Being Ignored - Do you say anything?

[smutcakes]

21 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

When I went out with my wife I expected her to deal with the Thai staff. However, I do not speak conversational Thai.

 

Back in the home country the thing that bugs me about staff is ageism. The young people working as staff sometimes dislike dealing with old people and make it pretty clear. Too stupid to realise they will get old themselves. At least that does not appear to be a problem in LOS.

Reading this thread, can you blame them?

[jak2002003]

On ‎08‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 4:24 AM, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

And transliteration is exact ? Have a look at the signposts.

L and R is the easiest to point out. I did a High Thai language course, but is a waste of time in normal conversation.

I knew some smart ar5e would try to say I don't speak Thai well enough.

Have you considered regional accents and colloquial expressions?

If you think you are an expert then you should know in the official translation is "Chai" with a "ch", but that depends on what you read.

"Jai" can mean heart, "Jai dee" for instance. But tone is only important if you speak words as there are five to learn. Try some Thai toung twisters:

"Dogs and horses come over the hill."

Tones really count for little if you can speak in a sentence.

 

Try that if you can...

 

"It 'jai' not 'Chai'"

Take a look at your English while your at it...

 

 

Sorry to upset you.  I was not trying to be a 'smart ar5e'.  I am not saying my Thai language skills are any better than yours.

 

I was only suggesting that if you said what you said you did in your post they would not have been able to understand you. 'Chai' sounds noting like 'Jai'.  

 

And, sorry to disagree, but tones are VERY important, even in a sentence.  And, surly you could guess my 'it' instead of 'it's' was a simple typo, like you don't spell arse with a number 5.  

 

I have no idea what a 'High Thai' language course is.  I only did a normal Thai language, reading, writing, speaking course for 4 years, and only have the limited experience of speaking Thai every day for about 10 years....(living here full time) and, yes, I still get things wrong!  

 

PS, if you can't understand how to sing a pop song using a tonal language you really can't expect people to take you advise about how the Thai language works.  

 

 

Edited November 10, 2017 by jak2002003

[Thongkorn]

Easy solution, Like i do , My wife tells them to talk to me not her,

[Neeranam]

23 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

I learned it from my wife's fellow gang members/brothers.

My wife and I often shout it at each other, along with many other choice Thai favourites.

Mare mung see marr see damn ..... is another good one (replace the first 'see' with 'sam hee' if recipient doesn't speak Laos/Issan)

 

Don't forget goo, mung, eee, iii and a wa to replace 'cap' on the end.

Unbelievable. Like telling a Thai to get a job on a building site to learn English.

Edited November 11, 2017 by Neeranam

[Neeranam]

22 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

More like 'rawn' as it  has sara 'awe' in the middle.

Completely useless trying to pronounce or even guess Thai words from transliteration, everyone should be forced to learn  the Thai alphabet.

Transliteration systems help many beginners.

Can you read Thai?

Never seen you much in the Thai language forum.

 

[MaeJoMTB]

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

Transliteration systems help many beginners.

Can you read Thai?

Never seen you much in the Thai language forum.

I try to forget all my Thai language, a complete waste of time, wish I'd concentrated on learning Spanish.

[Stradavarius37]

If that is the worst life has to throw at you, count your blessings.

Sent from my SM-N920C using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 10/11/2017 at 9:08 AM, kenk24 said:

why is that a problem or difficult to understand... just listen to any Thai song and you should have a good example. Listen to Karabou or Loso... tones are intonations and notes are notes... using a high tone in A or E doesn't really effect the pronunciation, does it? I am surely not an expert in this and maybe I am misunderstanding you, but not sure what one has to do with the other. 

I am as I said confining it to none traditional songs, only western style "pop". That musical notes have not really got much to do with "tones" I concede, but it is difficult, nigh on impossible, to combine the two while singing pop or rock.

You must have very fine hearing to define five tones in the lyrics of a heavy rock song sung in Thai.

 

It is hard enough in English:

 

https://www.popdust.com/50-of-the-best-or-worst-misquoted-song-lyrics-ever-1889763128.html

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 10/11/2017 at 12:20 PM, MaeJoMTB said:

More like 'rawn' as it  has sara 'awe' in the middle.

Completely useless trying to pronounce or even guess Thai words from transliteration, everyone should be forced to learn  the Thai alphabet.

Just clear this up. I don't speak "bargirl Thai", but over the years have tried to study all the different dialects that you find in Bangkok.

After reading some of your other posts I guess you have a good grasp and must be fairly fluent to the point you are almost always understood.

Some of the other posts are good too, as you can come across people that are just not listening, as well as you speak a simple request they ignore what you say because all they see is a white face. I don't look  like a backpacker, and after asking the price of something in Thai I am presented with a calculator... as if I have no knowledge of even Thai numbers.

Has that never happened to you over the years?

That was the OP question I think?

