Khun_Kong Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 English language quantifiers suck, too. How many of us know what groups of gorilla, geese, turtles, rabbits, lemmings, etc. are called? They sometimes use quantifiers at Quiz Night, too. Makes one scratch one's head and say, "Aren't they called...?" What is our equivalent of "an"? A "bunch" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pom Michael Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 KK, You mean these? Please have them memorized before the next quiz! Animal Name Collective Noun Ant A colony Antelope A herd Ape A shrewdness Ass / donkey A pace or herd Baboons A troop Bacteria A culture Badger A cete Bass A shoal Bats A colony Bear A sleuth or sloth Beaver A colony Bee A swarm, grist or hive Bird A flock, flight, congregation or volery Boar A sounder Buck A brace or clash Buffalo A herd or obstinacy Camel A flock Cat A clowder or clutter Caterpillar An army Cattle A herd or drove Chicken A brood or peep Chicks A clutch or chattering Clam A bed Cockroaches An intrusion Cobra A quiver Colt A rag Cow A kine Coyote A band Crane A sedge or siege Crocodile A float Crow A murder Cub A litter Cur A cowardice Curlew A herd Deer A herd Dog A pack Donkey A herd or pace Dove A dule Dragon A weyr Duck A brace, paddling or team Elephant A herd Elk A gang Emus A mob Falcons A cast Ferret A business or fesnyng or cast Finches A charm Fish A school, shoal, run, haul, or catch Fly A swarm or business Fox A skulk or leash Frog An army or colony Geese A flock, gaggle or skein (in flight) Giraffe A tower Gnat A cloud or horde Gnu An implausibilty or herd Goat A herd, tribe or trip Goldfinch A charm Goldfish A troubling Gorilla A band Greyhound A leash Grouse A covey or pack Hare A down or husk Hawk A cast or kettle Hen A brood Heron A hedge or sedge Hippopotamus A bloat Hog A drift, or parcel Horse A team, pair or harras Hound A pack, mute or cry Jellyfish A smack Kangaroo A troop or mob Kitten A kindle or litter Lark An ascension or exaultation Leopard A leap Lion A pride Locust A plague Magpie A tiding, gulp, charm or murder Mallard A sord Mare A stud Marten A richness Mouse A mischief Mole A labour Monkey A troop Mule A barren or span Otter A romp Owls A parliament Oxen A yoke, drove, team or herd Oyster A bed Parrot A company Partridge A covey Peacock A muster or ostentation or pride Peep A litter Penguin A parcel or huddles or colonies Pheasant A nest, nide (nye) or bouquet Pig A litter Pigeon A flock or flight Pony A string Porpoise A pod Quail A covey or bevy Rabbit A nest Rat A pack or swarm Rattlesnake A rhumba Raven An unkindness or storytelling Rhino A crash or herd Roebuck A bevy Rook A building or clamour Sardines A family Seal A herd or pod Sheep A drove or flock Snake A nest Sparrow A host Squirrel A dray or scurry Starling A murmuration Stork A mustering Swallow A flight Swan A bevy, herd, lamentation or wedge Swift A flock Swine A sounder or drift Tiger A swift or ambush Toad A knot Trout A hover Turkey A rafter Turtle A bale Turtledove A pitying or dule Viper A nest Walrus A pod Whale A school, gam or pod Wolf A pack or route Woodpecker A descent Zebra A herd, zeal, dazzle, or crossing (joke) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaimaisabai Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 MadMax said:My strategy up to this point has been to simply ignore the issue, but I am beginning to hear that it just sounds wrong ............... Hi max, It will sound wrong and you need to get used to using the correct construction. The easy answer, as someone else has suggested is to use "an", the default classifier. You will gradually pick up other more common ones. As Jasmine indicates, I would be surprised if many Thai people themselves really have instant recall of all the classifiers and use the correct one 100% of the time. Khwai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 10, 2004 Report Share Posted December 10, 2004 Hi MadMax, As long as you put the numeral after the noun, you are likely to be understood, even if you leave out the classifier/counter/quantifier. I guess you have heard yourself how thai people occasionally drop the classifiers themselves in situations where they are busy in say restaurants: Coke Sorng, khao phat saam etc. If you memorize a dozen or so of the most common classifiers and their use, you will do fine in most situations. And for the rest throw in the "Ahn" classifier as suggested by a number of other posters or leave it out alltogether. And don`t miss the opportunity to ask the person you are having an conversation with, what is actually the correct classifier for the thing in question. You will most likely never forget that one again as you will recall the sitiation where you learnt it. Beats rote learning by a mile IMO By the way, if you feel that learning to use the correct classifiers is the most difficult aspect of learning thai, I envy you Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Hua Nguu said:And don`t miss the opportunity to ask the person you are having an conversation with, what is actually the correct classifier for the thing in question. You will most likely never forget that one again as you will recall the sitiation where you learnt it. Beats rote learning by a mile IMO How would you ask such question in Thai? Let's assume I asked the maid for two towels. How do I ask her what the classifier for towel is? Hua Nguu said:By the way, if you feel that learning to use the correct classifiers is the most difficult aspect of learning thai, I envy you I'm afraid you envy my ignorance! What do you think is the most difficult aspect of learning Thai? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Hi MadMax, The grammatical term for quantifier is Lak-sa-na-naam, but I wouldn`t put too much trust in that you will be understood, as many thai people are not particularly well acquainted with grammatical expressions. Cannot blame them, neither am I Don`t know a more common expression and just asked the missus, she doesn`t know one either. Most difficult aspect IMO, definitely the spelling! So many loan words with irregular spellings and so many consonants - particularly the P, K and T`s. :: When I encounter a new word, I am never really sure I get the spelling right, although I am familiar with the tone rules. cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Hey- could somebody post a couple of classifiers in Thai script, so I can tell GF what I'm talking about. Lak-sa-na-naam, with my hoary tones, just makes her talk about "something water" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasmine Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 [color:"red"] Lak-sa-na-naam [/color] Not all Thais know such word Ask 10 Thais, may be you will get 1 who knows what that is. Jasmine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Found it, I think. Apparently, I was saying, "naam" instead of "naam". I's gonna be a long, hard road, this language! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 It's "ÅѡɳùÒÃ" in Thai. There is special one for elephants only: â¢Å§ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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