Language/Thai/Pronunciation/LOW,-MIDDLE-AND-HIGH-CLASS-CONSONANTS

LOW, MIDDLE AND HIGH CLASS CONSONANTS – Thai Language

Welcome to this Thai language lesson on Low, Middle, and High Class Consonants! In Thai language, there are three classes of consonants, each with its own tone rules. Understanding these rules is essential for proper pronunciation and communication in Thai. In this lesson, we will explore the different classes of consonants, their associated tones, and some exceptions. We will also cover some difficult consonant clusters and how to properly pronounce them. By the end of this lesson, you will have a better understanding of Thai consonant classes and be able to use them effectively in your communication.

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With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Alphabet and Pronunciation, LOW, MIDDLE AND HIGH CLASS ... & Fonts.

5 tones

In the Thai language, each syllable has its own tone, which can change the meaning of a word. There are five tones in the Thai language, but only four are marked with tone marks. The tone marks are represented by symbols placed above the consonant in the syllable. It is important to know the class of the consonant in order to correctly pronounce the word with the appropriate tone. The five tones in Thai are the high tone, mid tone, low tone, falling tone, and rising tone. The high tone is indicated by a straight line above the consonant, the mid tone is indicated by a curved line above the consonant, the low tone is indicated by a downward curve above the consonant, the falling tone is indicated by a combination of a high tone and a falling tone mark above the consonant, and the rising tone is indicated by a combination of a mid tone and a rising tone mark above the consonant.

Which tones above different consonants

Learning the rules for which tone marks to place on different consonants can be a frustrating task for those learning the Thai language. However, there are some tips that can help simplify the process. # Firstly, any of the four tone marks can be placed on top of middle class consonants. Middle class consonants are those that are not classified as either low or high class.

1. Secondly, only the characters อ [mai ek] and อ [maito] can be placed on top of low class consonants. Low class consonants are those that are pronounced with a low tone.
2. Finally, only the characters อ [mai ek] and อ [maito] can be placed on top of high class consonants. High class consonants are those that are pronounced with a high tone.

By keeping these rules in mind, you can begin to understand which tone marks to place on different consonants and improve your pronunciation in the Thai language.

Exceptions

These three steps should be easy. Now, here comes the tricky part:

• When อ [mai ek] is put on-top low class consonants it will make a อ [mai to] sound, e.g. ไม [mai] meaning “no”. ม [mor maa] is a low class consonant, but with a อ [mai ek] on top, a falling tone อ [maito] comes out.

• When อ [mai to] is put on-top low class consonants it will make a อ [mai dtrii] sound, e.g. มา [maa] meaning “horse”. ม [mor maa] is a low class consonant, but with a อ [maito] on top, a high tone อ [mai dtrii] comes out.

• When อ [mai ek] and อ [mai to] are put on-top high class consonants it makes the sound that it is supposed to make. A high class consonant with no tone symbol will by nature make a อ [jat dtawaa] sound, e.g. เสอ [suea] (tiger).

• When either four of the tones are put on-top middle class consonants it makes the sound that it is supposed to make. With nothing on top, the tone is a middle tone.

• When referring to these sounds, they are called: เสยง [siang] (sound) and then followed by either เอก [ek] โท [to] ตร [dtrii] or วตวา [jat dtawaa], e.g. เสยงเอก [siang -ek].

• NOTE: there are different other rules that mix up the rules I just stated above, it’s called คเปนคตาย [kam bpen kam dtaai] (live or death syllable).

Consonant Class, Vowel Tone & Tone Mark

Please see the following sheet:

Example

Let me give you an example:

ชาต [chaat] (nationality) is ending with a T sound. Then we know that it is a dead syllable. Then we can see from the sheet, that with a short vowel it will be a high tone, but with a long vowel it will be falling. The vowel า is a long A sound which makes the pronunciation sound of ชาต [chaat] falling. Get the picture? ชาต [chaat] starts with a low class consonant and have no tone mark, then it should be a middle tone, but due to it being a dead syllable the tone changes. Don’t pay too much attention to this for a start, soon you will remember the sound of the word, and this sheet won’t be to much use. And for the record, you will have problems with เสยงตร [siang(R) dtrii] for sure.

For these exotic rules we can only thank the founders of the Thai language.

Difficulty with pronouncing บ / ป and ด / ต

I have had so much trouble with these four consonants, just as any foreigner learning Thai. The sound are so similar to our ears, yet so different in Thai ears. บ [bor bai mai] is a clean B sound where ป [bpor bplaa] is more of a harder BP sound. ด [dor dek] is a softer D sound while ต [dtor dtao] sticks the tongue out more to make a harder DT sound. This point is difficult to explain, but it is crucial. You need to face this difficulty your self in order to learn it, but I recommend you doing it straight from the start. I waited one year before paying attention to it. Fix this and you are on the right path to sound like a Thai.

ห

The consonant ห [hor hiip] is a high class consonant that got a special skill; being put in front of a low class consonant, the word will get a เสยงวตวา [siang jat dta waa] (rising tone) e.g. หญง [ying] (girl). So, the ห [hor hiip] makes the word a “high class word”. According to that, if a high class word is a คตาย [kam dtaai] (dead syllable) it is pronounced with a เสยงเอก [siang ek] (low tone), e.g. เหลก [lek] (metal) or หนก [nak] (heavy). Don’t pay too much attention to the live or dead syllable, because you will learn how the different words are spelled and you will remember what tone is linked to it automatically.

ทร consonant cluster

This consonant cluster should make a [tor ror] sound, but it makes it to an ซ [sor] sound instead. why? I haven’t got the slightest clue, but just remember it. E.g. ทราบ [saab] (formal word of to know). Try to run this through the live/dead syllable: The words ends with a b/p sound = makes it a dead syllable. ซ [sor soh] is a low class consonant. The long A vowel (า) tells us that it should be pronounced with a falling tone.

รร consonant cluster

This cluster turns into an AM sound (อม,อ). Forget the [ror ruea] sound and just replace it. Here is a few examples: ธรรมดา [tam ma daa] (normal, ordinary, common), ธรรมชาต [tam ma chaat] (nature), กรรม [gam] (karma), กรรมการ [gam ma gaan] (judge).

Consonants at the end of a word that creates a diferent sound

There are some consonants that doesn’t make the sound you think they will when being the last consonant in the word. Here is a complete list of those:

• ร [ror ruea] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: น [nor nuu] e.g. กรรมการ [gam ma gaan] (judge)
• ล [lor ling] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: น [nor nuu] e.g. นตาล [naam dtaan] (sugar)
• จ [jor jaan] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: ท [tor ta haan] e.g. อนาจ [am naat] (power, authority)
• ช [chor chaang] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: ท [tor ta haan] e.g. ออนนช [On Nut] (name of area in Bangkok)
• ส [sor suea] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: 24 ท [tor ta haan] e.g. รส [rot] (flavor)
• ษ [sor rue-sii] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: ท [tor ta haan] e.g. การเกษตร [gaan gaset] (agriculture), NB. the ต and ร are silent in this word.
• ศ [sor saa laa] at the end of a word need to be pronounced as: ท [tor ta haan] e.g. ประเทศ [bprateet] (country)

Table: Class for each Consonant

Sources

https://www.thaiguide.dk/download/Straight-To-The-Point-Emil-Vohlert.pdf

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• Alphabet and Pronunciation