It's become normal, habitual, to use the word kha countless times a day. Khá on the end of a question - คะ with a high tone and khâ, as in 'yes' - ค่ะ, with a falling tone. Note the short vowel! The fact that we have a low tone transliterated kha in our school book adds another now dismissed dimension to my confusion...even though I hear it regularly, I can't find it written anywhere else.
When I'm greeted by the ladies at our hotel, or anywhere for that matter, with a sawadii kha (hello), more often than not the khâ becomes a drawn out khaaâaaa. I try not to question it too much, but it does kind of bother me, because khâa, with a long vowel, means: value, fee, price, citizen or to murder, kill or slaughter!
I'm pretty sure the girls at reception don't have it in for me ;)
I've asked the question 'why, why, why?' a few times, but never get a clear response.
It was suggested to me that sarcasm was the reason for this exaggerated, long voweled response. A notion which I quickly threw out the window...because the bloke who suggested it said 'My girlfriend takes that tone with me all the time'...I'm not surprised. Oi! Thai is a tonal language...change the tone, change the meaning.
Reassuring advice came to me recently, from a lovely khon Thai lady. The long khâa (not verbatim, but close enough) "is said with warmth and affection. If a Thai doesn't like you, they'll just ignore you." In short, just embrace it...so I am.
Anyone studying Thai is completely, painfully aware of the five tones: mid, high, low, rising and falling. Now that we're off to Vietnam in a few weeks, I've re-armed myself with a VN phrase book...I knew that Vietnamese was also a tonal language, but get a load of this!
Cheers! สเมป See what else we're up to at Cooee!
When I'm greeted by the ladies at our hotel, or anywhere for that matter, with a sawadii kha (hello), more often than not the khâ becomes a drawn out khaaâaaa. I try not to question it too much, but it does kind of bother me, because khâa, with a long vowel, means: value, fee, price, citizen or to murder, kill or slaughter!
I'm pretty sure the girls at reception don't have it in for me ;)
I've asked the question 'why, why, why?' a few times, but never get a clear response.
It was suggested to me that sarcasm was the reason for this exaggerated, long voweled response. A notion which I quickly threw out the window...because the bloke who suggested it said 'My girlfriend takes that tone with me all the time'...I'm not surprised. Oi! Thai is a tonal language...change the tone, change the meaning.
Reassuring advice came to me recently, from a lovely khon Thai lady. The long khâa (not verbatim, but close enough) "is said with warmth and affection. If a Thai doesn't like you, they'll just ignore you." In short, just embrace it...so I am.
Anyone studying Thai is completely, painfully aware of the five tones: mid, high, low, rising and falling. Now that we're off to Vietnam in a few weeks, I've re-armed myself with a VN phrase book...I knew that Vietnamese was also a tonal language, but get a load of this!
Mid, high rising, low falling (often breathy?), low falling constricted (short length), mid dipping-rising and last but not least, high breaking-rising. COME ON! GIVE ME A BREAK.
I'm thinking...phrase book + finger = pointing and smiling... a lot!
Cheers! สเมป See what else we're up to at Cooee!
