Thai: Lonely Planet Phrasebook | 
 enlarge | Authors: Bruce Evans, Lonely Planet Phrasebooks
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Category: Book
Buy New: $7.99
New (5) Used (5) from $7.46
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 236890
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 3.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 174059231X
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9781740592314
ASIN: 174059231X
Publication Date: September 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Thailand is the Land of Smiles. A grin shows companionship. A laugh shows forgiveness. But what if you need a second-class train ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai? Keep smiling - this phrasebook will show you the way.
DID YOU KNOW?
When people talk about the Thai language they are really referring to a Central Thai dialect that has succeeded in becoming the standard official language for the whole country. For this reason Thai is only spoken as a first language in the central provinces of the nation. As Thai is the official language of education, government and media it's basically understood from North to South although recent estimates suggest that less than half the population of Thailand speak and understand Thai fluently.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
Will help you learn much more than the basics March 9, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've been to Thailand twice now and am planning to live there for a few years. This book has taught me the basics and beyond. I recommend it because the tone marks and pronunciations are easy to understand and the book teaches you the rules so that you can figure out different variations of a word. There is also an English/Thai, Thai/English dictionary in the back and the book is small enough to fit in your pocket. Thai script plus phonetic thai is included. The only downside I can see is that the words are so tiny that it's sometimes hard to see thai script vowels and tonal marks.
 OK for a holiday...... March 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a huge fan of lonely planet guidebooks however I am not a big fan of phrasebooks in general. I have this phrasebook and can honestly say that i have never used it. The problem with phrasebooks is that no 2 are alike. Different phrasebooks give slightly different pronunciations (and with Thai slightly different tones) but again this all has to do with translation from one language into another which is not the best way to learn a new language( acquisition is proven to be the most effective but takes time!). However with this said, phrasebooks are practical for people who do not have time to study a particular language such as Thai which is very difficult for westerners and lonely planet is just as good as any other phrasebook that I have seen on the market to meet the needs of holiday travelers.
 Great phrase book March 3, 2008
This is a great little reference book if interested in learning Thai. Using some kind of on line or person audio assistance is necessary since Thai is tonal.
a good resource November 1, 2007
I bought this book before spending 3 weeks in Thailand last year. I only cracked it a couple of times and had difficulty deciphering the phonetics. However, having just completed a Beginning Thai course offered by my county's adult ed department the book makes a lot more sense to me and I find the grammar notes and pronunciation easier to understand. I am headed back to Thailand next week and feel a lot more confident that I will be able to communicate if/when I come across non-English speakers. But for as good as this book is, I agree with the other reviewer that it helps to at least take a basic Thai course or listen to CDs like Pimsleur so you can hear the language. And as others have noted, top marks for including the Thai script along with the English phrases so you can just point if necessary.
Pocket Perfect May 13, 2007
This is an excellent phrase book, easy to carry, easy to read and broken into easy to find section. Combined with a short language program this book carried me across Thailand comfortably. I mentione the language program because the pronunciation is a bit tricky to break down phonetically, altho Lonely Planet does a great job of it. I have used lonely planet phrase books for all of Asia and Northern Africa, but I must admit I use Rick Steve's phrase books for European travel. Lonely Planet Guide Books are also very good, especially for the bargain traveler.
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