Everyday Thai For Beginners

by Wiworn Kesavatana-Dohrs

With downloadable MP3

Everyday Thai for Beginners is a language textbook that lays the essential groundwork for mastering authentic spoken Thai. The textbook provides an introduction to the basics of communication using Central Thai vocabulary and idioms. Professor Wiworn Kesavatana-Dohrs has developed and perfected the methods and materials used in this volume over her many years of Thai language instruction at the University of Washington. While the course book has proved effective in teaching university students, it can be used more widely in a variety of teaching and learning contexts.

Organized into a total of seven units and thirty thematic lessons, the book is designed to be used for a one-year study of academic Thai, taking a total of thirty weeks and 150 hours to complete. Basic Thai reading and writing ability is assumed from the outset in order to avoid using transliteration systems that hinder the mastery of correct pronunciation and intonation.

The author's introduction to the volume concludes with these encouraging words: "Thai people greatly appreciate foreigners who learn their language. Your study of Thai will be amply rewarded in Thailand."

About the Author

Wiworn Kesavatana-Dohrs has an undergraduate degree from Chulalongkorn University and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. She has been lecturer of Thai in the Department of Asian Language and Literature, University of Washington, since 1990.