American man one of three foreigners honored on Thai Language Day

[Xaos]

I speak polish and I think its much harder language.

 

Heres example ????

 

 

[Briggsy]

17 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
 

You are correct. 

 

Most East Asian societies have an instutionalised ethnocentric foundation to their identity. That is to say to be a member of their society, you must be of their ethnicity. (The Thais gloss over the Chinese thing and pretend they are fully assimilated and Japanese WWII babies never happened, okay,)

 

So, for us it is startlingly obvious that a farang who grew up and was educated in Thailand will speak Thai fluently as well as the dialect of the area they grew up in. For Asians, it trips a switch in their cognitive processes, that means it is not possible.

 

So, you get these ridiculous patronising awards. If it is any consolation, China and Japan are far worse in terms of their incredulity.

[davidst01]

6 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.

 

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. 

 

 

Whats the reason for learning the thai alphabet if you're not going to write thai. Are you saying it helped you with speaking skills at the end of the 40 hours? 

 

I want to learn the language but dont know where to start to be honest

[Sticky Wicket]

47 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

"Can't understand for the life of me why there is so much bewilderment...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".

Nonsense, this is nothing to do with, what you perceive as "Thai racism and xenophobia".  It looks as though you may be the bewildered one as, leaving aside the fact that he is already American, he would only be considered British if he had applied for and received citizenship from the UK, exactly the same as here.  

Dear me, struggling with comprehension again

[Denim]

8 hours ago, balo said:

See? Not all foreigners are looked upon as trash.

Three down, several thousand to go.

[Sticky Wicket]

1 minute ago, davidst01 said:

Whats the reason for learning the thai alphabet if you're not going to write thai. Are you saying it helped you with speaking skills at the end of the 40 hours? 

 

I want to learn the language but dont know where to start to be honest

Speaking and reading. 

 

Once you can read to a decent standard you can learn more about the people by reading their interactions on social media and the news.

 

I don't tend to write (with a pen) much in any language, I use keyboards all the time to be fair.

I must admit when I write Thai on the keyboard I cut and paste the words and then arrange them in the correct order, mainly because the Thai keyboard is not very user friendly imo . 

 

I had one to one teaching in BKK. About 80 hours and that was suffice to give a decent foundation. 

 

[Just Weird]

13 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

1 hour ago, Just Weird said:

"Can't understand for the life of me why there is so much bewilderment...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".

Nonsense, this is nothing to do with, what you perceive as "Thai racism and xenophobia".  It looks as though you may be the bewildered one as, leaving aside the fact that he is already American, he would only be considered British if he had applied for and received citizenship from the UK, exactly the same as here.  

Dear me, struggling with comprehension again

Yet again, it seems that you are.

[FarFlungFalang]

12 minutes ago, davidst01 said:

Whats the reason for learning the thai alphabet if you're not going to write thai. Are you saying it helped you with speaking skills at the end of the 40 hours? 

 

I want to learn the language but dont know where to start to be honest

Learning the alphabet helps in many ways.It helps me with pronunciation it also helps when looking up words in the dictionary to find the meaning of new words it also helps with reading signs and getting about and like Sticky Wicket said although he doesn't write much reading is a big help in learning the culture and understanding Thais.

[Suradit69]

4 hours ago, Assurancetourix said:

To learning ?

Is this correct english?

 

 

Maybe to learn ?

 

In correctly formed English sentences, when "to" is followed by a noun, a pronoun, a gerund, or a gerund phrase, the "to" is a preposition. There are many expressions, including some with past participles, in which "to" is a preposition. Here are a few in example sentences:
 

(4)	I look forward to hearing from you soon.
(5)	They're committed to making a success of the venture.
(6)	The organization is dedicated to improving the lives of poor children all over the world.

[ianezy0]

12 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

I had one to one teaching in BKK. About 80 hours and that was suffice to give a decent foundation. 

 

I was thinking of doing a similar course. Do you live with a Thai? If so, that would help too.

[White Christmas13]

4 hours 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 Boris was born in the US (New York)

[geoffbezoz]

2 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

and Boris was born in the US (New York)

And entitled to a US passport but I can not find any evidence he is indeed a dual citizen ( yet )

[Sticky Wicket]

22 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Yet again, it seems that you are.

You seem to be confused by virtually every post. I suggest maybe some comprehension lessons, I think they have them on youtube 

[Sticky Wicket]

15 minutes ago, ianezy0 said:

I was thinking of doing a similar course. Do you live with a Thai? If so, that would help too.

I learnt over 10 years ago and lived with various Thai women in BKK.

I often spoke in Thai to them and they would reply in English!! 

Very rarely had a full conversation in Thai.

 

If you really want to improve then immerse in a village for a while with no English spoken. It's amazing how much you pick up when you are forced to understand & converse rather than relying on a translator all the time. 

 

Now I live on my own as I find it keeps me sane, dabbling occasionally but not for a live in wife/partner

 

[Millcx]

Congrats to the 3 guys for even just making an effort to speak THai ... There are many who live in Thailand that think it’s below them to learn ... When in Rome !!!

[Jane Dough]

3 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Interesting that you should say that.  A friend and I have argued (nicely) with his wife for years - we say that speaking as fast as they do in conversation, there is no way they use the tones all the time and instead rely on context.  I.E. you would hardly say "I am taking my horse for a walk" you would of course be refering to your dog - the two words 'horse' and 'dog' being spoken the same albeit in differing tones.

 

A couple of months ago my mate's wife finally backed down and admitted that tones are "not used every time, we go by context" - in everyday conversation. ????

 

Gets me though when I'm criticised for using the wrong tone - this from people who call England - Angkrit, Japan - Yipoon and Cambodia - Campoocha.

