Gpanda

A marital dispute can be settled by someone who can definitively (and correctly) say whether Siam is pronounced "Sigh-am" or
"See-am". If pronounced differently in English than Thai, please note. Thanks in advance

harzer

'Sigh - am' is how it's said in English. Remember the 'Sigh - amese' twins.

If they had the word, the Thais would say 'see - am' or even 'syam'.

Harzer

mrwunrfl

sigh AM

see this link for an authoritative pronuciation and click on the little microphone icon to hear a wav file:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/17/S0381700.html

Peteralan

harzer is right...if you are in Thailand or speaking to a Thai then you pronounce it "see arm" ( with slight emphasis on "arm" ) . We farangs would pronounce it "sigham" between ourselves as in "Anna and the King of....". So I guess you both win ?

rhkkmk

the cambridge pronunciation is: T H A I L A N D

thats with a very broad A---the second A....

Hanuman

"Sar - Yarm" is the way that I say it.

JamesA

'See-yam' is what I have just been told, straight from the source!

frecklez

Actually the correct way of pronouncing Siam, from the Thai written language, is "Sa-Yahm," withe the emphasis on yahm. Perhaps due to saying it quickly, or maybe it's just easier on the Western tongue, it becomes Sigh-yahm. Hope this helps!