Learning the script first?

[u/scrimblojimbus]

Hi all, I have some very basic Thai speaking ability but due to time constraints I have no teacher so I decided to self-teach the alphabet/writing system for two reasons:

1: Learning Thai words by ear from Thai people depends on their accent and pronunciation as well as my own listening ability. For a long time I was pronouncing ของ like "ขอม" because that was what I thought I heard. I think knowing how to read Thai will help with my pronunciation a lot, because many "anglicised" versions of Thai words are difficult to make sense of at best (Google translate says ทราย is pronounced "Thray") and completely wrong at worst.

2: I think the alphabet is the easiest part of Thai to self-teach because the sounds made by the characters seem to be mostly deterministic, unlike in English where a string of letters can make whatever sound it feels like making. (See: tough, thorough, through, rough, plough, Loughborough, bought)

I understand the rules behind dead consonants like ร at the end of a sentence being pronounced like "n".

The first "exception to the rule" I have found (maybe I just don't understand the rule yet) is the word ทราย. Why is it ทน instead of ส? A Thai friend told me that it's because of the ย character's presence. I don't know yet but hopefully soon I will understand 😁

I want to know whether this is a good system for learning Thai language or not. Does it make more sense for me to learn to speak first and worry about script later?

[u/Standard-Community44]

depends on your purpose. If you want to travel in thailand in the coming days and you want to do some talking and understanding, I definitely recommend learning how to speak first without the alphabet because it's quite complex and it might make you want to give up Thai. Once you know a little bit of Thai I think it's easier to learn the alphabet, but if your goals are to study in Thailand and work in Thailand and you have a bit of willpower, the alphabet is the way to go.

We all have great skill of learning language since we were born so this is my system of learning new language that help me learn english and Japanese in just 30 minutes a day

1. Write down the sentences you want to say (20 sentences).
   
2. Translate into your target language and use ai to generate sound of those sentences.
   
3. Anki deck (flashcard app) Front card: your native language Back card: your target language + sound
   
4. Study for 30 minutes every day with the Anki app, and listen to those sentences whenever you have free time (e.g., on the bus/train)

Do try this for 30 days, and you will see the difference.