Do you ever get any negativity from the locals when you attempt to speak Thai?

[bob smith]

im thinking about taking a Thai course in the new year to perfect my speaking and possibly reading.

 

These days I dont like to show off that I can speak thai,

especially in tourist ghettos as I have had many thais tell me in the past that foreigners who can speak thai are no good.

 

Has anyone else ever experienced this sort of negativity?

 

these days I am very cautious about using thai in front of thais,

many of them dont like the fact that a foreigner can speak their lingo.

 

bob.

[nikmar]

i get the opposite. 

[bob smith]

Just now, nikmar said:

i get the opposite. 

really? that's interesting 

 

suppose it depends where you are.

 

bob

[Dan O]

6 minutes ago, bob smith said:

im thinking about taking a Thai course in the new year to perfect my speaking and possibly reading.

 

These days I dont like to show off that I can speak thai,

especially in tourist ghettos as I have had many thais tell me in the past that foreigners who can speak thai are no good.

 

Has anyone else ever experienced this sort of negativity?

 

these days I am very cautious about using thai in front of thais,

many of them dont like the fact that a foreigner can speak their lingo.

 

bob.

Most thais appreciate a foreigner speaking thai and making the attempt. There are a number of dialects in Thai so that ways can cause some confusion on what you say.  If you speak to them in with the  manner and attitude you talk about them on here in your posts  I can understand their view of you being poor

[BritManToo]

I don't bother, if you don't speak English with a Brit accent, I'm not interested in talking with you.

Did learn to read, write and speak central Thai, it wasn't worthwhile, Thais are generally really dull people with nothing to say that I want to hear.

"How spicy was my last meal' ....... discuss for 1hr ........... I think not.

[ezzra]

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

really? that's interesting 

 

suppose it depends where you are.

 

bob

I too get a response of relief when i speak Thai, and believe me, having the basic knowledge of Thai help a lot with everyday

dealing with the locals...

[nikmar]

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

really? that's interesting 

 

suppose it depends where you are.

 

bob

 

 

probably - I dont live in Pattaya. :)

 

I remember walking into a 7 11 near my home and the look of terror on the poor young lady serving at the prospect of having to deal with a farang turned, disarmingly, into a smile when i asked for cigarettes in Thai.

 

I think a lot of thai folk appreciate any effort to speak Thai by foriegners. I am nowhere near fluent by the way. I speak just the bare minimum to get by. 

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Thais are generly really dull people with nothing to say that I want to hear.

I can't argue with that mate.

 

just listening to mrs. smith and her friends yap on endlessly is enough to send anoyone to sleep!

[ezzra]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

I don't bother, if you on't speak English with a Brit accent, I'm not interested in talking with you.

Did learn to read, write and speak central Thai, it wasn't worthwhile, Thais are generly really dull people with nothing to say that I want to hear.

"How spicy was my last meal' ....... discuss for 1hr ........... I think not.

What an interesting take on the subject, rejecting out of hand the language of the country you made your home to be in...

[Ben Zioner]

Well, since the only Thai word I know is "boomboom", I get mixed results.

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

What an interesting take on the subject, rejecting out of hand the language of the country you made your home to be in...

I kinda get where BMT is coming from.

 

maybe he's just been here so long that is patience has kinda run thin and he can't be doin with an bs! 

[bob smith]

Just now, Ben Zioner said:

Well, since the only Thai word I know is "boomboom", I get mixed results.

....taxi drivers must love you mate 

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

What an interesting take on the subject, rejecting out of hand the language of the country you made your home to be in...

I'm only here for the cheap housing and the cheap woman.

It happens to be Thailand, but beyond simple commerce I have no reason to interact with the locals.

Same when I lived in Cornwall.

[bob smith]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm only here for the cheap housing and the cheap woman.

It happens to be Thailand, but beyond simple commerce I have no reason to interact with the locals.

Same when I lived in Cornwall.

preach it BMT!

[ezzra]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm only here for the cheap housing and the cheap woman.

It happens to be Thailand, but beyond simple commerce I have no reason to interact with the locals.

Same when I lived in Cornwall.

Fair enough, however cheap housing and food i tend to agree, but cheap women? used to be 20 or so years ago,

not so much now though...

[ozimoron]

12 minutes ago, nikmar said:

 

 

probably - I dont live in Pattaya. :)

 

I remember walking into a 7 11 near my home and the look of terror on the poor young lady serving at the prospect of having to deal with a farang turned, disarmingly, into a smile when i asked for cigarettes in Thai.

