Jonathan Fairfield Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 American man one of three foreigners honored on Thai Language Day Allen Long aka Udom Suksanaih A popular American man living in Phrae in Thailand's north has been honored for promoting the Thai language. Monday July 29th is National Thai Language day and the Culture Ministry has presented a shield to Allen Long also known to his many Facebook admirers as Udom Suksanaih. Allen - the son of American missionaries - has been in Thailand since he was a child and amuses his thousands of followers online with crackpot stories and jokes delivered in fluent local tones. Thaivisa asked him if this meant he might also be getting citizenship one day, something he has been trying to accomplish for years. "It was a great honor to be given this award," he said. "No Thai citizenship so far though I still remain extremely hopeful". Christopher Chaafe Also recognized were two other foreigners. Singer and actor Christopher Chaafe, an Australian who has competed in Thai singing competitions was honored. As was Isaan based Martin Wheeler, an English agriculturalist, lecturer and actor who was once described as a “farang man who lives like a rural Thai”. Martin Wheeler -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-07-26 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zydeco Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said: English agriculturalist, lecturer and actor Hmm. Three pretty dubious descriptions. Agriculturalist? Does that mean "farmer?" Got a work permit for that? 12 1 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post FarFlungFalang Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 10 minutes ago, zydeco said: Hmm. Three pretty dubious descriptions. Agriculturalist? Does that mean "farmer?" Got a work permit for that? He needs to receive financial reward to break this law!Ever seen a Thai woman pay a farang husband for his efforts? 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Crossy Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 Surely they could have come up with a better mug shot photo of Allen Long. Wanted or escaped from somewhere? 2 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mok199 Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 21 minutes ago, zydeco said: Hmm. Three pretty dubious descriptions. Agriculturalist? Does that mean "farmer?" Got a work permit for that? HAHA and farmer ,does that mean.. '' is Dave home man''...kudos Mr green thumb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bowerboy Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 Dear oh dear 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Wilsonandson Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 I wonder if this is just a Thai thing awarding foreigners for promoting Thai Culture? Haven't seen anything similar in the US or UK? 'Thai man rewarded for speaking English and his amazing ability to make tasty hot dogs.' Or 'Thai man wins Mr black pudding and whippet competition in the UK.'Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app 5 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusarelus Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 1 minute ago, Wilsonandson said: I wonder if this is just a Thai thing awarding foreigners for promoting Thai Culture? Haven't seen anything similar in the US or UK? 'Thai man rewarded for speaking English and his amazing ability to make tasty hot dogs.' Or 'Thai man wins Mr black pudding and whippet competition in the UK.' Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app There are many awards for Thai women. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post djayz Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 I'm bilingual and I admire anybody who puts the effort into learning a foreign lingua. From personal experience, I know it truely does make daily life and integration much easier if you can communicate with the locals in their own language. Unfortunately, I (have to) spend most of my day speaking English and as a result, even after 10 yrs. here, I still haven't picked up a lot of the language. As native English speakers, we really do have a tendency to be lazy when it comes to learning foreign languages. I take my hat off to the three fellows. Good job! 26 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post FarFlungFalang Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 1 hour ago, mok199 said: HAHA and farmer ,does that mean.. '' is Dave home man''...kudos Mr green thumb Dave's not here! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Andrew65 Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 7 hours ago, Wilsonandson said: I wonder if this is just a Thai thing awarding foreigners for promoting Thai Culture? Haven't seen anything similar in the US or UK? 'Thai man rewarded for speaking English and his amazing ability to make tasty hot dogs.' Or 'Thai man wins Mr black pudding and whippet competition in the UK.' Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app France gives awards to foreigners for promoting the French language, for instance using French lyrics in songs. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balo Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 See? Not all foreigners are looked upon as trash. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sticky Wicket Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 I'm always amazed how amazed Thais are that we can speak their language, like it's some kind of specially coded means of communicating. It's a very simple language once you get past learning a new alphabet. It only takes about 30/40 hours to learn the alphabet and is important. When I first attended school in BKK I didn't want to learn the alphabet (just learn to speak) but my teacher advised me it was crucial and I'm glad I did. I don't write very often but I read a lot and it makes my life easier and helps me understand the people more. The tones are a red herring and seem to put people off from every trying. I purposely bypassed spending hours perfecting the tones of each word. Everything about language is context and as long as you can speak in sentences then it is no problem that you are tonally incorrect. You tend to pick up a lot just from listening anyway Can't understand for the life of me why there is so much bewilderment regarding Allen Long . I've seen the Thais post on his FB at how they are impressed by his accent. He is THAI for all intent and purposes, he has lived here since he was a small child and went through the whole school system. If he lived in the UK or US, he would be called British or American but here he is still farang. Just shows how racist and xenophobic the Thais really are. And we definitely would not be pissing our pants that he could speak the language with our accents. 26 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post geoffbezoz Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, marcusarelus said: There are many awards for Thai women. Do you mean rewards ? ???? Edited July 26, 2019 by geoffbezoz 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rabas Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said: I'm always amazed how amazed Thais are that we can speak their language, like it's some kind of specially coded means of communicating. I'm always amazed how amazed Thai get when they see a foreigner eat steamed rice. "Oh! You can east rice! Very good!" 1 2 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Somtamnication Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 Well, the guy with the mugshot deserves to be a Thai citizen. Lived here since a child. I mean, come on, Thailand! 