The challenges of "North"

One of the biggest challenges in learning Thai is simply the new sounds - unfamiliar and wrong-feeling ways of using my mouth to make the proper noises.

Take, “North”, for example.

Roughly transliterated, you’d need to say"nuera”.

Go ahead, try and say it now.

Ok.

Now say it as one sound. Go ahead, try.

Mhhm-nnh.

That’s still two sounds.

Put your hand on your chin, and say the whole thing without moving your chin, even a tiny slight bit.

That’s it. And if you say that, Thai speakers can understand you. If you let your chin move, and pronounce that r as a syllable (as your entire brain is screaming that you’re supposed to), you’ll just be making random noises, and Thai brains (quite accustomed to the proper sounds) will have no idea what you’re saying.

This part is fun.