description

คำอธิบาย - Thai translation

Main Translations

  • English: Description
  • Thai: คำอธิบาย (kham a-thi-bai)
  • Phonetic: kham a-thi-bai (pronounced with a rising tone on "kham" and a mid tone on the rest, common in Thai casual speech)
  • Detailed Explanation: The word "description" refers to a spoken or written account that provides details about the characteristics, features, or qualities of a person, object, event, or concept. It is often used in formal contexts like literature, product specifications, or reports, carrying neutral to positive emotional connotations as it helps clarify and visualize information. In Thai, "คำอธิบาย" is the most common translation and is versatile in usage scenarios, such as explaining instructions in everyday conversations or detailing items in business. Semantic nuances include its ability to be detailed or concise, depending on the context, and it can imply objectivity or subjectivity based on the speaker's perspective.
  • Thai: รายละเอียด (rai la-aeiat)
  • Phonetic: rai la-aeiat (pronounced with a mid tone on "rai" and a falling tone on "la-aeiat," often used in more precise or technical discussions)
  • Detailed Explanation: As a secondary translation, "รายละเอียด" emphasizes finer details or specifics, making it suitable for contexts requiring thoroughness, such as technical manuals or legal documents. Emotionally, it can connote precision and thoroughness, but overuse might imply excessive complexity. Semantically, it differs from "คำอธิบาย" by focusing more on itemized facts rather than a narrative flow, and it's commonly used in professional or educational settings in Thai culture to ensure clarity and avoid misunderstandings.

Overview of Usage Scenarios

The word "description" is primarily a noun used to convey information about something in a clear and structured manner. Its main usage scenarios include everyday communication (e.g., describing a place), professional contexts (e.g., job descriptions), and creative fields (e.g., literary descriptions). In Thai, it appears in both formal and informal settings, often to enhance understanding or provide context. Key nuances include its adaptability across spoken and written forms, with variations in detail level based on the audience—brief in casual talks and elaborate in academic or business environments.

Example Sentences

Example Sentences in Different Scenarios

Business Scenario

  • English: The job description requires excellent communication skills and experience in marketing.
  • Thai: คำอธิบายงานต้องการทักษะการสื่อสารที่ยอดเยี่ยมและประสบการณ์ด้านการตลาด (kham a-thi-bai ngan dtong gaan tak-sa gaan seu-sa-saan tee yot yiem la bpra-sop-kan dang kan talat).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "The job description" is the subject (noun phrase); "requires" is the verb; "excellent communication skills and experience in marketing" is the object (compound noun phrase). In Thai, "คำอธิบายงาน" is the subject, "ต้องการ" is the verb, and the rest forms the object with connectors like "และ" (and).
  • Structural Analysis: This sentence follows a subject-verb-object structure, common in English business English. In Thai, it's also S-V-O but with a more flexible word order for emphasis. The word "description" here functions as a modifier, highlighting professional requirements, and promotes SEO keywords like "job description examples."

Leisure Scenario

  • English: She gave a vivid description of the beach during sunset.
  • Thai: เธอให้คำอธิบายที่ชัดเจนเกี่ยวกับชายหาดตอนพระอาทิตย์ตก (ter hai kham a-thi-bai tee chad-chen gwang chay-had dton pra-a-tit tay tok).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "She" is the subject; "gave" is the verb; "a vivid description" is the direct object; "of the beach during sunset" is a prepositional phrase. In Thai, "เธอ" is the subject, "ให้" is the verb, and "คำอธิบายที่ชัดเจน" is the object with a relative clause.
  • Structural Analysis: The sentence uses descriptive language to engage the reader, typical in leisure contexts. In Thai, the structure is straightforward but includes modifiers for vividness, aligning with cultural storytelling habits. This usage enhances SEO for terms like "vivid description in travel."

