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

[stoner]

Just now, CharlieH said:

Some Thais dont like it because they can no longer talk about you in front of you.

 

 

ding ding.

[bob smith]

7 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Some Thais dont like it because they can no longer talk about you in front of you.

 

yep, correct.

[bob smith]

6 minutes ago, stoner said:

 

ding ding.

a ring a ding ding! ;)

[ezzra]

2 hours ago, ozimoron said:

 

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

And i thought you only paddle your strange, convoluted ideas on Israel-Hamas war...

[xxeo]

I can report positive reactions only.

 

Respect when they figure out, for example, that you use the correct Thai plural structure.

 

In some cases uncertainty when I approach someone - and a bright smile when I speak a few sentences in Thai !

[ChipButty]

20 odd years ago Thai's did not like a farang learning to speak their lingo, I picked it up pretty quick but I did go to school, so much so I could understand more, I remember having my lunch one day in some place in BKK and 4 Thai's sitting on the next table saying how dangerous it was farang speaking Thai, the look on their faces when I asked for the bill in Thai and as walked past them I said to them don't gossip in front of me, many farang can speak Thai, 

 

Here in Phuket if they were born here can switch to south language 

[Gecko123]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

Some Thais dont like it because they can no longer talk about you in front of you.

 

 

I've had Thais who know me alert other Thais who don't know me that I can speak Thai but it's usually in order to let them know "knock off the pigeon English" rather than "be careful what you say, the walls have ears." I've also had Thais playfully test to see if I understand what they're saying by saying something unflattering and seeing if I understand that they've just insulted me. But I've never sensed someone wanted to say something unflattering but were biting their lip out of fear that I'd understand what they were saying. If someone wants to say something nasty about you, they'll just say it under their breath, or wait for you to leave before ripping you to shreds.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Gecko123

[bob smith]

11 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

I've had Thais who know me alert Thais who don't know me that I can speak Thai but it's usually in order to let them know "knock off the pigeon English" rather than"be careful what you say, the walls have ears." I've also had Thais test to see if I understand what they're saying by saying something unflattering and seeing if I understand that they've just insulted me. But I've never sensed someone wanted to say something unflattering but were biting their lip out of fear that I'd understand what they were saying. If someone wants to say something nasty about you, they'll just say it under their breath or wait for you to leave before ripping you to shreds.

thais are experts at ripping others to shreds behind their backs

 

they have a lot more than just the standard 2 faces!

[StayinThailand2much]

3 hours ago, bob smith said:

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.

 

Yes, that's one reason why I hardly ever utter a sentence in Thai these days, except saying 'Khop khun khrap' at the bank, or after I asked someone for directions, to name two examples. If the recipient is female, it is usually answered by a giggle, even though, as I've been told more than once, my pronunciation is very good. Many Thais don't like foreigners who stay here 'long-time'. Speaking some Thai was appreciated 15 or twenty years ago, but not anymore.

 

Also, unlike past times, most Thais don't seem to be interested in foreigners at all, or willing to talk to them anymore. While two decades ago many Thais asked me 'How long you stay', 'Are you married', etc., nowadays there's no curiosity at all, which, IMHO, makes learning Thai in 2023 pointless.

Edited December 22, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[ChipButty]

9 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

 

I've had Thais who know me alert Thais who don't know me that I can speak Thai but it's usually in order to let them know "knock off the pigeon English" rather than"be careful what you say, the walls have ears." I've also had Thais test to see if I understand what they're saying by saying something unflattering and seeing if I understand that they've just insulted me. But I've never sensed someone wanted to say something unflattering but were biting their lip out of fear that I'd understand what they were saying. If someone wants to say something nasty about you, they'll just say it under their breath or wait for you to leave before ripping you to shreds.

I get that places I go, they know I speak Thai or they tell them I have a Thai wife you can tell one of them has said something the atmosphere changes, although she very very rarely comes out with me if I just go for a couple of beers, she doesn't follow me around like most of the farangs in the bar every where they go the mia farang goes, 

[WhatMeWorry]

3 hours 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.

As much as I would like to disagree with you, you have a valid opinion. After living in Thailand for over twenty years I find myself avoiding the Thais even though I am able to hold a conversation with them in the Thai language. Its more of an issue of having nothing in common with them and not being interested in what they have to say.

[Gecko123]

12 minutes ago, bob smith said:

thais are experts at ripping others to shreds behind their backs

 

they have a lot more than just the standard 2 faces!

