Understanding Tone

Thai is the most beautiful of languages because of the use of tone. Fortunately, the system was designed using a defined set of rules and spending time with it will certainly enrich the experience.

To understand the system:
1. Know the Class of the Consonants (High, Middle, and Low).
2. Be able to recognize the Type of the Vowel (Long Short).
3. Then, recognize the type of the Final Consonant (Hard or Soft).
4. Know the four tone marks. --- There are 3586 syllables which make up the 11,000 vocabulary words and 2900 phrases in the course. This organization of syllable sounds into grammatical structure is a pattern which makes Thai extraordinary. Each of the syllables has a tone.
27% of these syllables have Tone Marks.


 


517 syllables with Mai Ehk


402 syllables with Mai Toh

32 syllables with Mai Dtree Always High Tone.
Only occurs in syllables with an initial Middle Class Consonant.



14 syllables with Mai Jah Dtah Wah - Always Rising Tone
Only occurs in syllables with an initial Middle Class Consonant.

5. Mai Ehk -
Initial Consonant: High Class
the Tone will always be Low.

Initial Consonant Middle Class
the Tone will always be Low.

Initial Consonant Low Class
the Tone will always be Falling.
** In these examples, the vowel precedes the initial consonant sound.

6. Mai Toh -
Initial Consonant High Class -
the Tone will always be Falling.

Initial Consonant Middle Class
the Tone will always be Falling.

Initial Consonant Low Class
the Tone will always be High.


7. Mai Dtree - will always be High tone, and can only occur with Middle Class consonants.

8. Mai Jah Dtah Wah - will always be a Rising Tone and can only occur with Middle Class Consonants

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** Remember Rules 5 and 6 and you will recognize the
Tone in a quarter of the syllables in the course.
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--- Here's where it gets a bit confusing... With No Tone Mark , the next step is to determine the presence (or absence) of a final consonant sound.
Of 3586 syllables:
956 of them (27%) - end with a Final Hard Sound- ( B/D, D/T, G/K)
1028of them (29%) - end with a Final Soft Sound - (Ng, N, M, Y, W)
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9. Hard final sound ( B/D, D/T, G/K) Initial Consonant -High Class
the Tone will always be Low.

Initial Consonant - Middle Class
the Tone will always be Low.

Initial Consonant - Low Class
With a Short Vowel - the Tone is High.

With a Long Vowel - the Tone is Falling

10. Soft Final sound (Ng N M Y W)
Initial Consonant High Class
the Tone will always be Rising.


Initial Consonant Middle Class
the Tone will always be Level.


Initial Consonant Low Class
the Tone will always be Level.


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** Remembering Rules 5, 6, 9, and 10 and you will recognize the
Tone in 82% of the syllable sounds in the Course.
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Syllables with -- No Tone Marks
and No Final Sound. (>15%)

Initial Consonant High Class + Short Vowel - Low Tone

Initial Consonant High Class + Long Vowel - Rising Tone

Initial Consonant Middle Class + Short Vowel - Low Tone

Initial Consonant Middle Class + Long Vowel - Level Tone

Initial Consonan: Low Class + Short Vowel - High Tone

Initial Consonant Low Class + Long Vowel - Level Tone

 


Things to keep in mind:
1. Thai Tone rules apply only to syllables.
2. A word can have many syllables, and therefore many tones.
3. It isn't always necessary to correctly pronounce a syllable's tone.
4. Tones in conversation are often indistinguishable. In some words, however, the proper use of tone can save you misunderstanding.
5. Remember that not all syllables will have a Tone Mark. And that it is possible to have various tones depending upon the absence or presence of any of the other three factors in determining tone.
6. Tone marks are written above the right side of the initial consonant of a syllable. If a consonant cluster begins a syllable, the tone mark is placed above the right side of the second consonant. If there is also a vowel in the same spot, the tone mark is placed above the vowel.
7. There are syllables which occur as a single consonant. If the consonant is High Class or Middle Class and the initial consonant of the following syllable is Low Class, this syllable will take the Tone Rule characteristics of the syllable preceding it.