December 13 2003

Thai: An essential grammar

Learning Thai from bar girls is jolly good fun but, if you end up talking like a hillbilly hooker, other Thais won't be too impressed. Chatting up a respectable girl with the Thai equivalent of "You girl good heart. Where you stay? Sleep alone no good!" will get you precisely nowhere. It's time to jettison the slang and take some grammar lessons.

Very few books teach Thai beyond beginner level. Thai: An essential grammar by David Smyth is, so far, the only decent one that I've found. It's also concise and user-friendly. Despite its lofty academic credentials, the book is straightforward and jargon-free. The correct use of grammar is demonstrated through numerous examples. Guidance on pronunciation, speech conventions and the Thai writing system is also included.

I'm a big fan of David Smyth. One of the world's top Thai language experts, he teaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. I've already reviewed his basic Thai course - Teach yourself Thai: A complete course for beginners. He is also the co-author of the excellent Linguaphone Thai course.

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Details

Thai - An essential grammar
Author: David Smyth
Publisher: Routledge
Price: B975 (Asia Books)
ISBN: 0-415-22614-7

[Posted to Books by David]

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Readers' comments

sven svingsk says:

Sensible posting. What you colonial people call the 'OVERCOMPENMSATING'. YOU STILL DEAD BOY.

December 14, 2003 3:25 AM

bongo pete says:

Oh gosh suys, give the poor little fag a beakola will ya?
he neds time toi find teh flower oif his gayness and to come oiut to his family, you'll see - all his hatred of women will then fade

December 16, 2003 1:19 PM

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