AjarnPasa

You're very kind, but it's only because of my job that I know about this stuff.

In a roundabout way you said more or less the same thing. You noted that you spent a lot of time with Thais in your first year, that you consolidated your learning through notes, that you conversed with Thais a lot, and that you enjoyed the process. All of these factors had an effect on the quality of your interaction with the language. That's why you're good at it.

In language learning circles we talk of BICS and CALP, that is Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. Or 'conversational' vs 'the best part of fluent'.

Research suggests that if you were to spend about 5 hours a day immersed in your target language, with support and encouragement, it would take you about 2 years to achieve BICS and a further 3 to 5 years to reach CALP.

Language learning is a long process. You can help it along the way with the quality of your interactions rather than the time spent on them. But don't forget, you've done it once already with your first language, so there is nothing stopping you from doing it again. The only reason some people appear 'better at languages' is generally because they put more effort into learning them - either unconsciously, by dint of their nature, or because they have external motivation (school, workplace, family etc), or because they enjoy the process.

With the time and opportunities you have available to you you can work back from these figures to get an idea of where you'll be in a year.

Check this out http://www.thai-language.com/id/142965

And here's a sentence found by Googling the word:

อาการเจ็บป่วยปุบปับกระทันหันสามารถเกิดขึ้นได้กับทุกคน

Sudden and unexpected symtoms of illness can occur in everyone

I wouldn't call it discreet. I can think of a more appropriate adjective. Why not ask her yourself how she feels rather than broadcast it to the entire world without even knowing yourself.

OK fair enough. In that case: Does anyone have a link to (or know where one could get hold of) the full text of Khun Nidhi's paper/thesis?

As usual, "The Nation" does not provide any kind of link, neither about the author, nor the "paper".... not even about the place this author was talking.... Not talking about the fact that it could have been only in Thai.

I'd be glad too, if anyone could help us to find anything about this!

I contacted TK Park to ask whether they had held a copy of the paper after the conference.

They said the workshop happened 3-4 years ago and the paper was subsequently destroyed when the building was burned down. TK Park was on the sixth floor of Central World.

I'll keep looking. Anyone know which University Nidhi is/was attached to?

Woo It was really fresh news from "The Nation" then

I am wondering - I am still dreaming - if the journalist has any kind of specific information to write about this 3-4 years later, if he did just read it maybe!

My guess is that he wrote it at the time of the conference, then it sat in Sutichai's in-tray until Sutichai had a space he needed to fill. Pravit seems to have a fair amount of integrity and to refer to the conference as having happened last week seems an unlikely slip if it in fact happened years ago. Obviously the subs didn't pick that up before it went to press.

I might see if I can find Pravit's email and see what he says.

OK fair enough. In that case: Does anyone have a link to (or know where one could get hold of) the full text of Khun Nidhi's paper/thesis?

As usual, "The Nation" does not provide any kind of link, neither about the author, nor the "paper".... not even about the place this author was talking.... Not talking about the fact that it could have been only in Thai.

I'd be glad too, if anyone could help us to find anything about this!

I contacted TK Park to ask whether they had held a copy of the paper after the conference.

They said the workshop happened 3-4 years ago and the paper was subsequently destroyed when the building was burned down. TK Park was on the sixth floor of Central World.

I'll keep looking. Anyone know which University Nidhi is/was attached to?

Does anyone have a link to the full text of Nidhi Eiawsriwong's report?

Would be interested in reading the whole thing.

Ta

It is not a report but simply a paper/Thesis written by a historian that deals with the way Thais have learned and communicated through history.

OK fair enough. In that case: Does anyone have a link to (or know where one could get hold of) the full text of Khun Nidhi's paper/thesis?

Does anyone have a link to the full text of Nidhi Eiawsriwong's report?

Would be interested in reading the whole thing.

Ta

Just for the sake of any Mac users, it's command+spacebar

There is also หัวกะทิ (hŭa gà-tí) which is the thicker more creamy version of the กะทิ (gà-tí) that Weary describes.

There's a thread about this tricky element of learning to read Thai in this forum here.

Thanks for the support kikenyoy. Glad you like it.

I'd be happy to put a link in, but last time I did that the mod said it was against the rules.

The best way to keep up to date with new posts on the site is to follow me on twitter or like my facebook page. Info at my profile page.

Cheers

AP

p.s. just for the sake of full disclosure, it is an entirely non-commercial endeavor and I keep the blog because it think it's nice to share.

Great idea Keo. How about this?: http://wp.me/pUfz6-pN A guided reading based around a report of the fourth day of rioting in the UK. Audio included if listening practice is more your bag.

