Who Actually Made An Effort To Learn Thai?

[Ulysses G.]

You are practically the only poster on Thai Visa who can get me to seriously re-examine issues that I have already made up my mind on. That has to be worth something!

[ColPyat]

You are practically the only poster on Thai Visa who can get me to seriously re-examine issues that I have already made up my mind on. That has to be worth something!

Welcome to my life - i am constantly re-examining my opinions.

Being confused is the only constant in my life...well, apart from being broke.

[kmart]

ColPyat, old buddy, We already know that you are brilliant (and I mean that sincerely).

Quit showing off!

Brilliant my arse - i would wish i would be just a tiny bit smart in the practical things of life, i seem to be only gifted in those sort of utterly useless things that will not be reflected in a positive level in my bank account. Every plumber knows more about how to make money grow than i do.

Me too.

[Loz]

Never seen a "Farang Nico" before!

Would that be a Farang of the darker persuation?

Mighty polite term there compared to the one that I usually overhear.

Eh? Nobody had to persuade me? I was born this way

[abdulrahman]

Your poll does not, in my humble bilingual opinion, have enough options. How about adding,

I tried a little, but the complexity just blew me away, more than batski-kop did.

I'm tone deaf and probably too old to master a third language.

I don't have nearly as much need to learn it as many farang have.

There are more reasons and obstacles to keep from learning Thai, as there are incentives to learn it.

I AM old and tone deaf!

I had to learn four languages and two alphabets outside my own.

My wife speaks english better than myself and is not interested in helping me with Thai,she gave up on it!

Edited May 8, 2007 by abdulrahman

[kiakaha]

read/speak/listen quite well.

can't recall the last time I really needed to write (other than when someone asked be in a bar one night because they didn't believe a farang could write thai..haha)\

my writing "font" is rather pre-schoolish though.

Edited May 8, 2007 by kiakaha

[nakhonsi sean]

Always knew I would be comming to Thailand to live long term so took a degree in Thai back in England 15 years ago. Did not come back after graduation for 9 years so was a bit rusty but its comming back fast. Have to speak Thai at home as the wife can't speak English!

[PhilHarries]

I did two courses with AUA and one with an outfit in soi Buakhaw, Pattaya but being tone deaf, and bluddy lazy, I never got anywhere near fluent but I can get by with the basics and usually provide some entertainment for the Thais.

I still speak it regularly but usually nowadays along the lines of "satu lagi, khrap". Satu lagi = Bahasa for one more (beer).

Next up for me is Vietnamese which will be a laugh and a half. When you start to learn Thai you are often learning it phonetically from books as reading Thai is all but impossible to the beginner. Vietnamese uses Romanised script which lulls you into a false sense of security as the pronounciation is often nothing like we think it should be.

How are you? : khoe khong : Pron. kuwear kom.

Very well : rat khoe : Pron. zoot kuwear.

Can't do the accents on this keyboard.

The best way to learn any language is to get yourself into a situation where you absolutely have to speak it daily. If you are in a country and cannot speak nor read the language you may as well be blind, deaf and dumb.

[dumspero]

I don't know, but I read Thai like a retard. (no offense to any mentally challenged persons out there)

Newspapers are way beyond me. The odd train schedule or menu, ok, can do. But only with a lot of wide-eyed gawking, sounding it out and maybe even some drooling. Not a pretty sight.

You fluent readers piss me off. I know it's petty, but that's how I feel.

[kiakaha]

I can only read standard font fluently.

There are some thai fonts that really make me cringe.

[Loz]

ok, I accept the Challenge!

I'm going to master the thai alphabet this year!

Gor Gai, Kor Kai, Korr, kwai, Ror Ruah, Lor Leng. There is a start!

Sala R, Sala A are vowels I think... only ten more to go...

[PeaceBlondie]

You are practically the only poster on Thai Visa who can get me to seriously re-examine issues that I have already made up my mind on. That has to be worth something!

What about me, Ulysses? Haven't my absurd, unsubstantiated, arrogantly expressed opinions moved you across the political and social spectrum? I'm abashed.

Back on topic, I feared this could become one of those topics where the fluent speakers get to brag on and on about how incredibly communicative they are, and those of us who may in fact be tone deaf, more or less elderly, or clearly here on indefinite terms, can just shuffle off into the deaf-mute room.

[Loz]

PB, You forget to remind people to look at your signature after reading your comment...

[richard_smith237]

This is a very frustrating point for me.

I am often told that I speak excellent Thai, only to subsequently face a speedy barrage of tonal subtleties that I can not follow.

When I speak Thai I get giggled at (not by the fella’s) and told its cute, which is cute at first, but gently grinding after the xth time !

Brief necessary conversations are well within my limits. i.e. taxi, restaurants, shops etc..

However deeper conversation will be with those Thais more fluent in English than I am in Thai.

I can understand far more than I can speak, generally by picking up key words, relying on facial expression and hand gestures and relying heavily on context…

The context being of key importance in both directions… i.e. if a Thai told me to look at the snow.. I would be thinking something completely different and looking for something more equestrian in nature !

I am at a Plateau, above which without very specific attention and effort it’s difficult to rise above.

I mix mainly with well educated Thais (not out of specific choice – but it just seems to have worked out that way) who speak fluent English. Learning English has more value for them (due to its globalization) than learning a 1 nation language has for me.

However.. The big downside for me is when meeting the elder generations. Even though those who I have met (girlfriends and friends parents etc) often speak precise and clear English, my Thai is not good enough and they would like to see me make more effort to be able to hold detailed conversations.

