Siam Thaiing not to a Lao myself any punning, yet Thai know I Shan't succeed

[muckefuck]

So there are four currents which conjoined to keep me up last night with the Thai dictionary:

1. I pulled out my old notes on a fantasy land called the Empire of Tangor where the dominant language is astoundingly like Thai.
2. welcomerain and I ate Thai on Sunday and she was asking me about Thai script and the names of various foods.
3. Chef Jeff and I spent some time talking about Thai on Monday night and he gave me three tapes of Thai music and a book on Thai Buddhism.
4. I did a book at work which is a chronicle of one of the Shan states.

Once again, I'll be happy if just a tenth of what I've picked up stays in my head longer than a month. From Jeff, I learned that the way to form diminutives in Thai is to prefix /lu:k/. I called him "/lu:kci@p/" and he nearly fell out of his chair. Turns out that the name "Jeab", in addition to meaning something like "Tiny", is a homophone for "cheep"--i.e., the sound a birdy makes. (Found that out by looking it up last night.) So /lu:kci@p/ isn't just "Little Jeff", it's also "chick" in the sense of "pullet". He told me his cat's name was [lUki] and I asked, "'Little what'?" before I realised that's just his pronunciation of "Lucky". Then I asked how to say "cat" and started calling "/lu:kmE:w/! /lu:kmE:w/!". More amusement.

BTW, welcomerain, he couldn't explain the name "Yentafo" (the bright red soup I ordered). The "tafo" apparently has nothing to do with tofu. He did ask me for my Chinese name, which I wrote down and he then transcribed into his "Cambodian". (He says that when you have bad handwriting in Thai, people say "You write Cambodian!" I explained we call that "chicken scratch", which then brings us full circle.)

From the book on the Shan state of Kengtung, I've learned some tantalising snatches of Thai historical phonology. For starters, Jeff--who's read some of the history and says it's very sad--calls it /chi@NtuN/--that is, he pronounces the first syllable like that of Chiangmai or Chiangrai (cities in northern Thailand). This points to a palatalisation (/k/ -> /c/) and diphthongisation (/e/ -> /i@/) at some point in the evolution of modern Thai. The latter affects the other mid vowels, too. Shan for "garden" is /so:n/, Thai has /suan/. (Like to order "suan tong" at Snail? Its name means "golden garden", i.e. vegetable tempura.) Shan for "kingdom" is /mo-N/, Thai has /mu-aN/. (Cf. Mu'ang Thai, the colloquial name of Thailand.)

Blabbityblah. I spent hours last night looking for evidence of other historical changes, trying to spot Pali loanwords in modern Thai. It's fun! Addictive, even! Say the word, Buddhologists, and I give you a list to puzzle out for yourself. (Typical sample: Buddha = /phu:t(tha:)/.) Of course, none of this would've captured me as it did if I weren't frustrated with the house and worried about my upcoming trip. There's no more comfortable place to be at those times than deep in my reference books, coming up only for a nibble or a bathroom break.

Comments

[currawong.livejournal.com]

A huge, expensive, encyclopaedic tome which has everything and more you ever wanted to know about Thai food (and food culture) has recently been published. It is by the Thai trained (in the royal kitchens , no less) Australian chef, David Thompson.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Only $28 on Amazon!

Does he give the names of the dishes in Thai script? I need something to feed the linguogeek in me as well as the foody!

Chef Jeff and I have talked about reciprocal cooking lessons for months now, but they've foundered on my lack of a kitchen. Soon, I shall have no excuse!

[currawong.livejournal.com]

Don't know about the Thai script as the copies in my bookstore are sealed and I haven't been able to afford it yet, but I know its reputation and I've heard him talking about it on the radio. Unlike most writers of modern cookbooks, he says that cooking well is difficult, exacting and time-consuming. Which is a refreshing change.

I look foreward to vicarious enjoyment of your culinary adventures.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering if I should take a Poll to determine which place I try next.

[mollpeartree.livejournal.com]

FWIW, that soup at the Noodles in my neighborhood is spelled Yen Ta Pho, so I had always assumed that "pho" meant "yummy, yummy broth" as in all other pho, and the "Yen Ta" somehow referred to the other ingredients. Go ahead, mock me.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Thing is, phở is a Vietnamese word, not a Thai one. Of course, it's possible the name means "Thai version of Vietnamese noodle soup", but I would've expected Jeff to know that.