I want to learn Thai language

[dinsdale]

15 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Write number down, Chang big, Chang big, point your finger at the picture in the menu, point at the calendar or show in mobile, point at the clock on your mobile. job done. ????

Hence why so many cannot even speak rudimentary Thai.????

[HAKAPALITA]

Teenagers are quit funny here. They have stupid language shortcuts, like the English "INIT BRO".  Copy and repeat them to older Thais your age and they are not amused. Best way to scare Kids from picking up English is start babling like a Brit Teacher, all Consonants, Verbs plu perfects, when i learned from BBC World Service back in 1957 basic Kings English.

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Hence why so many cannot even speak rudimentary Thai.????

I speak enough Thai to get by.

Funny to me some people wanted learn Thai, a retired German doctor in our village learnt Thai from kids books and from his wife.

On seeing him I said Oh ! you can speak to the neighbours, he said yes but not now they are so boring in conversation.

He said I have a Thai friend and speak with him, yes I said I know him he speaks English.

[mlkik]

On 10/28/2018 at 4:54 AM, blackhorse said:

100% depends where you live. I've seen farang practicing thai in busy English pubs on lower Sukhumvit and the waitress being seriously pissed off because she is to busy to be annoyed by some farang trying to impress and failing

If you live in isaan then you damn well better know your thai if only to over hear your extended family planning your demise and claiming your house.

I have been learning Thai for 27 years and can speak rather well. For over 2 years now I have lived in Isaan and the frustrating thing is they do not speak Thai they speak Lao.

[HAKAPALITA]

2 minutes ago, mlkik said:

I have been learning Thai for 27 years and can speak rather well. For over 2 years now I have lived in Isaan and the frustrating thing is they do not speak Thai they speak Lao.

That will set the whingers off. Dont tell the truth here.

[GinBoy2]

6 hours ago, mlkik said:

I have been learning Thai for 27 years and can speak rather well. For over 2 years now I have lived in Isaan and the frustrating thing is they do not speak Thai they speak Lao.

Thats silly, they all speak Thai, they just choose to speak Lao.

 

Remember for all kids when they are speaking Lao as they walk into school, as soon as they enter the classroom it’s all in Thai.

 

Reading and writing becomes difficult, because they transliterate. The write Lao, but with Thai script. You can’t buy a dictionary for that.

 

[HAKAPALITA]

1 minute ago, GinBoy2 said:

Thats silly, they all speak Thai, they just choose to speak Lao.

 

Remember for all kids when they are speaking Lao as they walk into school, as soon as they enter the classroom it’s all in Thai.

 

Reading and writing becomes difficult, because they transliterate. The write Lao, but with Thai script. You can’t buy a dictionary for that.

 

Sorry they dont, not all. Some dont even care about fine Thai.

[paulsingle]

My experience has been that learning the full set of consonants and vowels/vowel combinations has helped enormously. Wikepedia can help with this.

I don't hear very well so when I'm unsure of exactly how a word is being said I ask for it to be spelt in Thai. Transliteration can be very misleading.

YouTube has been my main teacher. Just search "learn Thai" and similar phrases and there is a wealth of very good free videos.

I try to remember to find opportunities to practice new vocabulary and phrases with my wife and her family or Thai friends when we're out and about.

I often check when my I learn new words from my wife whether they are Isaan or Thai words. Some Isaan words are completely different to their Thai counterparts. I ask her to please try and focus on Thai rather than Isaan but as we mostly frequent Isaan I do want to understand Isaan people so I pick that up too. I just want to try to make sure I know the difference.

I can read a quite a bit but I haven't learnt the consonant classes and associated tone rules so I can't tell which is the correct tone when I read a new word.

I think I'm now at "upper beginner level". I can hold simple conversations about everyday subjects but I can't follow the average Thai conversation.

[HAKAPALITA]

12 minutes ago, paulsingle said:

My experience has been that learning the full set of consonants and vowels/vowel combinations has helped enormously. Wikepedia can help with this.

