After reviewing a few posts here I see that what I posted about the tone marks shortening the vowel has come up here in what I suppose is the correct forum.
What I think is worth mentioning is that Thai people don't all speak 'correctly' any more than any other people.
When it comes to the vowel เอะ where the tongue position is lower than อิ but not as low as แอะ can be said for the back vowels โอะ and เอาะ people tend to prefer the lower position probably because it is more natural. The recording of เล่น which Pirin observes if pronounced as lane is unnatural and David observes is an old recording is correct but seldom heard. Similarly few people use the inherent vowel โอะ when they say words like รถ บท preferring เอาะ .
it is simply a matter of elocution, it is easy to give a hint of 'o' in รถ and a hint of 'a' in เล่น it depends on how long you are going to make the vowel which brings us back to the first question, tone mark shortening the vowel.
How many of us in English care about elocution? Why should we care more in Thai? I would say it is we don't know enough Thai, rather than worry about how to say the word we should be working on what the word means.
"There's a moose loose about this hoose." No English speaker is confused by this, hoose must be house because there is no such word as hoose, so moose must be mouse.
A learner says: "Me Noo U ny baan" มีนูยูในบาน it is almost impossible for me to say ยูในบาน; the combination "screams" อยู่ในบ้าน . So,there is only one incorrect word here นู .
I wonder if Pirin agrees with me.
for the Thai language
