My Thai word for this week is พิจารณา, meaning "to consider".
Thai2English.com entry for พิจารณา
VOA sound clip of a sentence using พิจารณา
Transcript of VOA clip
Original complete story on VOA, with transcript and MP3
Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
ตัดสิน, meaning "to decide"
เท่าใด, meaning "however much"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
No Thai Word This Week
Last week's "word of the week" mp3 was unusually long, and more words were unknown to me than usual. Consequently, I haven't had a chance to assimilate the clip at more than a superficial level. Rather than introducing something new, I'm continuing with last week's clip.
I'm finding systematic study of a news clip to be a pretty good way to build vocabulary. Most of the vocabulary is repeated and reinforced in different contexts as I listen to the daily news.
I'm finding systematic study of a news clip to be a pretty good way to build vocabulary. Most of the vocabulary is repeated and reinforced in different contexts as I listen to the daily news.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Thai Word of the Week: Expert
My Thai word for this week is ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ, meaning "expert".
Thai2English.com entry for เชี่ยวชาญ
Thai-language.com entry for ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ
VOA sound clip using ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ
Transcript of VOA clip
Original complete story on VOA, with transcript and mp3
Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
ด้าน, meaning "field (of study)"
กฎหมาย, meaning "law"
หอสมุด, meaning "library"
แถลง, meaning "to express"
คณะ, meaning "group"
อนุกรรมการ (อะ-นุ-กัม-การ-), meaning "subcommittee"
วุฒิสภา, meaning "senate"
ทัศนะ, meaning "point of view"
ทั่วไป, meaning "general"
แสวงหา (สะ-แหวง-หา-), meaning "to seek"
เกียรติยศ (เกียต-ยศ-), meaning "prestige"
ความรุ่งโรจน์ (ความ-รุ่ง-โรจ-), meaning "glory"
เข้าสู่, meaning "to enter"
ความสูญเสีย, meaning "waste"
การคลัง, meaning "finance"
ชาติ (ชาต-), meaning "nation"
จึง, meaning "therefore"
ป้องกัน, meaning "to defend"
โจม, meaning "to pounce"
อย่างกะทันหัน, meaning "immediately"
ตั้ง, meaning "to start"
ข้อสังเกต, meaning "remark"
ความคลุมเครือ, meaning "ambiguity"
ยาม, meaning "time"
ควร, meaning "should"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Thai characters don't render correctly? Click here...
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Thai2English.com entry for เชี่ยวชาญ
Thai-language.com entry for ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ
VOA sound clip using ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ
Transcript of VOA clip
Original complete story on VOA, with transcript and mp3
Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
ด้าน, meaning "field (of study)"
กฎหมาย, meaning "law"
หอสมุด, meaning "library"
แถลง, meaning "to express"
คณะ, meaning "group"
อนุกรรมการ (อะ-นุ-กัม-การ-), meaning "subcommittee"
วุฒิสภา, meaning "senate"
ทัศนะ, meaning "point of view"
ทั่วไป, meaning "general"
แสวงหา (สะ-แหวง-หา-), meaning "to seek"
เกียรติยศ (เกียต-ยศ-), meaning "prestige"
ความรุ่งโรจน์ (ความ-รุ่ง-โรจ-), meaning "glory"
เข้าสู่, meaning "to enter"
ความสูญเสีย, meaning "waste"
การคลัง, meaning "finance"
ชาติ (ชาต-), meaning "nation"
จึง, meaning "therefore"
ป้องกัน, meaning "to defend"
โจม, meaning "to pounce"
อย่างกะทันหัน, meaning "immediately"
ตั้ง, meaning "to start"
ข้อสังเกต, meaning "remark"
ความคลุมเครือ, meaning "ambiguity"
ยาม, meaning "time"
ควร, meaning "should"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Thai characters don't render correctly? Click here...
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Thai Word of the Week: Historian
My Thai word for this week is นักประวัติศาสตร์ (นัก-ประ-หวัด-ติ-สาด-), meaning "historian".
Thai2English.com entry for นักประวัติศาสตร์
Thai-Language.com entry for ประวัติศาสตร์
VOA sound clip of a sentence using นักประวัติศาสตร์
Transcript of VOA clip
Original story on VOA, with transcript and mp3
The clip paraphrases a historian, who says that the framers of the U.S. constitution intended to assign most of the authority in matters of war to the congress. Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
บรรดา (บัน-ดา-), meaning "totality"
ก่อ, meaning "to construct"
ร่าง, meaning "draft"
สร้าง, meaning "to create"
รู้เท่า, meaning "to be perceptive"
การณ์, meaning "event"
แน่ชัด, meaning "obvious"
มอบอำนาจ, meaning "to authorize"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Thai characters don't render correctly? Click here...