I often feel I am missing out, but how fluent do I have to be to not to feel this and to fully understand the little details ? (the slang etc) I will never be Thai, I will never fully understand the culture or language, I never grew up with the same TV programs etc. I don’t want to completely assimilate, but I want to be observed as being polite and respectful. But I just can’t seem to improve from this level.

Is learning just enough, enough ?

[ColPyat]

You are practically the only poster on Thai Visa who can get me to seriously re-examine issues that I have already made up my mind on. That has to be worth something!

What about me, Ulysses? Haven't my absurd, unsubstantiated, arrogantly expressed opinions moved you across the political and social spectrum? I'm abashed.

Back on topic, I feared this could become one of those topics where the fluent speakers get to brag on and on about how incredibly communicative they are, and those of us who may in fact be tone deaf, more or less elderly, or clearly here on indefinite terms, can just shuffle off into the deaf-mute room.

And i feared that this is one of the topics again where one or the other non-Thai speaker has to be pissed off with Thai speakers, even though most Thai speakers do accept the point that with increasing age learning a new language, especially a tonal language, is very difficult, and that what comes relatively easy for some, does not for others.

And thanks, yes, i do take a certain pride that i managed to speak enough Thai that i can communicate about almost any topic. I am sure that you have certain things and achievements in your life you take pride in, and would hate it when somebody out of spite pisses on that.

[Ulysses G.]

You are practically the only poster on Thai Visa who can get me to seriously re-examine issues that I have already made up my mind on. That has to be worth something!

What about me, Ulysses? Haven't my absurd, unsubstantiated, arrogantly expressed opinions moved you across the political and social spectrum? I'm abashed.

I might not go quite that far, but I do enjoy your posts and point of view and I do think about them.

[qualtrough]

ok, I accept the Challenge!

I'm going to master the thai alphabet this year!

Gor Gai, Kor Kai, Korr, kwai, Ror Ruah, Lor Leng. There is a start!

Sala R, Sala A are vowels I think... only ten more to go...

If you already speak some Thai and if you are diligent you can teach yourself the basics of reading in a matter of months if not weeks. A written language is nothing more than an elaborate code. Once you learn the rules you then need to practice, practice until it becomes second nature. Don't be put off by appearances and the fact that there are no spaces between words. Written Thai is actually much more logical and consistent than English, and once you get the hang of it the running together of the words seems quite normal.

[GuestHouse]

If you already speak some Thai and if you are diligent you can teach yourself the basics of reading in a matter of months if not weeks

I agree entirely, the only thing is if you have the will to learn.

I've never ever met a foreigner who's been in Thailand more than a few days who did not learn some Thai.

It's just that some people for any number of reasons don't continue something that is absolutely hardwired into our brains - learning a language.

[Loz]

Mai Cuyee pai Yippoonn dehr, Poot Yippoon dai. I guess I just like languages. or maybe I just like talking too much...

suspect the latter.

While I was judging an English competition between Colleges across Thailand I managed to tell a hall full of wonderful students who had presented very well in English that I thought thai when were very unlucky. Of course, everyone knew I meant Beautiful and it was only a lueng Krung teacher who joined me on the panal that pointed it out. I think we are generally forgiven these little misscomunications in the same way we don't beat up thais for saying R instead of L and vice versa...

[Shah Jahan]

I learned to speak thai because all the best girls dont know how to speak english. by the time they learn how to speak english they can be a bit jaddded. I mean they had to learn that english somewhere and it certainly wasn't in school.

also by speaking in thai with your lady you have respect as a man and not just customer.

[Shah Jahan]

alos its quote funny and i hear the same thing my other thai speaking falangs freinds (thai speaking meaning can hold a conversation)

whenever we go most places and dont say a word, the thais will speak to us in thai.

places like the airport or 7-11 where they speak both thai and english

they can just sense when a falang can understand.

maybe is has to do with posture, dress, gold?

[cmsally]

Everything is relative. When I came to Thailand, I had spent the previous year in China (and in total been learning Chinese over 2 years then).

Consequently Thai seemed pretty easy.

[garro]

I believe that those who say that they can't learn Thai because they are too old, tone deaf or no good at languages are just using this as an excuse. The truth is that they just don't want to put the effort in (which is fair enough but why don't they just say that?). I agree that learning a new language is easier for some than others but that all can become fluent giving time.

I think the problem is that many Thai learners haven't tried to seriously learn another language before and fail to realise that it can be a long and sometimes frustrating process. I think that anyone who has observed the achievements of many elderly people will say that of course it is possible for them to learn a new language. Anyone who has attended a Karoke in Thailand will also be aware that there are many tone deaf native Thai speakers!

People who don't want to learn Thai should just be honest and and admit that they can't be bothered to put the effort in.

[qwertz]

It has nothing to do with age and everything to do with motivation, garro. I got my interpreter's diploma for German, a difficult language, at age 56. The next oldest in my class was 30. Of the few that passed, I was the only one with a distinction. My motivation - I saw a market niche and went for it. Result - although I live in the poorest, most jobless state in the land, the work finds me. Most important, you can't get by without German where I live so if you want to stay you have to learn it. If I lived in LOS, I guess I'd have to learn Thai too. I wouldn't want to always have somebody translate my correspondence for me.

[thefusilier]

I got to know just enough to get by and to get what I need. Once and a while I'll learn a new phrase or something, but I'm not putting much time into it. Most of the time, if I can't say it in Thai, they can understand enough English.

[helitool]

The problem most people have with doing tones is that westerners speak monotonal languages and can get by with using the set of muscles that streach the vocal chords to raise voice pitch. However when speaking a tonal language such as Thai these muscles do not respond fast enough. There is another set of muscles that shorten the vocal chords to raise pitch these are the ones that are needed to produce the Thai tones properly and quickly enough. These are the same muscles that singers use for producing higher pitched notes.