ป 6 Thai Exam

[taxexile]

does anybody have any knowledge of the por 6 thai exam ?

have any of you taken it, and if so what exactly did it entail, is it a two hour exam,a three hour exam etc.etc.

i'm particularly interested in finding how much dictation and writing is involved.

thanks for any info.

[PvtDick]

I took it in December. It took all morning and part of the afternoon, and had sections on dictation, composition, reading comprehension, and reading aloud.

If you visit the Ministry of Education, you can pick up information which details exactly how long each section lasts and how each is weighted point-wise.

[taxexile]

thanks for that pvtdick.

[Boon Mee]

I heard it's given just once a year in the fall?

[PvtDick]

Right, just once a year. Last year it was during the first week of December. Results are announced a month or two later.

I was surprised at the number of foreigners sitting for it: almost 300 of them (the majority Chinese and Japanese, it seemed).

[taxexile]

just wondering, but do they have "agents" waiting outside the exam room, (similar to the ones found hanging around the driving licence/test centres and various immigration offices) offering to expedite the procedure for you?

[PvtDick]

I'm not sure whether you're joking or not...but no.

[taxexile]

yes i was joking,

but i was strangely disappointed to know that no such "agents" exist.

[Boon Mee]

Right, just once a year. Last year it was during the first week of December. Results are announced a month or two later.

I was surprised at the number of foreigners sitting for it: almost 300 of them (the majority Chinese and Japanese, it seemed).

Out of curosity, how many Americans were taking the exam when you did it?

Cheers,

Boon Mee

[PvtDick]

I couldn't tell their nationalities by looking at them, but of the approximately 275 people taking the test, I'd say that around 75 or 100 were farangs. The rest Asians.

[Mocksy]

After learning a little Manderin and currently learning Thai, I guess for Chinese, Thai would be a simpler step for them than for native English speakers. my GF is always in stitches when I talk to her on the phone in Thai (or try I guess)

[chanchao]

So.. how difficult is this test? What are some example questions/assignments for the test? Is it every bit the same as what 11-12 year old Thai kids learn or is it different in some way? Does it include the typical Thai educational staples of being able to write down the full name of Bangkok, the national anthem, name all Chakri Kings and so on?

Cheers,

Chanchao

[PvtDick]

No, it does not cover any specific knowledge. Only language.

The essay question was something like, "describe what you feel are the best qualities of the Thai people". The dictation paragraph, I think, was a piece on Thai fruits and vegetables. There was also a letter writing section, where we were asked to write a letter to a friend at home inviting them to visit Thailand (you must use correct letter format for this part).

I can't remember what the reading aloud section was on, but it was nothing too technical.

So, basically, you must be able to read, write, and express yourself in the Thai language to the sixth grade level. I'd say you'd need two to three years of intensive, serious Thai classes in order to pass it.

If anyone is interested in taking the exam, I'd suggest contacting Nisa Language School on Soi Yenakart. They are good at helping students prepare for the exam, and have lots and lots of examples to practice with from past tests. I did a two-week refresher with them before the test, and found their help invaluable.

[chanchao]

Hmmm... could do all of that to the point that it's readable, perhaps even an interesting read/insight for Thais, but I'd also make horrendous spelling mistakes.. MS Word & Google help me a lot normally, but to write something without any aid.. . . . yup, would need to study. :-)

Cheers,

Chanchao

[Padkapow Guy]

Has anybody learned thai in their home country before moving to Thailand?

I am having a hard time learning thai in the states, I think it's because there aren't enough Thai's around for me to practice with. When I was in Thailand for 6 months I did not really study thai but I seem to pick it up fairly fast. Now that I am in the states and studying thai it does not seem to be as easy. Iseem to lose what I have learned quickly if I stop for a couple of weeks.

If anyone has any tips I sure could use them, other than stop spending so much time on thaivisa and more time on learning thai. ( thought I save someone the trouble of replying with that one)

[taxexile]

try getting one of the thai cable channels that are available out of thailand.

they have them in the uk so i'm sure they must have them in the states.