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Thai2English.com entry for นักประวัติศาสตร์
Thai-Language.com entry for ประวัติศาสตร์
VOA sound clip of a sentence using นักประวัติศาสตร์
Transcript of VOA clip
Original story on VOA, with transcript and mp3
The clip paraphrases a historian, who says that the framers of the U.S. constitution intended to assign most of the authority in matters of war to the congress. Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
บรรดา (บัน-ดา-), meaning "totality"
ก่อ, meaning "to construct"
ร่าง, meaning "draft"
สร้าง, meaning "to create"
รู้เท่า, meaning "to be perceptive"
การณ์, meaning "event"
แน่ชัด, meaning "obvious"
มอบอำนาจ, meaning "to authorize"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Thai characters don't render correctly? Click here...
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Thai Word of the Week: Signal
My Thai word for this week is ส่งสัญญาณ (ส่ง-สัน-ยาน-), meaning "to signal". Component words are ส่ง, meaning "to send" and สัญญาณ (สัน-ยาน-), meaning "signal".
Thai2English.com entry for ส่งสัญญาณ
Thai-Language.com entry for ส่งสัญญาณ
VOA sound clip of a sentence using ส่งสัญญาณ
Transcript of VOA clip
The original story on VOA, with transcript and mp3
The clip discusses the debate in the U.S. congress over restricting funding for President Bush's unpopular "troop surge" proposal. Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
คัดค้าน, meaning "to disagree"
ตัดทอน, meaning "to cut off"
ดังกล่าว, meaning "aforementioned"
สื่อ, meaning "to communicate"
ความหมาย, meaning "meaning".
สู้รบ, meaning "to combat"
เหล่า, the classifier for "group"
ปฏิบัติภารกิจ (ปะ-ติ-บัต-พา-ระ-กิด-), meaning "to do one's duty"
อีกต่อไป, meaning "anymore"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Thai characters don't render correctly? Click here.
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Thai2English.com entry for ส่งสัญญาณ
Thai-Language.com entry for ส่งสัญญาณ
VOA sound clip of a sentence using ส่งสัญญาณ
Transcript of VOA clip
The original story on VOA, with transcript and mp3
The clip discusses the debate in the U.S. congress over restricting funding for President Bush's unpopular "troop surge" proposal. Note that the transcript can easily be copy-pasted to thai2english.com, obtaining a word-by-word translation.
Other interesting words in this clip are:
คัดค้าน, meaning "to disagree"
ตัดทอน, meaning "to cut off"
ดังกล่าว, meaning "aforementioned"
สื่อ, meaning "to communicate"
ความหมาย, meaning "meaning".
สู้รบ, meaning "to combat"
เหล่า, the classifier for "group"
ปฏิบัติภารกิจ (ปะ-ติ-บัต-พา-ระ-กิด-), meaning "to do one's duty"
อีกต่อไป, meaning "anymore"
Corrections and clarifications are always appreciated.
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Thai characters don't render correctly? Click here.
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Is Translation Harmful?
Steve Kaufmann recently posted some interesting comments about bilingual dictionaries.
I personally use bilingual dictionaries, but I think there are certain pitfalls to avoid. The main problem is precisely that a translation is, as Steve puts it, "only a hint". The meaning does not have an exact translation. This is especially true when languages are very different, like English and Thai.
An example is the Thai word ออก, pronounced something like the first syllable of "awkward". It is usually translated as "out" or "exit", but in some phrases, it clearly has a different meaning. For example, the phrase "to think out" (คิดออก) means "to be able to think", "to solve", or "to recall". There is a similar usage in the English expression "to figure something out", but I suspect the similarity is more coincidental than significant.
Steve's comment, "I will need to see the new word many times before I know it" seems astute. Translation can be used to increase comprehension, but repeated exposure to the word in a comprehensible context is necessary to acquire it.
Students at AUA acquire vocabulary by direct experience, without use of translation. I think this is a great method that completely avoids the pitfalls of translation. However, it requires a live teacher that can gauge understanding and tailor presentations to that level.
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Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
When I use a dictionary it is always a bilingual dictionary. I want to see the meaning in English, or a language that I know well. This creates an immediate link to what I already know. It is only a hint at the meaning of this word. I will need to see the new word many times before I know it. But I need the bilingual dictionary.
For some reason, there are language teachers who insist that bilingual dictionaries are bad and should be avoided...
I personally use bilingual dictionaries, but I think there are certain pitfalls to avoid. The main problem is precisely that a translation is, as Steve puts it, "only a hint". The meaning does not have an exact translation. This is especially true when languages are very different, like English and Thai.
An example is the Thai word ออก, pronounced something like the first syllable of "awkward". It is usually translated as "out" or "exit", but in some phrases, it clearly has a different meaning. For example, the phrase "to think out" (คิดออก) means "to be able to think", "to solve", or "to recall". There is a similar usage in the English expression "to figure something out", but I suspect the similarity is more coincidental than significant.
Steve's comment, "I will need to see the new word many times before I know it" seems astute. Translation can be used to increase comprehension, but repeated exposure to the word in a comprehensible context is necessary to acquire it.
Students at AUA acquire vocabulary by direct experience, without use of translation. I think this is a great method that completely avoids the pitfalls of translation. However, it requires a live teacher that can gauge understanding and tailor presentations to that level.
---
Technorati tags: second language acquisition, thai, thai language
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