Formal Occasion

  • English: The official description of the event was published in the annual report.
  • Thai: คำอธิบายอย่างเป็นทางการของเหตุการณ์ถูกตีพิมพ์ในรายงานประจำปี (kham a-thi-bai yang pen dtang-gaan khong het-kan tuk tee phim nai rai-pon bpra-jam bpee).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "The official description" is the subject; "was published" is the verb phrase; "in the annual report" is a prepositional phrase. In Thai, "คำอธิบายอย่างเป็นทางการ" is the subject, "ถูกตีพิมพ์" is the passive verb, and "ในรายงานประจำปี" is the prepositional equivalent.
  • Structural Analysis: This passive voice sentence emphasizes the action over the doer, suitable for formal writing. In Thai, passive constructions are less common but used here for formality, making it SEO-relevant for "formal description examples."

Informal Occasion

  • English: Let me give you a quick description of my new car.
  • Thai: ปล่อยให้ฉันอธิบายเกี่ยวกับรถใหม่ของฉันแบบรวดเร็ว (plaoy hai chan a-thi-bai gwang rot mai khong chan baep rot-diew).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "Let me" is an imperative introduction; "give you" is the verb phrase; "a quick description" is the object. In Thai, "ปล่อยให้ฉัน" is a polite imperative, "อธิบาย" is the verb, and "เกี่ยวกับรถใหม่" is the object.
  • Structural Analysis: Informal sentences often use direct address for engagement. In Thai, the structure is conversational, reflecting casual speech patterns, and supports SEO for "informal description usage."

Example Sentences in Different Sentence Types

Declarative Sentence

  • English: This book provides a detailed description of ancient history.
  • Thai: หนังสือเล่มนี้ให้คำอธิบายที่ละเอียดเกี่ยวกับประวัติศาสตร์โบราณ (nang-seu lem nee hai kham a-thi-bai tee la-aeiat gwang bprat-ya-sart bo-raan).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "This book" is the subject; "provides" is the verb; "a detailed description" is the object. In Thai, similar breakdown with "หนังสือเล่มนี้" as subject.
  • Structural Analysis: Declarative sentences state facts, ideal for educational contexts. SEO benefits from keywords like "detailed description in history."

Interrogative Sentence

  • English: Can you provide a better description of the suspect?
  • Thai: คุณสามารถให้คำอธิบายที่ดียิ่งขึ้นเกี่ยวกับผู้ต้องสงสัยได้ไหม (khun sarm-art hai kham a-thi-bai tee dee yang eung gwang phu dtong song-sai dai mai).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "Can you" is the question starter; "provide" is the verb; "a better description" is the object. In Thai, "คุณสามารถ" forms the question base.
  • Structural Analysis: Interrogatives seek information, common in inquiries. In Thai, they end with "ไหม" for politeness, aiding SEO for "description questions."

Imperative Sentence

  • English: Please write a clear description for the product.
  • Thai: กรุณาเขียนคำอธิบายที่ชัดเจนสำหรับสินค้า (ga-ruu-na khian kham a-thi-bai tee chad-chen sam-rab sin-kha).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "Please write" is the command; "a clear description" is the object. In Thai, "กรุณาเขียน" is the imperative phrase.
  • Structural Analysis: Imperatives give instructions, often in professional settings. Thai uses polite particles for respect, optimizing for "imperative description examples."

Exclamatory Sentence

  • English: What a fantastic description of the landscape!
  • Thai: ช่างเป็นคำอธิบายที่ยอดเยี่ยมสำหรับภูมิทัศน์เลย! (chang pen kham a-thi-bai tee yot yiem sam-rab phoom-pha-sat loey!).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "What a fantastic description" is the exclamatory phrase; "of the landscape" is the modifier. In Thai, "ช่างเป็น" expresses exclamation.
  • Structural Analysis: Exclamatories convey emotion, enhancing narrative. In Thai, they use intensifiers, supporting SEO for "exclamatory description in writing."

Example Sentences of Different Difficulties

Simple Sentence

  • English: The description is short.
  • Thai: คำอธิบายสั้น (kham a-thi-bai san).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "The description" is the subject; "is" is the verb; "short" is the predicate adjective. In Thai, it's a simple subject-predicate structure.
  • Structural Analysis: Basic S-V-A structure for beginners, ideal for SEO in "simple description sentences."

