Customer Reviews

Thai: Basic Course Volume 1

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is an enormous disappointment at a very high cost. First of all it is done using a typewriter font that gives it a very low quality look. There is not even one Thai letter or character shown in the entire book, so Yates, et al force you to learn their own newly created language (very few Thais could possibly read or understand the words in this text book. So don't look for help from native speakers).
The cassette tape system of language learning is badly dated and has been replaced by CD in many new language learning systems. Luckily, I did not waste money on the tapes or other volumes of this course.
Any one who thinks they are learning Thai by using this system is sadly mistaken and wasting their time. Absolutely, no system of Romanizing Thai has ever been developed that captures the Thai pronunciation of consonants, vocalics, and tones -- this course comes no where near doing that. Until educators realize this fact, everyone will go off in his own direction and create a third language to learn Thai with.
I would recommend that learners opt for courses that incorporate learning to read the Thai letters and characters correctly starting in lesson one. This course does not even get to that step in Volume One.
I rate the course one star because it might look pretty on the book shelves of someone who has more interest in showing she wants to learn Thai, than for someone who is really interested in learning the Thai language.