Brewster67 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) I suppose this one goes out to all the farang out there who have had half Thai kids here. I have been here a few years yet I only have a smattering of the Thai language, I can get by, but I am in no way fluent, I have problems with the tones and the fact one word has many meanings depending on the tone. My wife hasn't been much help because she likes to speak English whenever she can... We had a child about 5 months ago and I am a bit concerned that I am going to have trouble communicating with him... I speak pure English to him all the time and everyone else uses Thai. How did other farang get around this?... Do you have to sit them down and give them intensive English language lessons or does it just come naturally to them? Edited March 19, 2019 by Brewster67 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jackdd Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 Afaik children pick up languages very easily, so he should have no problems communicating with you if you just regularly talk with him in english If he speaks english with you he does of course get used to the way you speak, and learns only the words which you use. So when he gets a bit older you should probably make sure he also gets english input from other sources, be it friends, books, watching movies, or whatever else. 7 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post baansgr Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 You have to spend as much time with him as the Thais do, get kids books in English, teach him....my kids English improved emensly when they started at EP school... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sanemax Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 Just speak to him in English and use body language to show what you mean . The first words that you have to teach him are "Hungry , thirsty , tired , toilet " , so that he can tell you what he wants . Mine was toilet trained at one years old , get him to say "toilet" when he wants to go , saves a lot of money on diapers 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieH Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Reported flame post removed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post scorecard Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 Your on the right track, speak full complete English to your kid and repeat it and do it again, take every opportunity, take every situation as an opportunity for some English. Even at 5 months, as often as possible. Involve your wife in the conversations as much as possible, every opportunity / every situation. But never speak broken English. Like any language some words stick quickly, others need to be repeated many time before they stick. Been there with my Thai son, my Thai wife (Dr. of medicine) spoke perfect English and she made the first rule 'at home we never speak Thai, only English and we turn every situation, small or large into an opportunity for some English conversation', but outside the house, and very often he was immersed in Thai and hearing his mother speak Thai. We bought lots of books with pictures of animals and objects and again and again turned the pages and spoke the word several times and pointed at the animal / object. kids love this. But one thing, don't buy books with some many objects etc., on every page, that just causes confusion. When my son started to repeat words we took the time to repeat the correct pronunciation and he quickly moved from incorrect / missing some syllables to copying the correct pronunciation. And lots of praise, hand clapping to indicate well done, etc. My son grew up a full native speaker of Thai and English. When son's first child was born he copied the whole thing and again for the next two kids. Today his first child is a full native speaker of Thai and English and the other two speak Thai and English at the same level, appropriate to their age. For English the 3 kids had the advantage of hearing my son, his Thai wife and me speaking English all day. My son and his three kids all went into EP programs from kindergarten and up, and they were all well head of the other kids for English and for full understanding of their farang maths and science teachers. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post quandow Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 I knew some kids that played together, three different countries represented. When they threw the ball to the German kid, they spoke German, and so on. Kids pick up languages VERY quickly up to the age of approximately 5 so talk on in English as much as possible. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post soalbundy Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 I have spoken English with my son (11) from the day he was born, despite the mother-in-law saying he is Thai, he will never understand what you are saying ???? He speaks fluent English and can read English fluently as well, I make him read kids stories on the internet. He gets further input from playing games on the internet (Roblox) and can communicate with some of the players in England and America, since many of the players and games come from America he has started to get a slight American accent which I come down hard on, "it's not caaan't, it's cant". I let him see examples of how Richard Burton spoke and show him the ugliness of the American accent by showing him examples of the 'Southern drawl' it seems to have had an affect. He has now asked me if I can teach him German but I feel that at 11 it is too late without a lot of work, and Thai's don't like a lot of work. 1 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mick220675 Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 I found the easy way to get my daughter speaking English was cartoons, then English music on You tube. She just picked it up without any stress. She is now learning Korean thanks to K-pop. