#kat via instagram

[lurkingteapot]

Free Thai language learning resources

I’ve been learning Thai for the past 20 months. This list is by no means complete or comprehensive, what works for me doesn’t have to work for you, etc etc. That said: I’ve used most of these and found them useful, I thought you might, too. Have fun!

Youtube channels with free video lessons:

There are tons of wonderful teachers on youtube; this is by no means an exhaustive list. The three channels listed here are comprehensive, long-running, and updated regularly; if you have other favourites, please reblog and append!

Comprehensible Thai is a channel that teaches Thai in Thai, from zero, via the comprehensible input method. They have videos from total beginner through upper intermediate/lower advanced levels available.

Learn Thai with Mod – Mod runs a language school that offers good, structured group classes; she and her co-teachers often upload short videos about specific aspects of Thai. The channel has been around for a long time and they cover a lot of topics, including grammar points.

Thai Lessons by New (Learn Thai one Word one Sentence) – lots of good vocabulary and situational phrases

Other channels I like:

Advanced Thai with Kruu Momm -- one of my favourites, Momm’s a star. Not included in the upper list only because this is definitely more of an intermediate-advanced resource.

Thai with Grace -- I knew of Grace via her polyglot channel and travel vlogs before I realised she also teaches Thai. Fun stuff.

Kat talks Thai -- I believe Kat is more active on instagram (@kattalksthai), but these are still really neat.

Perth Nakhun’s Basic Thai playlist

Honourable mentions because they’re interesting and can be nice supplements (yes, the video titles on these channels tend to be clickbaity, the content is useful, though):

Stu Jay Raj: Stu is a polyglot based in Thailand. His channel is a bit of a mixed bag, but he has a very interesting approach to languages and sometimes does foreign accent reduction / accent analysis sessions on his channel (with consent and participation of those whose speech he dissects).

Thai Talk with Paddy: Paddy is an Australian who learned Thai when he was a volunteer in Thailand, he’s kept it up. Fun things about language learning and culture

Listening comprehension

I’m assuming many folks on here who are interested in Thai already watch some Thai shows (yes I’m stereotyping but also this is tumblr), which means you’re spending time listening to Thai.

If you’re not:

Netflix, Youtube, WeTV, and Viki all have several Thai shows with English subtitles available. The Youtube channel of Thai broadcasting giant GMMTV has English subtitles on nearly all of their uploaded series, some series are also subtitled in languages other than English. one31 is another huge channel; they have English subtitles on some series and some series also have subtitles in Thai. There’s tons more – find a rec list and a Thai show that sounds like you’d enjoy it, chances are you’ll be able to watch it for free, legally, on youtube. You can use the youtube controls (or the ones on netflix) to turn the speed down to 75% —this can make it a lot easier to catch what’s being said. 50% gets so draggy that I personally find it almost harder to understand, but ymmv—give it a shot!

https://lingopolo.org/thai/ has real-life recordings for listening practice; sign-up is required but it’s literally just an e-mail-address, user name and password. Using the site is free.

https://www.activethai.com/ has a section dedicated to learning the tones (under “Overview of Thai Tones”) including a self-test for listening that I found very useful.

Learning to read

I will always, always, ALWAYS recommend learning to read the Thai script. All available romanisations for Thai have drawbacks, and besides, you learned to read English with its “though through thorough tough thought”, you can damn well learn to read Thai. I promise it will help you improve your pronunciation (yes, really) and overall understanding of how the language works.

Learn-to-Read-Thai resources that seem comprehensive and like they should do everything in one:

Anki decks “Read Thai PHASE 1 - The Consonants“, “Read Thai PHASE 2 - Thai Vowels“, “Read Thai PHASE 3 - Consonant Classes” and “Read Thai PHASE 4 - Tone Rules” by Khruu Gaan (ครูกานต์). Anki is probably the most powerful spaced repetition software I have ever used. It’s free on all desktops and android. These decks have sound.