 

No they're not, Bob. They are keenly observant and able to size people up fairly quickly, but they are also cautious about gossiping about other people out of fear that it will get back to the person being talked about. This is especially true in small villages. One thing I love about Thai people is they don't sling psychobabble jargon back and forth at one another like they do in the West. You'll hear "he's selfish", "she's conceited", or "he's immature" or "he's irresponsible", but you're not likely to hear "he has narcissistic personality disorder,"  "she has a fear of intimacy", or "he's a friggin' sociopath." That psychological vocabulary has done a lot of damage to interpersonal relationships in the West, and I'm grateful it's not very prevalent here.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Gecko123

[petedk]

Interesting subject. 

I speak Thai quite well and many Thais appreciate that, especially government offices which I have used a lot of recently Taxi drivers usually come with remarks such as "Oh how many girlfriends do you have?". I tell them that I am married but but only speak English with my wife.

 

I learnt Thai so as to be able to join in converstions with my wife's family and friends, plus to be able to get around outside Bangkok and other big cities.

 

I was just talking 30 minutes ago to my friend who is looking for a Thai girlfriend. He also speaks Thai and he told me that many single girls are simply not interested in him because he can speak Thai. The reason being "He must have had many Thai girlfriends." So I guess different people have different opinions about foreigners speaking Thai.

 

Anyway, I believe anyone living in another country should make an effort to learn the basics of the local language.

[bob smith]

5 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

, but they are also cautious about gossiping about other people

are you taking the p*ss?

 

gossiping is perfected to an absolute science here!

 

open your eyes a bit.

[Gecko123]

3 minutes ago, bob smith said:

are you taking the p*ss?

 

gossiping is perfected to an absolute science here!

 

open your eyes a bit.

 

I would distinguish between benign sharing of information, and gossipy (but fairly harmless) repetition of what others have said, and malicious gossip intended to intentionally or unfairly damage someone else's reputation. A foreigner might be be more likely to be a target of malicious gossip because they are perceived as an outsider, making it less likely that the gossip will get back to them. But amongst Thais they have to be fairly cautious about stirring the pot out of fear of making an enemy for life in the process.

[StayinThailand2much]

34 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I've also had Thais test to see if I understand what they're saying by saying something unflattering and seeing if I understand that they've just insulted me. But I've never sensed someone wanted to say something unflattering but were biting their lip out of fear that I'd understand what they were saying. 

 

It took me years to realise that the friendly sounding question: "Can you speak Thai?" is NOT to ascertain whether they can have conversations with you in that language...

Edited December 22, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[Neeranam]

Chinese Thai Doctors at private hospitals often don't want to speak Thai with me.

[Neeranam]

32 minutes ago, WhatMeWorry said:

As much as I would like to disagree with you, you have a valid opinion. After living in Thailand for over twenty years I find myself avoiding the Thais even though I am able to hold a conversation with them in the Thai language. Its more of an issue of having nothing in common with them and not being interested in what they have to say.

Here for cheap woman and admits it?

[TroubleandGrumpy]

3 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

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.

 

I always found that Thais liked it when I talk a little Thai - especially the numbers when buying something.  Yes they often politely giggle, but they respond positively to my attempts. 

 

You are right about the variations of dialect that they all use - and also their propensity to shorten words - both English and Thai.   When we were in Chiang Mai my Thai wife did not understand what a local Thai was saying. When I asked her why not, she said that his Thai was 'northern' and she did not understand some of the words.  Yet when we went to Laos she understood the locals - I learned it was because they spoke a lot like her Nth East Isaan dialect.

 

While we in the west often have different accents using the same language - Thais have completely different dialects depending on where they are in the country. That makes it all very difficult for an Expat to learn to use the language - when the language being taught in schools is the 'Central Thai' version and there are so many completely different ways to say things across Thailand. 

 

In China there is an official language (Mandarin) but there is also many official versions - Mandarin, Wu, Min, Xiang, Gan, Hakka, Yue and many others. Thailand is like that IMO - learning Thai here is like learning a little Mandarin which is useless when in a place that speaks Wu or Xiang - and in facvt they might not like you speaking Mandarin to them.   In Thailand those varitions of dialect have not been studied or documented like in China, but they very much are real.   

