Recommend A Book For Our Thai Class

[UKJASE]

Hi Guys, we are studying at present, but the book we are using is dated, and a lot of the language is formal, or no longer used.  Could anyone recommend a good book that we could use, that is more modern and relevant to today's language.

 

We have typically been studying for 18 months or so, and can read and write at a basic level.

 

Thanks in advance guys and good luck with your learning ????

[BigT73]

Keeping in the direction the country is taking, I would recommend mein kampf.  Not sure if it was written in english though.

[tgeezer]

The language will always be understood whether it is 'in date' or not. The important thing is to be fluent.


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[from the home of CC]

Fahrenheit 451

[tifino]

get the complete series of Asterix and Obelix

 

One set in Thai: Google: (asterix and obelix Thai)

 

and another set in your home language

 

 

combines features out of:

villagelife

humour,

drama 

modern and older style grammar

 

 

even from here, for in e-book form:

  https://issuu.com/search?q=asterix obelix

 

 

 

 

 

[UKJASE]

The class are looking for a book aimed at students, that is up to date, and relevant, plus maybe fun to learn with too would be a bonus

 

Even the teacher said the other day "a lot of these ways of speaking are not really used any more" and that our current book is "boring".

 

Just wondered if anyone else was studying in a classroom environment, or studying alone using a school learning type book, and could recommend their book to us.

 

At a previous school we used Thai For Beginners, by Benjawan Poomsan Becker, and i thought that was good.  We are now at intermediate level though, with some ablity to read and write, so will have maybe outgrown this book now.............

[digbeth]

Just to clarify you are looking for Thai language books for class that studies Thai as a second language right?

 

 

[UKJASE]

2 hours ago, digbeth said:

Just to clarify you are looking for Thai language books for class that studies Thai as a second language right?

 

 

yes, we are all students on education visa's, at a thai language school.  we have all learnt basic reading and writing in the last few months.  or speaking is beginner to intermediate i would say

[digbeth]

How confident are you in tackling novels and thick books? 

The works of Kukrit Pramoj is good and should be available in most bookshop, 

There's a collected anthology of short stories that's should be managable, should contain Mom

Bigger novels are Four Reigns and Many Lives which has English translation

 

This is recommended reading for High school level Thai, although the dialog in them are old fashioned but it should give a good context of Thai culture 

[JimmyJ]

Is the class part of a school with different locations in Thailand?

 

Do you recommend the school?

[tgeezer]

The class are looking for a book aimed at students, that is up to date, and relevant, plus maybe fun to learn with too would be a bonus
 
Even the teacher said the other day "a lot of these ways of speaking are not really used any more" and that our current book is "boring".
 
Just wondered if anyone else was studying in a classroom environment, or studying alone using a school learning type book, and could recommend their book to us.
 
At a previous school we used Thai For Beginners, by Benjawan Poomsan Becker, and i thought that was good.  We are now at intermediate level though, with some ablity to read and write, so will have maybe outgrown this book now.............

I think that you need a better teacher or a better school. If you are going to be examined on what you have learnt then "a lot of these ways of speaking are not really used any more" won’t do. If you are not working toward exams then ask for an explanation, how would it be said nowadays? That will be anything but boring.
I went to self study without English books after a few months at the AUA. For self study of the fundamentals I have several soft cover schoolbooks I started at about ป๑ but have thrown away all of them. One here I see on my shelf is ถาษาไทย ม๑ I haven’t read it all, it was handy for orthography and grammar and being school books the price was right. If I were in a class of people who wanted to study Thai I should think that school books would be an excellent recreational activity, if not actually used in class, your teacher would be quite comfortable selectively teaching from such books I am sure.
I think that people would be satisfied and surprised at how wonderful the feeling is to make your own discoveries about a language in that language.


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[sharktooth]

Anything by Irvine Welsh

[UKJASE]

still no book recommended guys......  there must be someone on here who is / has studied at an beginner / intermediate level, where the students can read a little bit, but have not been doing it for so long, in a classroom environment, that could recommend the book that their class used..... ?

 

we dont want novels or story books, but a study book / study aid type book

 

it would be great if someone could help, as our current book is dull and dated

[DavidHouston]

I agree with Digbeth. Read "ช้างในชีวิตของผม" (Elephants in My Life) by คึกฤทธิ์ ปราโมช (Khukrit Pramote). This is a series of short stories aimed as young readers, but these are not "children's" stories. Another wonderful set of short stories by the same author is "เพื่อนนอน".

Have a wonderful reading experience with these books and stories!

See: http://www.chulabook.com/description.asp?barcode=9789746905145
http://www.chulabook.com/speedsearch.asp?keyword=เพื่อนนอน&Option1=alltitle&x=31&y=13

Edited January 25, 2019 by DavidHouston

[mlkik]

You mentioned at a previous school you used Beckers Thai for beginners. So why not try Beckers Thai for intermediate and then her Thai for advanced books.

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by mlkik

[UKJASE]

41 minutes ago, DavidHouston said:

I agree with Digbeth. Read "ช้างในชีวิตของผม" (Elephants in My Life) by คึกฤทธิ์ ปราโมช (Khukrit Pramote). This is a series of short stories aimed as young readers, but these are not "children's" stories. Another wonderful set of short stories by the same author is "เพื่อนนอน".

Have a wonderful reading experience with these books and stories!

See: http://www.chulabook.com/description.asp?barcode=9789746905145
http://www.chulabook.com/speedsearch.asp?keyword=เพื่อนนอน&Option1=alltitle&x=31&y=13

our class is only at a beginner / intermediate level at the minute, so we would not have the ability or the vocabulary to read stories yet.  We still need study books to help us practice very basic reading, and learn structure and vocabulary.  

 

If and when we get to advanced reading abilty though, i will be sure to look up these books you both recommend.  thank you

[capo 5]

I noticed that milkit recommended Thai for intermediate learners and Thai for Advanced learners by Becker. I have used both these books and they are very good either for learning on your own or in a classroom enviroment.

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[tgeezer]

I have never tried this before so. hope that it works.
Here is a book. If you can work out what is on the cover then you need this book.


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[nebuer]

I've seen foreigners using the childrens books Mana Manee มานะ มานี - there are 12 books. Beginner reading with spaces between words. Seems like there is audio for them also.

 

Just looked it up and looks like Thai kids use them in elementary school for reading practice.

 

Example - http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Thai/maanii/menu/default.htm

[Gene1960]

I have never tried this before so. hope that it works.
Here is a book. If you can work out what is on the cover then you need this book.


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How this Thai etiquette book is relevant to a farang learning Thai language?

[RJRS1301]

Does anyone know of a Thai Language course in Phitsanulok which I could enrol in please??

 

[tgeezer]

How this Thai etiquette book is relevant to a farang learning Thai language?

It is written in basic Thai. Plenty of words crop up time and again.
It has cartoons to help understand the Thai.
It is an introduction to the culture of Thailand.
It is just another book, and one can't read too many books.



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[digbeth]

On 1/26/2019 at 3:41 PM, nebuer said:

I've seen foreigners using the childrens books Mana Manee มานะ มานี - there are 12 books. Beginner reading with spaces between words. Seems like there is audio for them also.

 

Just looked it up and looks like Thai kids use them in elementary school for reading practice.

 

Example - http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Thai/maanii/menu/default.htm

That is a good series, I don't think they used them in schools anymore though so that makes it hard to find and there seems to be nostaligia induced collecting from the 80's child brigade that makes good copies quite expensive