24 hours of soaps,news and fruit carving !!

but its all in thai !

[Padkapow Guy]

Good Idea. My friends have it so I know it is available.

Thanks

pkpw guy

[meadish_sweetball]

Yep, cable TV is a good idea. I did not have it myself, but let a friend tape 24 hours of VHS cassettes from a Thai satellite channel, which was very convenient since I could skip the commercial breaks and concentrate on the programs I was interested in.

Recorded current affairs shows and news may be good to watch and go back to again and again over time (although their "current" value of course is no more), until you know them backwards and forwards - using them as a blueprint as your Thai develops - you will start to recognize words and constructions they use, and will be able to place these constructions into a frame of reference, you will hear how the speakers structure their sentences and what rhythm they use when they speak, and will to some extent also learn body language/lack thereof. All in all, TV can be a great medium for language learning.

You should also attempt to befriend the local Thais at the Thai restaurant (there seems to be one most everywhere these days), which will give you the chance to practice speaking and hearing comprehension and learn more about Thai culture, by people who have experience of both sides of the ocean - very valuable and should be fun as well. Befriending these people may prove very valuable to you in the future for other reasons too.

I used to tune into Thai web radio a few years ago when I was still studying Thai in Sweden, and leave it on while I was online - this is a great way of keeping your ears exposed to Thai - while it won't teach you any vocabulary as such, it will give you examples of how people speak, and you will keep yourself updated on the "rhythm" of the language in your head, which is good when you are sitting there by yourself.

Language learning is all about exposure, practice, and repetition. The more you study (from and with different mediums, using ears, eyes, hands and whatever parts of your body you think may be helpful) and the more you expose yourself to Thai in all its forms, the better your Thai will get.

[Boon Mee]

Has anybody learned thai in their home country before moving to Thailand?

I am having a hard time learning thai in the states, I think it's because there aren't enough Thai's around for me to practice with. When I was in Thailand for 6 months I did not really study thai but I seem to pick it up fairly fast. Now that I am in the states and studying thai it does not seem to be as easy. Iseem to lose what I have learned quickly if I stop for a couple of weeks.

If anyone has any tips I sure could use them, other than stop spending so much time on thaivisa and more time on learning thai. ( thought I save someone the trouble of replying with that one)

If you live in a city with Thai Restaurants, hang out with the waitreses. Practice the language and get a good meal at the same time. Also, you could pick up one of those free-to-air TV receivers and a 36" dish and get the Thai Army Channel 24 hours a day. There's also another Thai channel out of LA that's on 24/7. Think it's channel 58 & the Army one is 68.

[Richard W]

Has anybody learned thai in their home country ...

If anyone has any tips I sure could use them.

Necessity helps. My Thai improved dramatically when I had to communicate with my girlfriend (now my wife) in Thai (reading, writing, speaking and listening). It's degenerating now my wife insisists that we speak in English. However, even at its best other Thais considered my Thai a torment and would ask me to switch to English.

[Richard W]

try getting one of the thai cable channels that are available out of thailand.

they have them in the uk...

Are they available in the UK by cable, or just by broadband internet?

[taxexile]

its a satellite channel , we didnt have it when we lived there, but thai friends did.

most thai restaurants (at least those with thai owners )seem to know someone who can "fix" the satellite systems there to pick up the thai channels, along with chinese channels too. if you live in north london try asking around amongst the shopkeepers in oriental city in colindale.

[simon43]

A great way to learn to read Thai is by .. wait for it .. watching Thai karaoke DVDs!! My Thai GF bought some DVDs which feature wishy-washy romantic songs from the TV soaps. she insists on singing along to them

But as I was trying to cover my ears I suddenlt realised that this was a great way to improve my reading abilty. These slow love songs allow me to follow what is being said/sung, plus you have the Thai words at the bottom of the TV screen which change colour as that word is sung. And some of these DVDs even have a literal pronounciation of the Thai in the roman alphabet.

So this is certainly helping me to read Thai. But the downside is that I am slowly being driven mad by my GF's bad singing

[Richard W]

And some of these DVDs even have a literal pronounciation of the Thai in the roman alphabet.