Memrise course “Read Thai: A Complete Guide to Reading Thai“

Other resources I used (In hindsight, I feel like I should’ve picked one resource to learn to read from and stuck with it; I think I was rushing and made things more complicated than need be for myself with my hodgepodge mix-and-match approach. But hey, I can read now.)

https://www.activethai.com/ – the site I started with. Teaches the consonants separated by class and with sound. The only reason this is no longer my top recommendation is that I ended up using this alongside a resource that helped me memorise what the words used to represent the letters actually mean because the site itself didn’t tell me, and I wanted that easy way to have 44 vocabulary words ready as soon as you’re done learning your consonants, and it gives you access to neat mnemonics such as ไก่จิกเด็กตาย(เฎ็กฏาย)บนปากโอ่ง.

The chart on Wikipedia’s English article on the Thai Script

the reference section of Thai-Language.com

In order to better learn to read Thai written in different fonts (modern and handwriting fonts can be tough at first), the Thai Script typographical styles overview on Thai-language.com was a huge help, as was throwing simple phrases things into gdocs and messing around to see how different fonts made them look. This chart from sanukmaak.com also helped.

Speaking and pronunciation

The hardest one for any new language for most folks. For me personally, finding someone who speaks the language and is willing to correct me was an absolute necessity, but I know that’s not always an option. If you’re going it on your own, make sure you check out the resources above for learning to hear the tones and those sounds and sound clusters not present in your own language correctly first.

Things to try on your own:

shadowing: Whenever someone on a show utters a sentence you think might be useful, or provide a useful pattern, or something just sounds cool, rewind and try to speak along as they say it, trying to make it sound as close to their pronunciation as you can.

try to record yourself and listen back -- yes, it’s cringe af but it will HELP.

memorising short sentences and phrases: tying back to the section above, there's a ton of youtube videos that is "phrases to use in [situation]" that are great for targeted learning if you're up for it

self talk (cautiously! don't want to cement bad pronunciation habits)

if you’re linguistically inclined: looking up descriptions on how to make a sound correctly sometimes helps, as does watching videos of folks who’ve successfully learned the language.

once you’ve learned to read: find sentences to read somewhere (twitter, a textbook, whatever) and read them into your phone’s dictation engine. See if the software understands you correctly. Adjust as needed until it does.

Websites and apps to find language partners or (paid) tutors

Like any other app where you ‘meet people’, please exercise caution on these.

italki (mainly for finding tutors and teachers, but you can find language partners on the forums)

Preply (web/app) (for finding tutors/teachers)

hellotalk (app only, iOS/android) for finding language partners -- free to use basic features like messaging, voice rooms, etc; has annoying ads

tandem (app only, iOS/android) for finding language partners -- free to use basic features, has ads

any other app or website that’ll let you meet people, like local facebook groups (yes really), instagram, etc

(note: Neither hellotalk nor tandem allow users to sign up without selecting a binary gender. it sucks. I’ve seen people who managed to circumvent this on Hellotalk by signing up via apple ID (? I think), but it’s hearsay and I have not managed to do so myself.)

Books (a book) that are (is) worth spending money on imo

Higbie & Thinsan: Thai Reference Grammar. The Structure of Spoken Thai. Orchid Press: Bangkok, 2002. Yes, it’s ancient in textbook terms. It’s not perfect, but it’s still the best reference grammar for Thai I’ve come across so far, and I use it frequently.

Random bits and bobs

Stu Jay Raj has two videos in particular that I, as a phonetics-and-phonology-loving person, loved and found extremely useful and wished I’d watched before I started to try and learn the script: Thai Vowels for Dummies in 5 Min v2 - A System Impossible to Forget and Thai Bites Extended Edition - Transliterating Thai using IPA. I realise these may be overwhelming and less helpful for people with no prior phonetics or phonology training, but they helped me so much it’d feel amiss not to include them.

Resources I recommend AGAINST using when starting out

drops/hello words -- seems like their Thai courses have been created using machine translation that wasn’t sufficiently proofread. They will assign you nouns in places of the corresponding verb or false cognates, and that’s within the first 10 or so lessons. Might be useful once the level where a learner can tell “ah, yeah, that’s … not right” has been reached? idk.

transcription as generated by google translate: BURN IT WITH FIRE. it’s a transliteration, i.e. 1-to-1 representation of 1 Thai letter = 1 Latin letter (extended), it’s not phonemic, it’s not going to help ANYONE (and those who can make sense of it presumably already read Thai and would be better off with just Thai script). Just. Stop.