I think your mate's wife is either humoring you or fed up with the badgering. 

 

The words for dog and horse may utilize the same consonant and vowel sound but are completely different and if they were mispronounced by a Thai in a sentence anyone would spot it. The fact that foreigners might do that and the context would make it clear does not prove your point that Thais talking to Thais might rely on context.

 

It's a bit like not making a song and dance if someone said to you "I'd like Fried Lice". Of course the meaning would be clear but every native speaker would hear the mistake - it would be up to them if they corrected it or made anything of it. 

 

I would agree with you that foreigners incorrectly pronouncing tones can get by to a degree with context, however. Though for my own part I always thought that it would be best if I learnt to concentrate on the tones and pronounce Thai accurately. It has served me very well. 

 

BTW if you are wondering about my credentials to comment on this matter I can tell you that I was a Thai teacher in Thailand for 20 years. Udom in Phrae is personally known to me and he contacted me on messenger to say he had won the award and gave me a link to the Thai media about it. I wrote the OP.

 

It is true that he has been here since childhood and would therefore pronounce Thai as a native. His skill and perhaps the reason for the award is that he utilizes local dialect in a clever and humorous way to such a degree that he has tens of thousands of followers. He is not your average run of the mill speaker of Thai, but he isn't Thai he is American. 

 

I'm envious of his award and also think the others who got it are very deserving in different ways. The vitriol of some people on this thread smacks of individuals frustrated by the fact they are useless in the Thai language. They have learned to dismiss people who do learn Thai in order to disguise their inadequacies.

 

Learning spoken Thai - and reading and writing too - is absolutely fundamental to a happy life in Thailand. If you say you are happier without it then I would say - you'd be even happier with it.

 

This aspect of living in Thailand forms part of my weekly column that will appear on Sunday, should you be interested.

 

Rooster

Edited July 27, 2019 by Jane Dough
typo

[Greenhill]

5 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

It will change in the next generation as there are more mixed race kids and some look very western.

Not much changes for the better here!!!

[Briggsy]

1 hour ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Learning the alphabet helps in many ways.It helps me with pronunciation it also helps when looking up words in the dictionary to find the meaning of new words it also helps with reading signs and getting about and like Sticky Wicket said although he doesn't write much reading is a big help in learning the culture and understanding Thais.

I totally agree. I learnt to read Thai over 20 years ago. Not having learnt would just be like walking around blindfolded.

 

For those who give up before they start, I can tell you it is easy to learn as it is just an alphabet with a symbol representing a sound. Much easier than learning to read in English which has lots of irregular spelling.

[Camelot]

Maybe Andrew Biggs should have used more temperate language in denouncing his 'hellish' experiences at  Suvarnabhumi airport in Thai-language posts on social media. That way his chances would not have been scuppered.

[Alex2554]

Thais treat Martin as a comedian. "Ridiculous farang speaks Lao"

 

Edited July 27, 2019 by Alex2554

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, Jane Dough said:

I think your mate's wife is either humoring you or fed up with the badgering. 

I don't think so. Listen to them when they converse at a zillion words per minute. No way do they have time to use the tones every time.  I've actually picked her up on it one or two times - which is what lead to the admission.

[connda]

12 hours ago, balo said:

See? Not all foreigners are looked upon as trash.

Not trash, just foreign debris.  Hence a foreigner living in Thailand, married to a Thai woman, not only fluent by fluent in the local dialect, totally immersed in Thai culture - but!  That's just not good enough. 
He's still look at like all foreign men married to Thai women - a national security risk and a potential criminal.  But he got an award.  No doubt the local Thai news service will run stories on him like they would if an orangutan could speak Thai.  Thai talking orangutan's belong in zoo; Thai talking foreign men belong on a year-to-year visa extension that can be cancelled on a whim.  

[seancbk]

11 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.

 

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. 

 

 

 

I grew up in Hong Kong, so I am a Gweilo.  Despite being a permanent HK citizen I'll never be Chinese.  Thai is a race, as is Chinese.   English or American is a nationality, made up of many races.   He could be a Thai citizen but he'll always be Caucasian, therefore never considered Thai.

[Fred white]

12 hours ago, balo said:

See? Not all foreigners are looked upon as trash.

Till they miss their 90 day check in

[Orton Rd]

Is there an award for the longest attempt to learn Thai but still an abysmal failure? tried since 1994 yet cannot speak, read or write it, happily it is totally useless outside of the country anyway. I even have trouble getting the girls at Big C to understand our member number, so I printed it out and stuck it on the back of my phone. I wish i could speak it, but it's a hopeless dream now.

[sunnyboy2018]

A nice positive article.  Pity the curmudgeonly comments didn't match its tone. 

[cracker1]

On 7/26/2019 at 5:09 PM, FarFlungFalang said:

He needs to receive financial reward to break this law!Ever seen a Thai woman pay a farang husband for his efforts? 

Don't think so ? I understand unpaid volunteer workers need permits ?

[Fred white]

44 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Is there an award for the longest attempt to learn Thai but still an abysmal failure? tried since 1994 yet cannot speak, read or write it, happily it is totally useless outside of the country anyway. I even have trouble getting the girls at Big C to understand our member number, so I printed it out and stuck it on the back of my phone. I wish i could speak it, but it's a hopeless dream now.

Been trying since 1982 when I married my wife been living here 2 years learned how to count from a game show that used to be on TV

[FarFlungFalang]

9 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Yes it’s called pussy reward.

Yeah I'll pay that one(pardon the pun),I should have stipulated financially.

[garet]

So there were three foreigners who received this award, an American, an Australian, and a Brit... Yet the title of the article only mentioned the American nationality 

 

What is that about?