Page:Adapting and Writing Language Lessons.pdf/268

Rh {|
 * and
 * kaantàtsŷa|| ||tailoring
 * kaan sùup burìi|| ||smoking cigarettes
 * kaan wîn||running
 * kwaam rúu||knowledge
 * kwaam khawrópthoŋ||respect for the flag
 * }
 * kwaam rúu||knowledge
 * kwaam khawrópthoŋ||respect for the flag
 * }
 * kwaam khawrópthoŋ||respect for the flag
 * }
 * }

36. We have just seen why English speakers may have difficulty keeping track of noun expressions in Thai. Verb expressions may also create bewilderment because of (1) the lack of connectors, and (2) the number of verbs that may be stacked next to each other.

take gentle stuff back enter go keep further

'Gently stuff it back in some more.'

III. Problems of Vocabulary

37. Except for a few borrowings (which may be unrecognizable with Thai pronunciation) Thai words sound entirely different from their English equivalents. They not only sound different from English words, they frequently resemble each other in ways that make it difficult for the English speaker to distinguish them. For example, these three words differ only in tone: