When a syllable does not have a final consonant, it is called open—the pronunciation of the vowel ends the pronunciation of the syllable. If there is a final consonant, the syllable is called closed. In this article we will be discussing closed syllables and the characteristics of their final consonants. There are only six consonant ending sounds used in Thai (eight if you count diphthong endings -ย /-y/ and ว /-w/). It's imporant to recognize the endings of closed syllables as either live or dead; this information is used in the tone rules to determine the lexical tone of the syllable.

Live Endings

Sonorant or live consonant endings (sometimes referred to as "long final consonants") are characterized by their sonorous sound. They can be hummed indefinitely and tend to resonate. In phonetics, they're called "nasal."

Diphthongs -ย /-y/ and ว /-w/ are also 'live,' generating a live syllable. Phoneticians call these "approximants."

Dead Endings

Dead consonant endings (sometimes referred to as "short final consonants") are characterized by their percussive sound. Their sound cannot be sustained indefinitely and tends to be harsh. They're known as "plosives."

The following consonants may never appear at the end of a syllable:

Now that you know the live and dead endings, you'll be able to apply the tone rules like a pro.

The Eight Word-Ending Protocols

Sometimes it's interesting to look at the way native Thais learn their language. Thai school-children memorize eight word-ending protocols, or มาตรา   /maatF dtraaM/, commonly called แม่   /maaeF/. Each represents one of the valid endings for a closed syllable. Let's look at each, with some sample words:

As you review these groups, see if you can name which are live endings and which are dead. These groups are alternately named with มาตรา   /maatF dtraaM/, for example: มาตรา กก /maatF dtraaM gohkL/, มาตรา กง /maatF dtraaM gohngM/, etc., but แม่   /maaeF/ seems to be more common.

Among other uses, these are the canonical endings used in the Thai phonemics that you might see in Thai dictionaries. By the way, the 'word ending protocol' for open syllables is แม่ก กา  /maaeF gaaM/.