Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) [Paperback]

Joe Cummings (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India | Publication Date: August 1999

This colourful new edition includes a comprehensive two-way dictionary and an easy-to-use pronunciation guide. It includes all the essential words and phrases needed for travelling in Thailand, plus plenty of tips on culture and protocol. Provides script throughout for easy identification of menus and signs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 4 edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864426585
• ISBN-13: 978-0864426581
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Southeast Asian

More About the Author

Joe Cummings was born in New Orleans, and raised in California, France and Washington DC. In high school he developed a taste for rock guitar and subversive politics, playing in a succession of garage bands while publishing an underground newspaper. After he graduated from college, the Peace Corps granted his request to be posted to Thailand, where he served as an English lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology in Bang Mot, Thonburi. He later earned a master's degree in South Asian Civilization from the University of California at Berkeley, and was a scholar in residence at the East-West Center in Hawaii. His Thailand guide for Lonely Planet was the first guidebook to that country written in English since 1928. An instant success, it remains one of the bestselling guidebook ever published. He has authored over 35 other books, including coffeetable books, phrasebooks and travelogues. Joe has twice been honoured with the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Gold Award and is also a recipient of Mexico's Pluma de Plata (Silver Quill) for outstanding foreign journalism on Mexico. He never gave up the guitar, and continues to jam regularly at clubs in Thailand, where he makes his home.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, Easy to Carry; Phonetics could be better, August 8, 2002

By 

K. Johnson (US/Asia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

This is a small book with contextual topics that are easy to find in the table of contents. Some basic grammar rules are included and can help someone use past, present, future, ability, and the classifiers if they want to learn the basics of using them. It can be carried in your pocket, and I think that is the best asset. It's a small book you can take anywhere. The phonetical pronunciation was incorrect in one area. The beginning consonant "G"is pronounced more as a hard "g" sound, but it is listed in the book at a "k." This caused miscommunication for it changes the entire word and meaning. The beauty salon context, i.e., "getting a haircut" is a section that is not in this book but could be very useful. This book is very affordable and helpful...just keep in mind some of the phonetic transcriptions, which already difficult in Thai to English, could have been more accurate.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best I've found, October 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

I recently bought a lot of phrasebooks and dictionaries in connection with a trip to Thailand that I've just returned from. Out of all of them, this was the book I routinely carried in my pants pocket.

Pluses:
o Thai-to-English dictionary as well as English-Thai
o I personally find the representation of aspirated consonants with h, eg "ph", "th" etc to be more attractive and logical than the alternatives like "d(t)" etc. The only problem is people who don't read the introduction and pronounce ph as f, etc.
o Generally good choices of vocabulary and phrases
o Useful sections on important cultural features

Minuses:
o No accompanying cd/cassette (but even when these are available they tend to be poorly integrated)
o Many words used in the phrases are unaccountably missing from the dictionary sections
o Many errors and typos, especially in the tones
o Useful sidebars are presented in a disorganized manner which makes them impossible to refer to. For instance, a section on "traditional music" is shoehorned into the "family" section, and is so long that for weeks I did not realize that the family section continued after it! Also, such sidebars are not included in the TOC.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't go to Thailand without it, July 9, 2003

By 

Patricia Johnson (Brookfield, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

My husband and I found this small book to be a huge help as we attempted communication in the marketplaces of Thailand. I prefer to use books like this as a reference, pointing to the Thai phrase next to the English phrase I want to communicate. Conversely, my husband actually studied the book from the beginning. He was able to learn to pronounce and understand many useful phrases in addition to numbers (which came in very handy while bargaining). We enjoyed this book so much that I am already ordering the Mandarin version for our trip to China in 2005.