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiChakayan Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Interestingly it seems to vary from kid to kid. I'd say that my older daughter (8 soon) has English as first language, she can read, write and speak better than I, english being my third language which I learnt when I was in my late twenties. Second daughter (3) speaks a lot of Thai and good english with me, reckon Thai will be her first language but this may change. The little one interacts a lot with Granma, the older one hardly. I think the key is to have a proper Farang style family life, share a lot, and expose our kids to a lot of Mum/Dad interaction. I have also taken some risk in giving them a lot (???) of Youtube access where they get exposure to better phonetics. There is hardly any Thai content watched in our home. Now of course there is the question of how you see (dream ?) the future of your kids, as far as I am concerned I'd prefer they settle in AU/NZ or EU for their working lives, as they have the right passports. The work/life balance/limit doesn't seem right to me here. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post quandow Posted March 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 19, 2019 1 hour ago, soalbundy said: I have spoken English with my son (11) from the day he was born, despite the mother-in-law saying he is Thai, he will never understand what you are saying ???? He speaks fluent English and can read English fluently as well, I make him read kids stories on the internet. He gets further input from playing games on the internet (Roblox) and can communicate with some of the players in England and America, since many of the players and games come from America he has started to get a slight American accent which I come down hard on, "it's not caaan't, it's cant". I let him see examples of how Richard Burton spoke and show him the ugliness of the American accent by showing him examples of the 'Southern drawl' it seems to have had an affect. He has now asked me if I can teach him German but I feel that at 11 it is too late without a lot of work, and Thai's don't like a lot of work. By the looks of your spelling, punctuation and grammar, your kid will definitely be bi-lingual. Well done! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monomial Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Just wait until your child is old enough to listen to Youtube and play video games. All the good content is in English. My kids, despite going to school in Thai and speaking Thai to their mother, only want to speak and communicate in English. Their entire online existence revolves around English speaking content, so for them that is their native tongue. Few of their peers in school speak English. I think you have to actively try to prevent children from falling into English today if there is even a hint of English around the house. Once they become comfortable with it, they will prefer it to Thai. The online content is just so much richer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offset Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 I have not done anything special for my son to learn English I talk in English his mother in Thai now at 10 years old he talks both fluently but I am with him whenever he not at school so I think that must of help him in speaking English 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bredbury Blue Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 "I speak pure English to him all the time and everyone else uses Thai. How did other farang get around this?" Do exactly as you and your wife are doing and your son will be bilingual in english and thai. My kids at an early age (they attend bilingual school) were mainly in a thai-speaking world with the exception of me. My wife speaks to them in english and thai. Based on my kids and the luuk khrung kids of friends, these luuk khruengs speak or become proficient in languages later than kids who just speak in one language, i guess because their brain as a baby / toddler has more of a language-jigsaw to piece together. I also base my comment on observing all the thai kids in our extended family who spoke earlier. Interestingly my kids have never picked up my wife's isaan from her even though she talks in isaan to her family members who are often around our place. My kids talk to each other in thai. They have always preferred to watch tv and movies in english. They seem to like thai and western music in equal measures. Based on their English you wouldn't think they'd be raised in a thai-speaking world. So you and your wife just talk normally to your son in your own language and he will be bilingual. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bredbury Blue Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Neighbours (thai wife / english husband) chose not to speak to their first kid in english and he went from an early age to english school. Result is he couldn't speak thai. 2nd kid was looked after by thai maid, parents again spoke only english and he went from an early age to english school. Result is he could speak a little thai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishism Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 My son is 4 and has been exposed to YouTube since 1, about 6 hours per day probably. He was watching Russian, Spanish and English among others I presume, I was going to limit the exposure if I found anything negative, I didn’t. He now speaks a lot of english but no idea if he picked anything else up. He started a trilingual kindergarten but cannot speak Thai and only sings in Chinese. All other kids either speak Chinese or Thai, maybe both but only one other english speaker. I think exposure needs to be more equal. He doesn’t like watching Thai cartoons because he cannot understand.Oh the negative of all the YouTube is he is rubbish with a pen for writing, drawing or colouring and has no interest in reading.Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formaleins Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Just make sure to speak English with him all the time (do not let your wife speak that Pigeon English that Thais try - make her stick with only Thai) After a while you will notice your kid switches between Thai with her and English with you. Around two years you will see it working. Expose him to English using the internet, typing etc. Get English DVD's, games etc. English books. Most of all just talk normally to him. My son is fluent in both Thai and English, no special teaching, they just learn amazingly! I have been told he even has my accent, although I cannot hear it. Don't stress, he will learn no problem. You will also need to tell him to ignore quite a bit of the BAD English he will be taught at school, by Thai teachers who cannot pronounce words correctly - This is the norm, and you will no doubt get a few good laughs at what he comes home and tells you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soalbundy Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 4 hours ago, quandow said: By the looks of your spelling, punctuation and grammar, your kid will definitely be bi-lingual. Well done! Pray point out my errors, I am always willing to learn. My son is already bi-lingual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkside Gray Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 If he anything like my daughter was very poor with english until she started a kindergarten with a english program, only problem was her teacher was American and she now speaks with a American accent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmonkey Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 My kid speaks fantastic English and we did not give him lessons, he just picked it up naturally as my wife and I talk in English at home. At kindergarten he was taught in only Thai and fairly quickly he was bi-lingual. One other important thing to do is make sure he/she watches their cartoons in English. I cannot emphasise how improtant this is! My boy is always picking up new slang and phrases which still makes me chuckle. It really is nothing to worry about and will take care of itself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knee Jerk Reaction Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 All our children grew up Thai/English bilingual, no problem. Kids brains are like a sponge. I grew up in rural Rhodesia and began speaking English and the local native language at the same time. It comes naturally. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemoon58 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) My half Thai/English niece and nephew speak, read and write both Thai and English fluently. The rule is that they only speak English in the house (and that includes the Mum) and away from the house, whichever they choose. I'm sure a little home schooling goes into it as well. It works for them. Edited March 19, 2019 by phartley58 spelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 7 hours ago, KiChakayan said: Interestingly it seems to vary from kid to kid. I'd say that my older daughter (8 soon) has English as first language, she can read, write and speak better than I, english being my third language which I learnt when I was in my late twenties. Second daughter (3) speaks a lot of Thai and good english with me, reckon Thai will be her first language but this may change. The little one interacts a lot with Granma, the older one hardly. I think the key is to have a proper Farang style family life, share a lot, and expose our kids to a lot of Mum/Dad interaction. I have also taken some risk in giving them a lot (???) of Youtube access where they get exposure to better phonetics. There is hardly any Thai content watched in our home. Now of course there is the question of how you see (dream ?) the future of your kids, as far as I am concerned I'd prefer they settle in AU/NZ or EU for their working lives, as they have the right passports. The work/life balance/limit doesn't seem right to me here. Plus the parents have to actively / continuously find / make a reason to speak some English, always perfect English, never Tinglish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Grumpy Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 8 hours ago, Brewster67 said: We had a child about 5 months ago and I am a bit concerned that I am going to have trouble communicating with him... I speak pure English to him all the time and everyone else uses Thai. How did other farang get around this?... Do you have to sit them down and give them intensive English language lessons or does it just come naturally to them? No problem. Speak and play and be with them as much as possible. If they watch kid's cartoons or shows, have them on in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Grumpy Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 26 minutes ago, greenmonkey said: My kid speaks fantastic English and we did not give him lessons, he just picked it up naturally as my wife and I talk in English at home. At kindergarten he was taught in only Thai and fairly quickly he was bi-lingual. One other important thing to do is make sure he/she watches their cartoons in English. I cannot emphasise how improtant this is! My boy is always picking up new slang and phrases which still makes me chuckle. It really is nothing to worry about and will take care of itself. Agree with this, completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patanawet Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 6 hours ago, quandow said: By the looks of your spelling, punctuation and grammar, your kid will definitely be bi-lingual. Well done! Your KID will probably speak 'goat'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawairat Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Better for the native speakers use their language to the kids and they will pick up both, also helps to read to them when they are young, and have them read as they get older. My kid as most mixed Thai/English speaks both languages seamlessly. Even had Chinese for a while when he was younger but not now. They are little sponges and will soak up everything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancharee Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 My boy is 4 year old now, when he talks to his mother it's mostly in thai but as soon as he turns to me he switches to English, like you my thai is poor I have also started speaking a little Spanish to him as I am fluent in that language, I would also like him to learn mandarin, as said children are very good a learning in the early years but remember thai will probably be there number 1 language so cant over do it, little by little !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manchega Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 no, unless you work on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ancharee Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Just now, manchega said: no, unless you work on it Been working on it thanks' and it's working out very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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