ศาลาชุมนุม

[John]

I wonder about the word order (grammar) of the following Thai sentence. I admit my English grammar is not strong so I may need help with both Thai and English on this one.

"บ้านคุณมีสัตว์เลี้ยงมั้ย"

From the English point of view it seems like "บ้าน" has become the subject of this question. The English translation (Do you have any pets at home?) makes "pets" the subject and you the object with "at home" a prepositional phrase. (Whew!).

Any input on this one would be appreciated.

John

[David and Bui]

"บ้านคุณมีสัตว์เลี้ยงมั้ย"

I think the English sentence with the structure most closely resembling the Thai sentence would be:

"Does your home have any pets?"

[John]

"Does your home have any pets?"

Is this the sentence structure a Thai speaker would most commonly use in this situation? Are there other options?

I am trying to get a grasp on the Thai thought process. Would the Thai speaker associate the pets with home in contrast to the English speaker associating the pets with the owner?

John

[David and Bui]

John,

A bit off the subject, but one of the books I have found most helpful in understanding Thai society and religion is Niels Mulder's "Inside Thai Society - Religion, Everyday Life, Change". Here is the Amazon reference: http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Thai-Society-Religion-Everyday/dp/9747551241/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207525467&sr=8-12

[John]

David,

Thanks for the book recommendation.

John