Tips

[Baht Simpson]

If anyone has any small tips to help in learning Thai feel free to post them here.

[Baht Simpson]

To help you learn household item names quickly and efficiently stick little labels on them with the correct pronunciation. With the constant exposure you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the names.

I’ve been tempted to try this with my partner’s friends (a cast of thousands) but I’ve held back.

Edited July 17, 2007 by Baht Simpson

[Baht Simpson]

It can be frustrating when people call you at home and speak quickly in Thai assuming you can speak the language well. Keep a handy list of phrases near the telephone to help out if you get into trouble. A thread on this with some useful phrases can be found here.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=102776

[sutnyod]

Hm. Everyone has his own learning style. However, in Thai it's less the vocabulary, but the tones that are most important for somebody without tonal mother tongue. Therefore my advice would be: surround yourself with honest native speakers and ask them to correct you. Worked for me. The self-esteem you lose during those weeks and months will be easily re-gained once people mistake you for a native speaker on the phone.

[gampaan]

Good advice, especially the notes on things around the house. I would also suggest to learn a word or two a day and write them just whenever. The practice will pay off greatly. I work in HVAC, alot of new construction, and am always writing in Thai in crawlspaces, attics, wall studs, etc. Helps to keep your mind sharp. Nothing obtrusive, never be seen except by service people at best. But people that DO see it always ask questions, and it is good practice.

[zacksp]

This might sound a little politicaly incorrect but it really worked for me while living in Thailand.

When I was a small kid living in the States we would all make those funny voices imitating the chinese guys on FungFu Theater late at night. Well, when I moved to thailand I really started laying on the fake accent very thick and having fun with it. Literally, just imagine your putting on a funny accent for a lauph or something. It REALLY works. In no time I was speaking basic Thai. People couldn't believe how well I was speaking. The terrible part was that my vocabulary was almost nothing. But atleast I sounded good speaking the few words I did know.

This is a truth of all foreign languages - You have to put on a fake accent on in order to really pick up the language. Eventually, it won't be fake anymore and it will just sound more natural. Not to mention that it's just one more "dynamic" of learning and remembering the words you're trying to learn. Everything you can do to make the experience more tangible and memorable helps.

Regards

[gampaan]

This might sound a little politicaly incorrect but it really worked for me while living in Thailand.

When I was a small kid living in the States we would all make those funny voices imitating the chinese guys on FungFu Theater late at night. Well, when I moved to thailand I really started laying on the fake accent very thick and having fun with it. Literally, just imagine your putting on a funny accent for a lauph or something. It REALLY works. In no time I was speaking basic Thai. People couldn't believe how well I was speaking. The terrible part was that my vocabulary was almost nothing. But atleast I sounded good speaking the few words I did know.

This is a truth of all foreign languages - You have to put on a fake accent on in order to really pick up the language. Eventually, it won't be fake anymore and it will just sound more natural. Not to mention that it's just one more "dynamic" of learning and remembering the words you're trying to learn. Everything you can do to make the experience more tangible and memorable helps.

Regards

Just a note on that, accent does makes ALOT of difference. Not to overdo it, but just to get used to the sound of your voice. I find myself speaking with a Thai accent a bit just talking to my wife and her friends sometime, and they can understand that better than my natural accent. The Thai ear is attuned (if that is a word...) to hearing differently than the western ear, so you need to accomodate that.