Google translate as a dictionary: still shitty but not AS bad as the transcription function. Still, for the love of all that you hold dear, please, save yourself the pain and confusion and just use thai2english or thai-language.com instead.

---

And that’s that from me, friends. Yeeting this into the void before I second-guess myself more. Please append additional resources!

Edited to fix a couple of typos and errors on 2023-06-15

[d-criss-news]

Via Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club's Instagram Story (September 26th, 2024)

[batwynn]

Hello! You may know me as Batwynn or Brahn from around the internets. I’ve created this Kofi fund for a friend who is in a really bad situation with their parents and must remain anonymous for their safety. Right now, their most urgent need is to get their emotional support cat and best friend to the vet. It is VERY urgent as the cat is passing some blood in her urine. EVERY donation will receive a free art from me, but you must come give me your request info via Tumblr, Instagram, twitter, etc! More info: They need funds both to get to the vet and for blood work, urine tests, and the general vet fees. The next goal will be to get them both out of the unsafe environment they are currently trapped in with their parents. Any additional donations will go directly towards moving out asap.

Important note: Some of you might know who this is for as we share a fandom, but please be aware that they need to remain anonymous for their safety and to make sure any funds they receive aren't stolen by their abusers.

As always, every little bit helps! I will keep everyone updated here and on Kofi, and please don't hesitate to message me with your donation art request! If you are unable to donate, please signal boost this as much as possible! You never know who could see it and make a HUGE difference for them!

[skarlettriott]

via naturalistsguide on Instagram: 
Black cat folklore 🐈‍⬛✨


🧙🏽‍♀️ In the United States, especially around Halloween, black cats are often linked to witchcraft and spooky superstitions. The association with witchcraft is an old European belief brought to America, especially heightened during the witch trials. During those times, many women accused of witchcraft were believed to have turned into black cats. Some lore believe that witches kept black cats to serve as their familiars, offering companionship and spiritual protection.


🧚🏽‍♂️ In Celtic folklore, black cats were sometimes considered fairy beings or shape-shifters with magical properties. In some stories, they brought prosperity and protection, while in others, they were to be feared or treated with respect.


👻 The people of the Scottish Highlands were wary of the cat-sìth (pronounced “kat-shee”), believing it had the power to steal a person’s soul before it could be claimed by the gods. This could happen if the cat passed over a corpse before burial.


🇯🇵 In Japan, black cats are considered symbols of good fortune. Specifically, the “maneki-neko” (beckoning cat), sometimes portrayed as black, is thought to bring protection against evil as well as prosperity and good fortune.


🩷 Black cats are also considered lucky for single women since they are believed to attract potential lovers.


🍀 In the UK and Ireland, a black cat crossing your path is seen as a sign of good luck—the opposite of what many believe elsewhere.


⚓ Sailors used to keep black cats on ships as they believed the cats would ensure safe passage and protect the crew from storms.


🏺Cats were highly revered in Ancient Egypt, especially because of their role in controlling pests like mice and snakes. They were closely associated with the goddess Bastet, who was the deity of home, fertility, and protection.


💰 The “matagot” or “mandagot” in French folklore is a supernatural creature, often depicted as a black cat, believed to bring fortune to those who treat it well.

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New portraits of Eddie as the Emcee in Cabaret NYC!

#Repost Cabaret Kit Kat Club NYC : “Eddie Redmayne delivers a knockout performance.” – Entertainment Weekly. Eddie Redmayne is Emcee, only through Sept 14th. Ticket link in bio. #KitKatClubPortraits"

📸 by Jenny Anderson (@jennyandersonphoto) via Cabaret at the kit kat Club NYC on Instagram.