I don't hear very well so when I'm unsure of exactly how a word is being said I ask for it to be spelt in Thai. Transliteration can be very misleading.

YouTube has been my main teacher. Just search "learn Thai" and similar phrases and there is a wealth of very good free videos.

I try to remember to find opportunities to practice new vocabulary and phrases with my wife and her family or Thai friends when we're out and about.

I often check when my I learn new words from my wife whether they are Isaan or Thai words. Some Isaan words are completely different to their Thai counterparts. I ask her to please try and focus on Thai rather than Isaan but as we mostly frequent Isaan I do want to understand Isaan people so I pick that up too. I just want to try to make sure I know the difference.

I can read a quite a bit but I haven't learnt the consonant classes and associated tone rules so I can't tell which is the correct tone when I read a new word.

I think I'm now at "upper beginner level". I can hold simple conversations about everyday subjects but I can't follow the average Thai conversation.

You got the right idea imo. You havnt fallen into the trap of believing what your family does reflects all NE Thais. EG, your Children can speak Thai at School and Esarn as well. True some do, but never mix the vast amount in outlying areas who skip School or drop out early. Over the years ive noticed English English teachers are either excellent teaching with Happy Talk or obsessed with showing how clever they are, and kids loose interest.

[GinBoy2]

14 hours ago, HAKAPALITA said:

Sorry they dont, not all. Some dont even care about fine Thai.

Well you might have a point in the real ‘Back of Beyond’, but think of it this way, without understanding Thai, kinda precludes you from watching any Thai TV...who can live without their nightly Lakorn?

 

Maybe because already spoke Thai, I really had no problem with Isaan Lao at all.

Fastest language I ever picked up in point of fact

[mlkik]

14 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Thats silly, they all speak Thai, they just choose to speak Lao.

 

 

 I posted that the frustrating thing was they do not speak Thai not that they could not speak Thai.

 

My point is is frustrating being able to speak Thai and not being able to understand people in my village when they are speaking Lao. I continually have to remind them I can speak Thai but not Lao.

When I talk with them of course they can understand Thai but as you say they choose not to.

Issaan Lao is natural for them but not for central Thai. When there are Lao speaking Issaan people on the TV they are subtitled for Thai people.

I am told that many older people in the village are embarrassed when speaking Thai as it is not their first language and they do not want to come over as being stupid if they pronounce things wrong.

I alway reply that me the farang should be the one thinking like that and not them.

Edited October 30, 2018 by mlkik

[HAKAPALITA]

2 minutes ago, mlkik said:

 I posted that the frustrating thing was they do not speak Thai not that they could not speak Thai.

 

My point is is frustrating being able to speak Thai and not being able to understand people in my village when they are speaking Lao. I continually have to remind them I can speak Thai but not Lao.

When I talk with them of course they can understand Thai but as you say they choose not to.

Issaan Lao is natural for them but not for central Thai. When there are Lao speaking Issaan people on the TV they are subtitled for Thai people.

One point rarely noticed there are also Lao dialects. Im down South now and hear some realy funny squeaky dialects.

[GinBoy2]

20 minutes ago, mlkik said:

 I posted that the frustrating thing was they do not speak Thai not that they could not speak Thai.

 

My point is is frustrating being able to speak Thai and not being able to understand people in my village when they are speaking Lao. I continually have to remind them I can speak Thai but not Lao.

When I talk with them of course they can understand Thai but as you say they choose not to.

Issaan Lao is natural for them but not for central Thai. When there are Lao speaking Issaan people on the TV they are subtitled for Thai people.

I am told that many older people in the village are embarrassed when speaking Thai as it is not their first language and they do not want to come over as being stupid if they pronounce things wrong.

I alway reply that me the farang should be the one thinking like that and not them.

A lot of it is that stupid kreng jai thing.

 

My wife's Grandma, 94 years old will not speak to me in Lao, even though it’s her first language. 

 

I understand and speak both, but in crazy world that is Thailand, she thinks speaking to me as a farang in Lao makes her sound LoSo...go figure!