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiChakayan Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 5 hours ago, Andrew65 said: France gives awards to foreigners for promoting the French language, for instance using French lyrics in songs. That's correct, smaller, "has been", countries try to stay on the map by pretending to be cultural giants. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post arithai12 Posted July 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2019 What a weird, biased title. Also I don't see any special merit in speaking fluently the language of a country if you have been there since a child, zillions of children do that all over the world. 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post PhonThong Posted July 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2019 1 minute ago, arithai12 said: What a weird, biased title. Also I don't see any special merit in speaking fluently the language of a country if you have been there since a child, zillions of children do that all over the world. Even the Philippines has more English speakers than the United Kingdom. 2 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackdd Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Somtamnication said: Well, the guy with the mugshot deserves to be a Thai citizen. Lived here since a child. I mean, come on, Thailand! Might not fulfill the salary requirements to get permanent residency / Thai citizenship. Let's see if they kick him out of the country when he retires because he can't prove 65k per month income from abroad, then he can go back to his "home" country. 40 minutes ago, arithai12 said: What a weird, biased title. Also I don't see any special merit in speaking fluently the language of a country if you have been there since a child, zillions of children do that all over the world. Many Thais can't understand how somebody who looks western can be able to speak their language. Edited July 27, 2019 by jackdd 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assurancetourix Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 13 hours ago, djayz said: As native English speakers, we really do have a tendency to be lazy when it comes to learning foreign languages. As a native french speaker I have never learnt english like that ... Maybe it's a new way to write and/or speak ? I always learned that after the preposition "to" there must be an infinitive To learning ? Is this correct english? Maybe to learn ? Correct me if I wrote an error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticky Wicket Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 18 minutes ago, jackdd said: Might not fulfill the salary requirements to get permanent residency / Thai citizenship. Let's see if they kick him out of the country when he retires because he can't prove 65k per month income from abroad, then he can go back to his "home" country. Many Thais can't understand how somebody who looks western can be able to speak their language. It will change in the next generation as there are more mixed race kids and some look very western. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Suradit69 Posted July 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2019 2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said: I'm always amazed how amazed Thais are that we can speak their language, like it's some kind of specially coded means of communicating. They're not amazed because they think their language is specially coded. It's because so few farang make any effort and most of those who make the effort fail so spectacularly. You also seem to confuse expressions of appreciation with displays of bewilderment. Sounds like someone thinks he should have earned an award. And towards the end of your screed you seem to really come unhinged.. In America if you seemed at all foreign you'd be told to go back where you came from and in Britain there's a catalogue of names you'd be called and "British" wouldn't be among them. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sticky Wicket Posted July 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said: As a native french speaker I have never learnt english like that ... Maybe it's a new way to write and/or speak ? I always learned that after the preposition "to" there must be an infinitive To learning ? Is this correct english? Maybe to learn ? Correct me if I wrote an error. No that's fine "comes to learning foreign languages" . That's how we say it in that context 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sticky Wicket Posted July 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Suradit69 said: They're not amazed because they think their language is specially coded. It's because so few farang make any effort and most of those who make the effort fail so spectacularly. You also seem to confuse expressions of appreciation with displays of bewilderment. Sounds like someone thinks he should have earned an award. And towards the end of your screed you seem to really come unhinged.. In America if you seemed at all foreign you'd be told to go back where you came from and in Britain there's a catalogue of names you'd be called and "British" wouldn't be among them. Utter rubbish, a very small fraction of the UK would act like that. Britain is an extremely tolerant country, especially compared to Thailand 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqua4 Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Somtamnication said: Well, the guy with the mugshot deserves to be a Thai citizen. Lived here since a child. I mean, come on, Thailand! <deleted><deleted><deleted><deleted><deleted> Thats saves me a banning order on the forum. This is not the West. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbezoz Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 11 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said: Utter rubbish, a very small fraction of the UK would act like that. Britain is an extremely tolerant country, especially compared to Thailand And for that matter the new UK PM is a foreigner in my book. His great grandmother was Swiss and his great grandfather was Turkish. I mean to say that's only 100 years ago, these bloody foreigners poking their noses in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DepDavid Posted July 27, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2019 Guess if I was born and raised here I would be fluent as well. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiBunny Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 7 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said: And for that matter the new UK PM is a foreigner in my book. His great grandmother was Swiss and his great grandfather was Turkish. I mean to say that's only 100 years ago, these bloody foreigners poking their noses in And what about those bloody Germans, Betty & Co 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunderhill Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 16 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said: Thaivisa asked him if this meant he might also be getting citizenship one day him and the other 500,000 who are stateless in Thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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