[easthigh]

Selena Gomez & David Henrie Reunite For ‘Wizards Of Waverly Place’ Sequel Pilot For Disney Channel; Cast Set

"One of Disney’s signature comedies, Wizards of Waverly Place, is getting a sequel. Disney Branded Television has ordered a pilot for the follow-up, which is executive produced by original stars Selena Gomez and her small screen sibling David Henrie. Gomez will guest star in the pilot for Disney Channel as the character that helped launch her career, Alex Russo, with David Henrie reprising the role of Justin Russo as a series regular. He is joined by new cast members Janice LeAnn Brown (Disney’s Just Roll with It), Alkaio Thiele (Call Me Kat) and Mimi Gianopulos (American Princess).

The revival pilot comes from writers and executive producers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas who are behind another Disney Channel comedy spinoff, Raven’s Home. It picks up after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door… and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World." (via deadline.com)

(image via @disneychannel on Instagram)

[westidia]

Kat Graham via Instagram 🖤🩸

[mahoukat]

Art Drive for Medical Aid for Palestine

Hi everyone! I've been promoting this on a few of my socials but thought I'd try here!

In aid of the ongoing "conflict" affecting innocent Palestinian civilians, I am hosting an art drive for Medical Aid for Palestinians, a charity providing on the ground aid in Gaza and the West Bank. In return for a £5 donation to the justgiving page below, you can request a flat colour portrait of a character or person of your choosing!*

There will be a maximum of two requests per person and drawings will be given out on a first-come first served basis. Even if you don't want a portrait, I do encourage you to support MAP'S cause, and feel free to donate as much as you want!If any other artists would like to get involved in this drive, please let me know via my Discord (@mahoukat). More artists = more requests = more donations! 🍉

This event will take place from 7am GMT on the 12th June up until midnight - Follow the justgiving page or my art Instagram (@//mahoukat without the slashes) to see how I get on on the day!

*PLEASE NOTE - I use the word request as this is a challenge where I will be aiming to complete as many drawings as possible in a short period of time. There is a chance - especially the later you donate - that I may not get to your request due to time constraints. Additionally, the art featured in the banner is there to give you an idea of my style. The portraits created in this drive will have a flat style with minimal shading. Please keep this in mind. 🙏

[wildcmbcrsupdates]

misha212: B R U N A In YSL x The Glass Magazine by Kat Irlin 🖤 @brunamarquezine @kat_in_nyc @theglassmagazine @thegangram @tak8133 #makeup by me 💄 @shiseido #bluebeetle

Bruna Marquezine via misha212 on Instagram, 07/05/2023.

[zebra-2]

woman Kat Surth wearing a shirt and tie by kat_surth Via Flickr: Photo of woman Kat Surth wearing a shirt and tie while at Convergence convention. Be sure to follow me on my Instagram www.instagram.com/katsurth/ for the latest photos of me.

[theivesbustamate]

She was stunning (as always) last night!!

📷 via: Charles Dujic (@charles_dujic) and Kat Bardot (@katbardot) on Instagram.

[d-criss-news]

Via Kat Calvin's Instagram Story (February 12th, 2023)

[kaleidoscopeprhyme]

Kat Upendi

Via Instagram: kat_upendi

[leviabeat]

The boys found Nergal in Norway!

"Noseblod is THE top rabbit hole... that's where I ran into those fine gents from Volbeat digging out gems from the very past! I got myself a Darkthrone cassette box signed by Fenriz and bootleg KAT shirt! Yay!!!"

Via Nergal's Instagram

[sw-ampqueen]

the OP is Kat Nijmeddin, via Instagram.

THIS!!!!!!!!!! most of us feel like we aren't doing enough because we can't physically stop a genocide but speaking helps!! pressuring helps!! boycotting helps and protesting helps!! please don't give up on Palestinians not when the entire world has turned their backs on them

[eddieredmayneargentinablog]

New photo!

“Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin are extraordinary in a jaw-dropping reveal.” – Entertainment Weekly. See them through September 14 only. #KitKatClubPortraits

📸 by Jenny Anderson (@jennyandersonphoto) via Cabaret at the kit kat Club NYC on Instagram.