Two bits of key vocab to get you in the mood:

จลาจล riot

ปล้นสะดม to loot or plunder

Enjoy

Well I'd be happy to share mine.

tweetyourselfthai.wordpress.com

It's a reading resource. I take an event/issue/piece of trivia that is current or pertinent or just interesting and find a piece of writing in Thai which talks about it. Then I break down the key vocab (tweet that out as a primer) then provide a translation of the text. Not rocket science, but I hope it is a useful resource for people wanting guided reading practice.

I've been on holiday for the last month, so it's lain dormant for that time. However, of relevance now, which learners of Thai might like to check out are some posts from the archives:

Some readings about flooding here here and here. Some older ones about the rain here here and here. One on Mothers' Day here and, since the English football season has just kicked off, one about the beautiful game here.

'Thai Squiggles' for the iPhone and (I think) Android is pretty good.

Failing that have a look at Anki ( www.ichi2.net/anki ) and use it to either set up your own flash cards or download a set created by another user. I had the alphabet and tone rules nailed very quickly using this method.

Good luck

กบนอกกะลา (or Frog Outside the Coconut shell) is a great learning tool. However, the absolutely hideous design and content of the website to which the OP has provided a link makes it deserving of no traffic whatsoever from this forum, imho. Here is a link to a playlist of episodes from You Tube instead

You Tube - Frog Outside

Incidentally, and coz I love trivia, กบนอกกะลา is a play on the idiom กบในกะลาครอบ or 'frog covered by a coconut shell', which is used to describe someone who is ignorant of the wider world. Watchers of the programme are, of course, just the opposite - hence the twist on the idiom.

You'll be pleased to know that it's pretty much only o or a (though ฤ can make a short i sound such as in อังกฤษ)

Rule of thumb: if the word consists of just two consonants the omitted vowel is o, such as in ผม (pom)

If it is three consonants the first is a and the second is o, such as in ถนน (thanon)

There are some exceptions such as อยุธยา (Ayuthaya) and possibly words that begin with ห (however no examples come directly to mind) but you just need to learn these.

Wow thank you very much, good one, it's a relief to know there is a rule and it's quite simple !

No worries, but do have a look at AyG's expansion on the rule as s/he makes an important addition which I forgot where the short o is elongated to sound like อ. There are also the cases where an a (ะ) sound is made after the end of one syllable and before the following one such as in ศาสนา (saat-sa-naa). This happens because the letter ส acts as the final sound of the first syllable and the beginning sound of the second syllable. All of this comes with practise. Read lots and look up the words you're not sure of in something like Thai2English.com or the Paiboon series of dictionaries. The more you read the more automatic the rendering of these quirky words will become. ... and whatever you do, don't rely on the transcriptions into Roman text :-)

You'll be pleased to know that it's pretty much only o or a (though ฤ can make a short i sound such as in อังกฤษ)

Rule of thumb: if the word consists of just two consonants the omitted vowel is o, such as in ผม (pom)

If it is three consonants the first is a and the second is o, such as in ถนน (thanon)

There are some exceptions such as อยุธยา (Ayuthaya) and possibly words that begin with ห (however no examples come directly to mind) but you just need to learn these.

If they are the mother and father of friends of yours then คุณแม่ and คุณพ่อ is appropriate and polite.

For siblings of your friends who are of a similar age to you I would tend to use their names at first with the honorific คุณ if you don't know them too well. Once you get to know them then just their name, or as the Mosha suggests, พี่ or น้อง followed by their name is friendly and perfectly polite. Don't worry, they will soon let you know if you're getting it wrong.

ป้า and ลุง are good for older friends or family who are not necessarily blood related, but not for the mother and father of your friend. If you know their name use the ป้า and ลุง as honorifics to precede them. If not use คุณป้า and คุณลุง until such time as they tell you otherwise.

For a Happy Fathers Day สุขสันต์วันพ่อ (sùk săn wan pôr) will do it for you.

วันพ่อมีความสุข (wan pôr mee kwaam sùk) translates as something closer to 'wishing you happiness on father's day'.

A brother of a Bhum Jai Thai Party candidate for Lop Buri was gunned down in a broad day light in Chanasongkram district on Wednesday. Police believed the attack was politically motivated.

Seeking an expert opinion, one reporter contacted the police at the regional headquarters in Surat Thani, who, without bothering to investigate, emphatically concluded that he died by drowning.

Could just as easily be ฉันคิดตังค์คุณ 'I'm counting/calculating your money'

Too rate dtaa wa ai kwai

rak beer patoom wi lai maak mai

Did Abhisit really say "I can't believe that our children can be this stupid."?

Does anyone have the quote in Thai?

Why do you need it quoted in Thai? Abhisit is English?

jb1

Because I'm assuming that he made the quote in Thai. I find it unlikely that he used the term 'stupid'. Uneducated, possibly. Lacking in education, maybe. But 'stupid'?! I'd like to see the words he said rather than a possibly erroneous translation. That way I might avoid going off on some ill-informed stereotype riddled rant about Thai people.