ການເລີ່ມຕົ້ນ
[gahn-lerm-thohn]
beginning, start Noun
* Note — Lao sentences and phrases are not typically spaced out by syllables. But, this is helpful for recognizing where syllables start and end.
Tone Breakdown
ການ [gahn] — this syllable has a middle-class consonant, a long vowel, and a sonorant final consonant. As a result, this produces a low tone.
ເລີ່ມ [lerm] — this syllable has a low-class consonant, a long vowel, and a sonorant final consonant. This normally produces a high tone, but this syllable has a ໄມ້ເອກ /mai ehk/ tone mark. Therefore, the tone of the syllable is a middle tone.
ຕົ້ນ [thohn] — this syllable has a middle-class consonant, a short vowel, and a sonorant final consonant. This normally produces a middle tone, but this syllable has a ໄມ້ໂທ /mai toh/ tone mark. Therefore, the tone of the syllable is a high-falling tone.