional audio tone. The exact rules are shown in the following table, the resulting tone in the debate is always a colored background:
The letters ห (high) and sometimes อ (medium ) consonants are preceded by the low category as silent letters to represent the correct tone. In polysyllabic words makes a consonant of the high - category without vowel signs also from the Anlautkonsonanten the following syllable a consonant the high category.
In colloquial usage, some exceptions have been established, it would be particularly the pronoun [ ʨ ʰ án ] - ฉัน ( " I " ) and [ k ʰ aw ] - เขา ( "he", "she ") are stated, both of which are pronounced in the high tone instead of the rising sound, as it should be according to the rules of the event. However, the modified speech is partly already input in the spelling of the terms concerned.
Grammar
In contrast to the writing and pronunciation rules, the basic grammar of Thai in a very low complexity. Thai is an isolating language, that is, there are no inflections (word changes ), ie conjugation, declension. There are also no articles. Complex than in the western languages , the systems of measure words (see below ) and the forms of address ( personal pronouns and title).
Word order
Rates are even stricter than in English in the sequence formed subject-predicate - object.
Nouns
It can by adding [ ka ː n] - การ or [k ʰ wa ː m] - ความ be formed from many verbs and adjectives nouns.
Example:
- [ ka ː n] การ verb [ dɤ ː t ʰ a ː n ŋ ] เดินทาง - travel
- [ ka ː n ː s t ʰ dɤ a ː ŋ ] การ เดินทาง - the journey
- [t ʰ a ː on hǎ ː n] ทำ อาหาร - cook
- [ ka ː n t ʰ am a ː hǎ ː n] การ ทำ อาหาร - Cooking
- [ rew ] เร็ว - suddenly, quickly
- [k ʰ wa ː m rew ] ความเร็ว - the speed
- [ ʨiŋ ] จริง - true
- [k ʰ wa ː m ʨiŋ ] ความ จริง - the truth
When counting nouns occur between particles numeral and noun, the measure words or classifiers so-called. There are about thirty such particles which are applied depending on the base word. A few examples:
[k ʰ on] คน measure word for people ( at the same time it means but also the word "man" itself):
- [k ʰ on] คน = man
- [k ʰ ː ŋ k ʰ on sɔ on] คน สอง คน = people = two people two people
- [ DEK jǐŋ SIP k ʰ on] เด็กหญิง สิบ คน = Children Female 10 people = 10 girls
[ tu ː a] ตัว measure word for animals, clothing, furniture:
- [ má ː la ː j HOK tu ː a] ม้าลาย หก ตัว = zebras six animals = six zebras
- [ ka ː ː ŋ NKE sǎ ː tu ː m a] กางเกง สาม ตัว = pants three pieces of clothing = three pants
[ lam ] ลำ measure word for long, tubular articles:
- [k ʰ rɯ ː ː ŋ into bin sɔ lam ] เครื่องบิน สอง ลำ = aircraft two tubes = two aircraft
For a complete list see List of Thai - measure words
Verbs
Tenses be inferred from the context or indicated by particles (eg [ raw paj ] เรา ไป = we go [ raw ʨàʔ paj ] เรา จะ ไป = we will go [ raw kamlaŋ paj ] เรา กำลัง ไป = we are going, [ raw paj lɛ ː w] เรา ไป แล้ว = we have already gone ).
As in the German characterizing a basic form of a verb with the help of adverbs is common:
- [ paj ] ไป = go
- [ ʔɔ ː k paj ] ออก ไป = go
- [ bâ ː n paj ] ไป บ้าน = go home
- [ pai nɔ ː k] = ไป นอก out
Linguistic geography
Thai is the official language of Thailand, is the language code or th tha ( ISO 639). There are regional dialects spoken in Northern Thailand Lanna (also Kham Mueang ), the spread in the northeast Isan and the Dambro used in Southern Thailand. There are also many mixed languages , such as the Yawi, which is spoken in the extreme southern Thailand and northern Malaysia.
With the Thai closely related languages , such as the southwestern Tai Languages , Yunnan (China ) and in northern and eastern Myanmar are spoken in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, North, North West Vietnam.
See also: Tai - Kadai languages