Thai

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Here we illustrate the tonal contrasts of Thai as well as the multiple voicing contrasts.

Tone in Thai

Thai shows alternative designations for the same tones (arranged on the same line), and alternative transcription methods.

Examples from IPA Illustrations

Tone Description
high	kʰá ("to engage in trade")
mid	kʰā ("to get stuck")
low	kʰà ("galangal")
rising	kʰǎ ("leg")
falling	kʰâ ("I")

Examples from SoWL

Tone Description	Pitch	Tone Letter
high rising	45	˦˥	na: ("aunt")
mid falling	32	˧˩	na: ("field")
low falling	21	˨˩	na: ("a nickname")
low falling rising	215	˨˩˦	na: ("thick")
high falling	51	˥˩	na: ("face")

3-way contrasts of voicing

Thai has voiced, voiceless unaspirated, and voiceless aspirated categories. The voiced category shows a slightly creaky phonation during at least part of the closure phase which is termed "stiff voice" (Ladefoged & Maddieson, 2008, p. 56). Thai also contrasts voiceless unaspirated and aspirated sounds at the velar and postalveolar places of articulation. It is thus a good example of the phenomenon that if a voiced stop is missing from the system, then it is usually the velar one (Ohala 1983).

Examples from IPA Illustrations

Tone marks: /ā/ = mid; /â/ = falling; /à/ = low.


	bāːn ("to bloom")	dâːn ("calloused")
	pāːn ("birthmark")	tāːn ("sugar palm")
	pʰāːn ("belligerent")	tʰāːn ("alms")

Examples from SoWL


	bâː ("crazy")	dàː ("to curse")
	pâː ("aunt")	taː ("eye")
	pʰâː ("cloth")	tʰâː ("landing place")

Audio Source:
Illustrations of the IPA.
Sounds of the World's Languages.

References:
Ladefoged, P. (2005): Vowels and consonants: an introduction to the sounds of languages. Malden: Blackwell.
Ladefoged, P. / Maddieson, I. (2008): The Sounds of the World's Languages. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Ohala, J. (1983): The Phonological End Justifies Any Means . Proc. of the XIIIth Int. Cong. of Linguists, Tokyo, 29 Aug. - 4 Sept. 1982.