Cheers. G

 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

On 10/11/2017 at 5:50 PM, jak2002003 said:

Sorry to upset you.  I was not trying to be a 'smart ar5e'.  I am not saying my Thai language skills are any better than yours.

 

I was only suggesting that if you said what you said you did in your post they would not have been able to understand you. 'Chai' sounds noting like 'Jai'.  

 

And, sorry to disagree, but tones are VERY important, even in a sentence.  And, surly you could guess my 'it' instead of 'it's' was a simple typo, like you don't spell arse with a number 5.  

 

I have no idea what a 'High Thai' language course is.  I only did a normal Thai language, reading, writing, speaking course for 4 years, and only have the limited experience of speaking Thai every day for about 10 years....(living here full time) and, yes, I still get things wrong!  

 

PS, if you can't understand how to sing a pop song using a tonal language you really can't expect people to take you advise about how the Thai language works.  

 

 

Well, I did a six month course before I came here to live in 1990.

It was no help with the people I was dealing with at the time, but has helped me recognise mistakes, particularly the obvious mistakes you can make in better educated company, a little later.

 

Working here for many years I have found Bangkok is serviced by folk from all parts of the country with different accents and colloquialisms.

I am saying you have more to learn every day, and living in a less cosmopolitan area where everyone has the same inflection will provide a narrow view of the language.

As has been pointed out by others, "Ron" is incorrect in any type of transliteration or regional dialect for "hot".

A last comment on language: "Ch" is nearer to general pronunciation than "J" in "I don't understand" (please check the Thai alphabet as suggested).

Okay, we all make typos (advise or advice?), sorry but you were being picky and it needed to be pointed out. Spelling out "arse" usually is <deleted> and it was no mistake.

I said before, discussion is interesting, I don't come on TV solely for an argument.

PS. Please see my post #128 about singing.

All the best, G.

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[balo]

I don't understand the topic.

I have never been ignored at restaurants and places where I pay for a service.  I am in control of the wallet , I ask for "check bin", and they hand back the change to me .

 

I speak little Thai so I check if they understand my English first . 

 

 

, 

[MaeJoMTB]

1 hour ago, balo said:

I don't understand the topic.

I have never been ignored at restaurants and places where I pay for a service.  I am in control of the wallet , I ask for "check bin", and they hand back the change to me .

 

I speak little Thai so I check if they understand my English first . 

 

You ain't speaking Thai when you say 'check  bin' either, that's American pidgin .... 'Canna have the check please'.

Thai  is 'gep tang'.

[Been there done that]

3 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

 

You ain't speaking Thai when you say 'check  bin' either, that's American pidgin .... 'Canna have the check please'.

Thai  is 'gep tang'.

Krap !

 

Dont forget to stay polite. I ee 5 

[grollies]

28 minutes ago, Been there done that said:

Krap !

 

Dont forget to stay polite. I ee 5 

Nope, dead right.

[tingtongtourist]

On 11/5/2017 at 5:48 PM, MrPatrickThai said:

I work as a translator and have no idea what you are saying.

I done years at Thai school and i could not work out this

 "paw mung Thai" either 

 

I presume - Paw - he means father?

Maybe the Mung..maybe he meant -muang-

 

He means he is a father in Thailand??

[MaeJoMTB]

12 minutes ago, tingtongtourist said:

I done years at Thai school and i could not work out this

 "paw mung Thai" either 

 

I presume - Paw - he means father?

Maybe the Mung..maybe he meant -muang-

 

He means he is a father in Thailand??

mung - impolite term for you (goo - impolite term for I), dtaay - die

It's hard typing Thai when you aren't allowed to use Thai script.

 

What sort of teacher has never heard the kids saying it to each other?

Not to mention naming themselves in 'bargirl talk'.

Edited November 12, 2017 by MaeJoMTB

[tingtongtourist]

Sorry, but like you said, this is a good example why you must read Thai for real, as writing this word as 'mung'

So how to pronounce the "u" sound? As many farang pronounciation sound a lot different and sometimes the same!

Im sure mods dont mind thai text if we try to study this
มุง 
มุ่ง 
มุ้ง 
มัง
มั่ง 
มั้ง
มั๊ง

 

Or do you mean "mun" 

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, balo said:

I don't understand the topic.

I have never been ignored at restaurants and places where I pay for a service.  I am in control of the wallet , I ask for "check bin", and they hand back the change to me .

 

I speak little Thai so I check if they understand my English first . 

 

 

, 

I have found that people not working in bars don't always understand "check bin", so in restaurants I just mimic writing and in supermarkets and shops I don't have to say anything other than "kop khun khrap" anyway.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, tingtongtourist said:

Sorry, but like you said, this is a good example why you must read Thai for real, as writing this word as 'mung'

So how to pronounce the "u" sound? As many farang pronounciation sound a lot different and sometimes the same!