[expat_4_life]

4 hours ago, bob smith said:

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

"Correlation is not causation" ... it has nothing to do with their nationality or native language - they are doin what women do 

[DrJoy]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

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

Affirmative, my Good Sir

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, WhatMeWorry said:

After living in Thailand for over twenty years I find myself avoiding the Thais even though I am able to hold a conversation with them in the Thai language. Its more of an issue of having nothing in common with them and not being interested in what they have to say.

I find this sad. Assimilation and integration are important to understanding a foreign culture and making friends.

[wordchild]

when i first moved to work in Thailand i thought i should make an effort to learn Thai, so i asked my then secretary to book a Thai tutor for a few hours of lessons each week. My secretary at the time was an oldish Thai lady who had been educated abroad, spoke immaculate English and came from a fairly high class background. 

Her response was along the lines of, what did i need to learn Thai for?   Everyone in the company spoke English, and everyone i would likely be dealing with (customers etc)  also spoke English, and anyone who didnt speak English she would deal with as that was HER job.

None of her previous bosses had ever bothered to learn much Thai , she said. And anyway "only low class foreigners spoke Thai!"

I ignored her advice, but i think her views are not unusual amongst certain Thais.

 

[sqwakvfr]

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

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.

So it's not like a Southern American accent?  How does a foreigner actually become fluent in this language? 

[Gecko123]

15 minutes ago, wordchild said:

"only low class foreigners spoke Thai!"

That's gotta be one of the most bizarre comments I've ever heard. I'm sure a few ASEANNOW members who righteously proclaim their disinterest in learning Thai will latch onto this ill-considered comment as the gospel truth, but, for the record, absolute nonsense. Sounds like a very opinionated and small minded provincial perspective, perhaps believing that the only possible motive a foreigner could have to learn Thai is to chase after bar girls.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Gecko123

[Reginald Prewster]

You enter a bar, your skin is pale and you speak english = The "Nr 1" will be sent by Mamasan to you.

 

You have a brown skin and speak some words Thai = Mamasan will send "Fatty"

 

...beside this in (Isaan at least) the people get exited and will pull you into a conversation from all sides when you aks something in just broken Thai...

[bob smith]

35 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I find this sad. Assimilation and integration are important to understanding a foreign culture and making friends.

what about colonization? 

[bob smith]

8 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

That's gotta be one of the most bizarre comments I've ever heard. I'm sure a few ASEANNOW members who righteously proclaim their disinterest in learning Thai will latch onto this ill-considered comment as the gospel truth, but, for the record, absolute nonsense. Sounds like a very opinionated and small minded provincial perspective, perhaps believing that the only possible motive a foreigner could have to learn Thai is to chase after bar girls.

i have also heard certain groups of Thais come out with this over the years.

 

Mostly hi so thai chi business types.

 

they REALLY dont like it when farang 'know too much...'

[bob smith]

8 minutes ago, Reginald Prewster said:

You enter a bar, your skin is pale and you speak english = The "Nr 1" will be sent by Mamasan to you.

 

You have a brown skin and speak some words Thai = Mamasan will send "Fatty"

 

...beside this in (Isaan at least) the people get exited and will pull you into a conversation from all sides when you aks something in just broken Thai...

really? do the girls jump all over you and rub themselves up against you at the sound of your attempts at Thai??

 

get me a bus there now!!!!

[Gecko123]

I have to admit that with the rise of the "designated English speaker" in many shops, who, before you can get a word in Thai out, is summoned over to interact with you whether you like it or not. He or she comes strolling over, never for a moment considering the possibility that you might be able to speak Thai. Any attempt made to engage them in Thai is treated as an affront and a threat to their status as the "designated English speaker." They do everything possible to frustrate your efforts to speak Thai either by feigning deafness, scrunching up their face, making wild guesses about what you are saying (even though you have successfully used the vocabulary plenty of times in the past) or mumbling or speaking Thai hyper-fast or super colloquially.

 

So the opportunities to speak Thai when out shopping are becoming few and far between. The combative nature of these interactions is quite dispiriting and I have to admit my enthusiasm for making an effort to speak Thai while shopping has dropped off, especially when you're wearing a sanitary mask. If you're determined to practice your Thai in a retail setting, you need to develop a fairly assertive posture that you can speak Thai and want to speak Thai during the transaction. Me speak Thai. Me want to speak Thai. Me customer. Customer #1. Understand you me?

Edited December 22, 2023 by Gecko123