Thai words that aren't really Thai

[EricTh]

6 hours ago, surfdog said:

losing the point on this thread.. still planning on speaking Thai without the formal registrar (aka 'Indian' words)?  You really going to go around referring to yourself as 'gu' and other people as 'meung'? 

 

We have to 'unbrainwash' what they were told that those words are rude and that it's perfectly normal to use them just like 'i' and 'you'.

 

Most of the time, average Thai people just use 'brother' to me which I find annoying since I am not that close to them to be called 'bro'.

 

Nobody uses "Khun" with me except for Thai teachers so the Thai teachers don't teach practical Thai.

 

 

 

[tgeezer]

18 hours ago, surfdog said:

also forgot to mention, referring to yourself as 'pom' routinely to people you know may seem snobby, but a foreigner speaking Thai is likely always forgiven, it is a lesson that only a Thai friend could teach you.  The proper way to address yourself between people you know is by your first name or nickname, but if possible do not use a subject at all, subject deletion is a key part of Thai grammar, inserting the subject is a common mistake.  Advance Thai writers consider subject deletion a part of intelligent writing, but for me it makes Thai dissertations unbearable to read.

 

simple example of subject deletion:

เมื่อวานผมไปทำงานที่เซ็นทรัล

more natural:  เมื่อวานไปทำงานที่เซ็นทรัล

So not saying subject deletion is better, but it is more normal, as the speaker the context is clear that you are talking about yourself.  However Thai people often have to ask for clarification or confirmation about 'who' went where or did what.

I agree with all of this but would go further. If English is to be the benchmark by which Thai is judged then of course it is difficult to understand, Thai has had English grammar foisted upon it and as English speakers we find it difficult to understand without grammar. 

Take เมื่อวานนี้, I am glad to see that you have not added นี้ but why have เมื่อ ?

It should be possible to introduce a noun meaning the day before today -วาน then to say something about it. วัน needs an adjective but พรุ่ง วาน วานซืน are determinate. Compare วันนี้ทำงาน “This day do work.”

วานทำงาน.  “Yesterday do work” .  

Since it is information, ‘I’ must be the subject unless the listener knows otherwise.  Similarly วานทำงานหรือไม่ the subject must be คุณ. 

 วานไปทำงาน adds that you do not work where you live. To add a place เซนทรัล means that you don’t usually work at that place.  

ที่ is there because there because a verb cannot have two objects in English. 

วานทำงาน + วานไปเซนทรัล = วานทำงานเซนทรัล

if the conversation is not taking place in Cantral then ไป becomes unnecessary, ที่ is also unnecessary. 

If you start with English; How do you say “Yesterday I went to work at Central” you could end up with เมื่อวานนี้ผมได้ไปทำงานที่เซนทรัล which is a word for word translation or Thai-grit. 

I am not claiming that all Thais speak as little as this but that all Thais will understand it. Our language could be why some Thais see verbosity in what we say. 

 

 

I realise that it is difficult to unravel Thai and that it can be dismissed by คนไทยไม่พูด but as we know not all people speak the same way.  

[EricTh]

Moderator, please close this topic. This thread will only invite some trolls.

[cmsally]

16 minutes ago, EricTh said:

Moderator, please close this topic. This thread will only invite some trolls.

Topic has been closed as per OP's request.