 

I think a lot of thai folk appreciate any effort to speak Thai by foriegners. I am nowhere near fluent by the way. I speak just the bare minimum to get by. 

 

I live in Pattaya. The girls in the local 7-11 only speak to me in Thai now. It sometimes surprises other customers. I frequently get asked how long I've been in Thailand.

[Purdey]

They love it when someone gives it a go. I get confused looks sometimes though.

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

Fair enough, however cheap housing and food i tend to agree, but cheap women? used to be 20 or so years ago,

not so much now though...

there are still bargains to be had out there mate!

 

just need to shop around a bit more

 

so ive been told anyway.... :D 

[ezzra]

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

there are still bargains to be had out there mate!

 

just need to shop around a bit more

 

so ive been told anyway.... :D 

Woe is me if i have to go look for cheap women at my age, but i'm not judging...

[ozimoron]

3 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Woe is me if i have to go look for cheap women at my age, but i'm not judging...

 

Either you prefer expensive women or you are moralising, which is it?

[proton]

Most either pretend not to understand or correct every other word, gave up years ago- as long as I can buy what I want and direct a taxi that's enough.

[sqwakvfr]

I am in CNX and most of the time the reaction has been laughter(like laughing at me).  I can never get the tonal inflection right on many Thai words.  So now I speak mostly English. I guess the only way to master the Thai language would be to spend months in a small town or village where English is not spoken.  Did not have this problem learning Korean.  I even studied Dari and Arabic and most understood what I was saying.  But as always "TIT".  

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, sqwakvfr said:

I am in CNX and most of the time the reaction has been laughter(like laughing at me).  I can never get the tonal inflection right on many Thai words.  So now I speak mostly English. I guess the only way to master the Thai language would be to spend months in a small town or village where English is not spoken.  Did not have this problem learning Korean.  I even studied Dari and Arabic and most understood what I was saying.  But as always "TIT".  

 

Eventually it will come if you pay attention to the tones. I still have a LOT of trouble with the words for near and far which sound similar.

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I am in CNX and most of the time the reaction has been laughter(like laughing at me).  I can never get the tonal inflection right on many Thai words.  So now I speak mostly English. I guess the only way to master the Thai language would be to spend months in a small town or village where English is not spoken.  Did not have this problem learning Korean.  I even studied Dari and Arabic and most understood what I was saying.  But as always "TIT".  

You won't be learning central Thai in that small town or village, cos the locals aren't speaking it.

If you watch the Thai news, rural people speaking are subtitled in central Thai.

[Andre0720]

The problem that I encounter when I speak Thai to Thai people, is that they automatically shift to speaking as if I am a local Thai person.

Then I must remind them that I am a foreigner, and that I must hear all the words they say, in order to understand.

Very difficult to make them understand that. That I need to at least hear the words that I do not know, in order to check out their meaning.

They have been taught to speak as fast as they can, with words mingled together, thus simply creating sounds.

 

I was surprised to listen to a politician, making a speech online. Spoke slowly, clearly. Educated person.

 

It took me 3 years to know what Thai people were saying, when quickly making noise from their mouth. Uneducated people.

 

Gin cow liang.

I checked that word in translators, modified the writing, nothing gave me a result.

One day as I was getting a haircut, the lady cutting my hair said to someone in the shop:

Gin cow rue yang. I knew the word 'rue', and the word 'yang'. But 'liang'.

Wow, two words, two. But nobody here pronounces 2 words.

 

 

 

[Ralf001]

99% of my time I only speak Thai.

 

Never felt any negativity.

[Ohyesuare]

Only positivity and compliments thankfully. But I am far from fluent.

[ozimoron]

5 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

Only positivity and compliments thankfully. But I am far from fluent.

 

It's good to hear Thais tell you that you speak "chut" (clearly).

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, bob smith said:

im thinking about taking a Thai course in the new year to perfect my speaking and possibly reading.

 

These days I dont like to show off that I can speak thai,

especially in tourist ghettos as I have had many thais tell me in the past that foreigners who can speak thai are no good.

 

Has anyone else ever experienced this sort of negativity?

 

these days I am very cautious about using thai in front of thais,

many of them dont like the fact that a foreigner can speak their lingo.

 

bob.

Only people who want to rip off foreigners don't like them to speak Thai. Hookers and pimps have a greater percentage that belong to that group than average.

[ozimoron]

Just now, FritsSikkink said:

Only people who want to rip off foreigners don't like them to speak Thai. Hookers and pimps have a greater percentage that belong to that group than average.

 

I get a positive reaction from bar girls when I speak Thai.