Zhuang Dialect and Thai....

[samak]

i am actually surprised that nobody tried to elaborate the differencies between central thai and northern thai dialect for the given words.

i have no detail knowledge of the northern thai, but i assume that only for 2 words on your list there are differences:

Chan raak khun---I love you

a northern thai would say: ai hak nong or nong hak ai

sabai dee reu kha?---how are you

a northern thai would say: sabai dee mai djao?

 

for wannee and yooteenai i thought northern is the same (isaarn would be different: muenee and yoosay); the names for the animals or food should be the same either

 

any board member with detailed knowledge of northern thai dialect (and i mean real northern dialect, not from pitsanulok etc.)

[Crash999]

In 'pasaa nua':

 

Chan raak khun---I love you = Chan hak ter

Wan nee----today = Wan ni(h)

yoo tee nai---where is ... = yoo DTee nai

ow---I want; mai ow----I don't want = ow® kor(f) wa(l) bor ow® (like do you want it or not?)

sabai dee reu kha?---how are you = sabai dee bor?

Gai---chicken = gai(h)

moo---pork = moo® (same)

ped---duck = ped®

pla---fish = pla®

poo---crab = poo®

sweet---won....[/i] = wan ® (same)

 

I'm using my talking (and walking) Northern dictionary for this one. It looks like many of the words are the same as central Thai but the tones change. I'm not good with using the tone marks in English transliteration so my marks might be a bit off. I had thought 'sabai dee bor' was Laos/Isaan but I'm told it's similar but not true. Then I asked if it was similar to Khymer and got glared at. Ok, so it's not similar to Khymer....

 

Some examples of phrases that would be very different would be:

Tham arai yuu?---What are you doing? = Ya a nyang® yuu?

Pbai tiow---Go have fun = Pbai aew

 

See if your girlfriend can understand those.

 

Cheers!

[jasmine]

Hi,

 

[color:"red"] yoo tee nai---where is ... = yoo DTee nai

[/color]

 

I grew up in the North and still speak the Northern languaue (with BKK accent). where = "Dai" not "nai" unless the speakers are BKK people trying to speak the Northern dilaect.

 

[color:"red"] Gai---chicken = gai(h)

moo---pork = moo® (same)

ped---duck = ped®

pla---fish = pla®

poo---crab = poo®

sweet---won.... = wan ® (same)

[/color]

 

I agree that the Northern dialect and BKK use just about the same words but the toes are slightly differrent or is it my ear?

 

I am impressed with your knowledge, keep up the good work. :hug:

 

Jasmine

[gobbledonk]

Thanks, Crash - I'll fire this lot off to her immediately !

[luckyfarang]

<<Tham arai yuu?---What are you doing? = Ya a nyang® yuu?>>

 

I'm no authority on Northern dialect, but my memory says it's:

 

Nya(h) a yang® yoo? with a very short abbreviated tone on the first word.

 

proong nee(f) = wan pook(f) in Northern

 

klap(l) baan(f) = prik baan(f)

 

mai(f) roo(h) = ba(l) hoo(f)

 

Many words are the same in Isaan and Northern, for instance:

 

Mai(f) pen rai = ba(l) pen yang® in both.

 

Northern is so hard to learn because there are no books on it to speak of and they have their own totally different word for each fruit, vegetable and animal.

 

Some are similar though:

 

ma-prao(h) = ma-pao(h)

 

som-oh(h) = ba-oh(h)

 

[gobbledonk]

LF,

 

Can I assume that people from Southern Thailand have difficulty understanding the Northern dialect, or is it simply the case that everyone who grows up there learns enough to get by (ala the Swiss and their ability to speak several languages) ?

[samak]

ooh jang ka djao?

this is turning into a northern dialect thread.

[luckyfarang]

I know from experience that Bangkok Thais are totally baffled in the Chiangmai night bazaar. I didn't feel so bad when I saw them totally puzzled trying to understand Northern.

 

When I took a Northern girl to Laos, she was totally at home and instantly fluent in Luang Prabang. The local dialect in northern Laos is nearly identical to northern Thai, whereas the southern and central Lao, I believe, is more similar to Isaan dialect.

[jasmine]

[color:"red"] BTW, Jas, do you feel that living in the West has made you more egalitarian ? For example, do you relate to people like waitresses in Thai restaurants in the US as equals, or treat them as 'servants' ?[/color]

 

A little stray off the subject here but I will give you a short answer. I was not brought up to treat any one as inferior. I think living in the West makes me more aware of equality but my basic up-bringing is the one that instilled in me on treating people right.

 

Most of my friends treat people ok also even though they come from rich families.

 

The ones who I have seen act so darn superior are the ones who just came into money and have inferior complex themselves. You have got to meet my cousin who has been in the States and is working in a factory making $8.00/hr. when she goes to Thailand!!!!

 

Jasmine

[gobbledonk]

Thanks, Jas - couldnt quite picture you any other way, but its reassuring to know that years in the West havent given you 'airs and graces'

 

BTW, I detect a distinct 'pecking order' in many of the Thai restaurants I have been to here in Oz, and it almost always places female employees at the bottom. The sole exception is a chain of restaurants in Brissie which are run by a woman - she only has to give the waiters a single look and the level of service moves up a notch. It has paid off - she has a wall filled with awards for both the quality of the food and her business acumen.