Is that the standard for texting Thai in the Roman alphabet?

Some of the transliterations are far from obvious e.g. <urie> for เอ๋ย.

[dfwbkk]

A great way to learn to read Thai is by .. wait for it .. watching Thai karaoke DVDs!! My Thai GF bought some DVDs which feature wishy-washy romantic songs from the TV soaps. she insists on singing along to them

But as I was trying to cover my ears I suddenlt realised that this was a great way to improve my reading abilty. These slow love songs allow me to follow what is being said/sung, plus you have the Thai words at the bottom of the TV screen which change colour as that word is sung. And some of these DVDs even have a literal pronounciation of the Thai in the roman alphabet.

So this is certainly helping me to read Thai. But the downside is that I am slowly being driven mad by my GF's bad singing

Simon, I find this method excellent myself.

A definite winner in terms of picking up the language (combined with a decent dictionary of course understanding the various meanings of each word, since most words as we know them can have a second or third meaning as well).

It also brings me a strange sense of satisfaction to (should you ever find yourself in a karaoke bar?) point to a thai song in the meny when the people around you demand that the farang sings a song or two... - ohooo, farang rong pleng thai duay loh!!

/// DFW

[konangrit]

try getting one of the thai cable channels that are available out of thailand.

they have them in the uk...

Are they available in the UK by cable, or just by broadband internet?

Available in Europe by satellite. Thai TV Global Network broadcasts free to air from Eutelsat Hotbird (13 degrees East) along with hundreds of other foreign and English language TV and radio stations. A 70 cm dish should be ok to pick up this satellite from England, may be less. I would guess that a free to air (FTA) receiver and dish would cost about 200 GBP installed, and no monthly fees to pay unlike Sky. Don't expect much in the way of entertainment from the English language channels, but a few news stations on there. Just go into any satellite TV store and tell them you want a system to pick up the Thai channel on hotbird, they'll know what you mean, it's a fairly standard set up. They'll probably be able to give you an in-store demonstration of what you'll be able to get.

Thai TV Global Network: http://www.thaitvglobal.com/index.asp

Eutelsat Hotbird: http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/4_2_1.html

[chanchao]

> Is that the standard for texting Thai in the Roman alphabet?

There is no one standard for texting Thai in the Roman alphabet. The Thai government uses one for passports, but this one is not even one of the better ones. And just look at any road signs to see how strict other branches of government stick to the "standard"... You may see one transliteration on one sign, and a completely different one on the next sign a couple of miles down the road.

> Some of the transliterations are far from obvious e.g. <urie> for เอ๋ย.

Yeah, I really hate that one. Used in Karaoke song subtitles especially, it seems. And it SUCKS! I already think that 'R' should never appear in a roman transliteration if there wasn't a Thai R-ruea in the word. So no things like 'larb' for that spicy north eastern minced meat dish. And ESPECIALLY no bullshit like 'urie' for what you just said, or 'arawy' for delicious (aroi).

Cheers,

Chanchao

[meadish_sweetball]

Another word of warning about the karaoke CDs too - not so few of the lûuk thûng songs are actually in Lao (albeit sometimes adjusted) and not in central Thai. Still, they help with speeding up reading, even if the vocabulary is wrong.

The transliteration is crap though, khrap.

[Richard W]

> Is that the standard for texting Thai in the Roman alphabet?

There is no one standard for texting Thai in the Roman alphabet.

By texting, I meant sending by a text message on a mobile form. There used to be requests at thai-language.com for translation of messages in Thai written using the Roman script. The spelling was weird, and I wondered where it was coming from.

[simon43]

As mentioned by others, the trans-literation of Thai into the Roman alphabet varies like crazy!! The karaoke DVDs certainly don't use any 'official' trans-literation.

In fact, although I initially started to learn to speak Thai by reading the trans-literation in the phrase-book, I don't use this at all now because the variation was so great. I think it's much better to slog through a few hard lessons with a Thai teacher so that you can actually read Thai without trans-literations.