Teaching Your Girlfriend/boyfriend The "l" And "r"

[rainman]

I'm sure many of you have these "issues" (not really) that your thai girlfriend/boyfriend say "L" instead of "R" and the other way around. Well, last night i spent almost two hours teaching my girlfriend how to say those two the right way. It took some time but i think the break-through came when i wrote her down the words "leading" and "reading". I told her to speak them both for me and she pronounced both as "leading" which followed by her giving me a confused look and asking me why they're written differently if they're pronounced the same. So i told her they're not actually pronounced the same So if your girlfriend doesn't understand the difference between "L" and "R", give her that example, it might work as well.

[davethailand]

flied lice you plick! (stolen off the telly)

raundry (laundry)

can't think of anymore.

[Boo]

give up rainman Just start saying it their way & it won't be so frustrating!!!

[rainman]

give up rainman Just start saying it their way & it won't be so frustrating!!!

no way, i am determined on this one.

[Boo]

good for u rainman, I wish i could say I still try but I gave up about a year ago as it was causing far too many arguments. NowI just go a long with it & if anyone questions his pronunciation I accuse them of having a hearing problem. "He said switch on the light you dope, whats the matter can't you bloody hear"

[dr_Pat_Pong]

good for u rainman, I wish i could say I still try but I gave up about a year ago as it was causing far too many arguments. NowI just go a long with it & if anyone questions his pronunciation I accuse them of having a hearing problem. "He said switch on the light you dope, whats the matter can't you bloody hear"

At last Boo. At last you have trained him into a better way of life.

[samran]

why not just learn Thai instead rainman, and you won't have to bother.

Incidently, Thais change what should be rolling R's to L's all the time when speaking Thai. You are battling many many years of habit on this one.

[12call]

You teach BEFORE or AFTER your dalts session Rainman???

[Stocky]

Lainman

[rainman]

You teach BEFORE or AFTER your dalts session Rainman???

befole and aftel. why do you ask? no seriously, that's a challenge for me (and for her even more) ..and she will learn it, i know.

[12call]

You teach BEFORE or AFTER your dalts session Rainman???

befole and aftel. why do you ask? no seriously, that's a challenge for me (and for her even more) ..and she will learn it, i know.

Why force the issue???

[rainman]

i think if she learns english, she should be able to pronounce it right. no point if you learn a language and nobody in the US or elsewhere understands what you want with lice in a restaurant.

[12call]

American Engrish or just the REAL Language???

Is she planning a Vacation also???

[zzap]

Just wait for her to teach you to pronounce 'near' and 'far' in the Thai language.

And who sells chicken eggs?

[rainman]

American Engrish or just the REAL Language???

Irish maybe? I don't expect her to speak true english. I don't myself, having lived in the US and Canada for 4 years.

[12call]

Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.

[rainman]

That's it, you lost me right there..

[Flummoxed]

Red lorry, yellow lorry... red lorry, yellow lorry...

Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!

[12call]

That's it, you lost me right there..

Arai?

[Jeff1]

That must be " real english "

Rainman, I will try it and see what happens.

I have my doubts tho

[rainman]

Seems to work since yesterday's lessons. She said all the words right that she said wrong before. *claps hands* Hopefully she'll apply it to new words, too.

[autonomous_unit]

Red lorry, yellow lorry... red lorry, yellow lorry...

A lot depends on the speaker. My wife studied in the states for 12 years but struggles with my version of the drill: I'm really leery of riding in furious Larry's hot-rod lorry. She hears and knows the difference but gets tripped up in the delivery. She grew up in the South though and speaks central Thai very rapidly. Not all people really know how they speak, or rather how to consciously produce sounds and phonemes instead of whole words.

[stroll]

Very true. And I think it is also how we are trained to listen. Just as Germans have difficulties distinguishing between the English 'w' and 'v', it is similar for Thais with 'r' and 'l'. For westerners generally, the tones are the main hurdle in learning Thai, I believe. After six years in Bangkok, I still avoid saying 'near' or 'far' in Thai (glai), they sound the same to me.

Maybe I'd better post in the language forum...

[Richard W]

My wife normally pronounces ร as 'l' when speaking Central Thai and as 'h' when speaking her local dialect. I asked her where she learnt to say 'r' properly, as she never calls me 'Lichard'. Her answer - she learnt at primary school! At least some schools teach Thais to pronounce Thai!

On the other hand, I have met school teachers who have had extreme difficulty - one poor lady just could not pronounce 'ruler' - it either came out as 'rurer' or 'luler'. There is an English maxim, 'Every teacher is a teacher of English.' In Thailand, is every teacher a teacher of Thai?