Say Ahh

Now that you know the first 7 consonants as a group, it is time to start connecting them to their sounds.

We are going to begin with the long AHHH vowel. In Thai, vowels attach to a consonant, so we will use the CHICKEN to see how that works.

The CHICKEN may sound a little like a "G" at first, but it is better to think of it as a "K" without the strong blast of air you hear in English. Say the following words out loud and hold your hand in front of your mouth so you can feel that blast of air:

• KILL
• KYLIE
• CANE
• CORN

The first vowel looks like a cane and sounds like a long AHHHHH.

Imagine that you are holding a giant candy cane and you are trying to fit it all into your mouth at once. You need to open your mouth pretty wide to get it in there (and to say this vowel sound correctly).

Listen to what the CHICKEN sounds like when you attach that AHHH Vowel to it: Click the word to hear the sound as many times as you need to and remember you can always come back to this page later to review.

There are 3 things you want to pay attention to:

1. Vowel Length: Hold the AHHH sound a little longer.
2. CHICKEN Has No Blast of Air: It is not the same as the English "K" with a strong blast of air.
3. Vowel Position: This vowel piece sits on the right side of the consonant.

The syllable you just heard also shows up at the beginning of the Thai word for "coffee."

If you need to review the keyword associations, go back over the previous lessons before moving on. They will make the sound work much easier.

Let's attach the AHHH vowel to the LEAF, CHICKEN and CHILD. Click around with these 3 letters + the AHHH vowel until you are comfortable and then move on.

We'll be doing the same with the other 4 letters, but they each require a bit of explanation:

The PLATE consonant is a "CH" sound without the blast of air.

Listen to this syllable a few times, then try to repeat it while holding your hand in front of your mouth. You should not feel a strong blast of air.

The FISH makes a "P" sound, but it has no blast of air when you say it.

So it is not the "p" in "party." This may feel a little strange at first, but you can learn it with a bit of practice.

Try saying the following words slowly with your hand very close to your mouth. Pay attention to the "P" in the second syllable.

• HIPPO (HIP-PO)
• PEPPER (PEP-PER)
• PIPER (PIE-PER)

Now listen to the FISH with a few other vowels. Do not worry about the new vowel shapes yet. Just listen for that FISH sound and try to copy it.

Next up is the mighty TURTLE. Don't stress about the new vowels Just listen to the TURTLE do his thing.

To say the TURTLE correctly, you'll need to push the tip of your tongue to just behind your top teeth. Put a bit of pressure on, then bounce off into the vowel. If your tongue is too far back and not touching your teeth, you'll be saying a different letter. Try to imagine push a tiny turtle who has attached itself to the back of your top teeth.

Finally, we have the BASIN. The BASIN is special. It has no sound value when it's a consonant. Remember how we said that vowels always attach themselves to a consonant? Well, when you actually want to say a sound like AHHH or EEEE or OHHHH, you will need to use the basin. The basin acts as a special place holder to hold the vowel together and let us know that it has its own syllable.

Here's the BASIN with the AHHH vowel:

Now you should be able to associate the English word with the corresponding Thai letter and have begun to connect those to the sounds of the consonants. Spend as much time drilling these as you need and then come back and do it again later today and/or tomorrow. It may take 2 or 3 rounds to get them all in your head.