Intermediate Sentence

  • English: Her description of the painting included colors and emotions.
  • Thai: คำอธิบายของเธอเกี่ยวกับภาพวาดรวมถึงสีสันและอารมณ์ (kham a-thi-bai khong ter gwang pang-wad rum teung see-san la a-rom).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: "Her description" is the subject; "included" is the verb; "colors and emotions" is the object. In Thai, compound objects are linked by "และ."
  • Structural Analysis: Adds complexity with compound elements, suitable for intermediate learners, with SEO for "intermediate description examples."

Complex Sentence

  • English: Although the description was brief, it captured the essence of the story, which impressed the audience.
  • Thai: แม้ว่าคำอธิบายจะสั้นแต่ก็สามารถจับใจความของเรื่องราวได้ ซึ่งทำให้ผู้ชมประทับใจ (mae wa kham a-thi-bai cha san tae gor sarm-art jap jai khwam khong reuang raw dai, teung tam hai phu chom pra-thap-jai).
  • Grammatical Breakdown: Subordinate clause: "Although the description was brief"; Main clause: "it captured the essence..."; Relative clause: "which impressed the audience." In Thai, clauses are connected with "แต่" and "ซึ่ง."
  • Structural Analysis: Uses subordination for depth, common in advanced writing. Optimizes SEO for "complex description sentences."

Related Phrases and Expressions

Synonyms/Near Synonyms:

  • Explanation – Used interchangeably with "description" to clarify ideas, often in educational contexts (e.g., "an explanation of the process").
  • Depiction – Focuses on visual or artistic representations, with a connotation of imagery (e.g., "a vivid depiction in the novel").

Antonyms:

  • Vagueness – Refers to a lack of detail, contrasting with "description" by implying ambiguity (e.g., "The instructions were full of vagueness").
  • Ambiguity – Highlights uncertainty, often used in legal or literary analysis (e.g., "The statement's ambiguity avoided a clear description").

Common Collocations:

  • Detailed description – Emphasizes thoroughness, common in reports or guides (e.g., "A detailed description of the product features").
  • Brief description – Implies conciseness, used in summaries (e.g., "Provide a brief description of your experience").

Cultural Background and Usage Habits

Cultural Background:

  • Cultural Point 1: In Thai culture, descriptions are often indirect to maintain harmony (e.g., avoiding overly critical descriptions in social settings), influenced by Buddhist principles of mindfulness and respect. This contrasts with Western styles, where directness is valued, making "description" a tool for polite communication in Thailand.

Usage Habits:

  • Habit 1: "Description" and its Thai equivalents are frequently used in daily life, especially among younger demographics in urban areas for social media posts. It's popular in formal education and business, with high frequency in written forms like online reviews, but less so in casual spoken Thai where brevity is preferred.

Grammar Explanation

Grammatical Function:

"Description" functions primarily as a noun, serving as a subject, object, or complement in sentences (e.g., subject in "The description is accurate"). In Thai, it acts similarly as a noun, often modified by adjectives for detail.

Tense and Voice:

As a noun, "description" does not change tenses itself but is affected by surrounding verbs (e.g., "The description was written" in past tense). In passive voice, it can appear as in "The event was given a full description." Thai grammar doesn't alter the word for tense or voice, relying on context and helper verbs.

References

Etymology and History:

The word "description" originates from Latin "descriptio," meaning "a drawing or representation," evolving through Old French to Middle English around the 14th century. It gained prominence during the Renaissance for detailed accounts in art and science. In Thai, "คำอธิบาย" derives from Pali/Sanskrit influences, reflecting historical ties to Indian literature.

Literary References:

  • From Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations": "He gave us a minute description of his adventures," illustrating vivid narrative style. Source: Dickens, C. (1861). Great Expectations.
  • In Thai literature, from Sida's "Phra Aphai Mani": "The poem includes a poetic description of the sea," emphasizing cultural storytelling. Source: Sunthorn Phu (c. 19th century). Phra Aphai Mani.