Im sure mods dont mind thai text if we try to study this
มุง 
มุ่ง 
มุ้ง 
มัง
มั่ง 
มั้ง
มั๊ง

 

Or do you mean "mun" 
 

How did a thread about service in a restaurant degenerate into a Thai language debate? Also, most of us don't understand Thai writing.

[jak2002003]

46 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

How did a thread about service in a restaurant degenerate into a Thai language debate? Also, most of us don't understand Thai writing.

Then take a few minutes a day to understand it... it's not as difficult as it looks.  And, if you are living here (not just on holiday) it seems really lazy and rude not to even know some basic reading and speaking.  How would you like it if people came to your home country and did not even attempt to speak, or read your language after several years of living there?  

 

Also, it will make your life much easier and reduce a lot of the misunderstandings most farangs seem to get upset about here.  

Edited November 12, 2017 by jak2002003

[thaibeachlovers]

12 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Then take a few minutes a day to understand it... it's not as difficult as it looks.  And, if you are living here (not just on holiday) it seems really lazy and rude not to even know some basic reading and speaking.  How would you like it if people came to your home country and did not even attempt to speak, or read your language after several years of living there?  

 

Also, it will make your life much easier and reduce a lot of the misunderstandings most farangs seem to get upset about here.  

LOL. Your reply is just as off topic as all the Thai language posts.

The topic is "being ignored do you say anything", not how tones are written or whatever.

I wouldn't care if someone couldn't speak English in my country, but they'd have a terrible time living there.

 

BTW, I know as much spoken Thai as I need to get by.

[jak2002003]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. Your reply is just as off topic as all the Thai language posts.

The topic is "being ignored do you say anything", not how tones are written or whatever.

I wouldn't care if someone couldn't speak English in my country, but they'd have a terrible time living there.

 

BTW, I know as much spoken Thai as I need to get by.

OK, I'll explain to you why this is relevant to the topic so you can understand.

 

Many posters have suggested the reason a farang is being ignored in the first place is because the Thai people who are serving them in shops, restaurants, etc, know they will not be able to communicate with them... due to their lack of basic Thai language.  So, naturally they will speak to their Thai wives, family, rather than get into a pointless and confusing discussion with some farang who will not be able to communicate with them.

 

 

Get the idea?

 

Also, other posters think they can speak Thai and get angry when the Thai people don't understand them... when the problem is probably because they farang can not speak Thai well, correctly, or clearly because of the tonal nature of the language, or because they can't structure the sentence correctly to make themselves understood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2017 by jak2002003

[JLCrab]

If I go into a restaurant by myself where no one speaks English and verbally order a ham sandwich and 5 minutes later out comes a ham sandwich, I will presume that they understood me.

[1FinickyOne]

3 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

If I go into a restaurant by myself where no one speaks English and verbally order a ham sandwich and 5 minutes later out comes a ham sandwich, I will presume that they understood me.

Thai are much more intuitive than people give them credit for... I would more likely assume you just looked like you wanted a ham sandwich... 

[JLCrab]

I started learning Chinese almost 50 years ago.

[MaeJoMTB]

1 hour ago, jak2002003 said:

How would you like it if people came to your home country and did not even attempt to speak, or read your language after several years of living there?    

If they're tourists and other transients like us in Thailand, who would care.

And in Thailand English is their official 2nd language.

Edited November 12, 2017 by MaeJoMTB

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

22 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

 

You ain't speaking Thai when you say 'check  bin' either, that's American pidgin .... 'Canna have the check please'.

Thai  is 'gep tang'.

True, but I have been told it is not polite to say that, so I stopped using it.

I let the wife ask these days where they don't know me, and she says that...

 

Edited November 12, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

12 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Then take a few minutes a day to understand it... it's not as difficult as it looks.  And, if you are living here (not just on holiday) it seems really lazy and rude not to even know some basic reading and speaking.  How would you like it if people came to your home country and did not even attempt to speak, or read your language after several years of living there?  

 

Also, it will make your life much easier and reduce a lot of the misunderstandings most farangs seem to get upset about here.  

If only.........

UK is full of non-English speakers, so is the US I understand.

Making an effort and speaking some Thai is much appreciated here, but they don't really want you to know too much as they can't talk about you in front of your face.

I have had the pleasure of putting some right about abusing Farangs after they vented their xenophobia thinking I have no idea what they were saying.

The local check-out girls etc warn people I speak Thai these days.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Misunderstanding, never a problem...

 

 

AI is here.

Marvin says it's going to be fun driving you home after a skin full.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2017 by George FmplesdaCosteedback

[Been there done that]

2 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

If only.........

UK is full of non-English speakers, so is the US I understand.

Making an effort and speaking some Thai is much appreciated here, but they don't really want you to know too much as they can't talk about you in front of your face.

I have had the pleasure of putting some right about abusing Farangs after they vented their xenophobia thinking I have no idea what they were saying.

The local check-out girls etc warn people I speak Thai these days.

 

 

Trust is in the eye of the beholder.