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

[wordchild]

10 minutes ago, bob smith said:

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...'

I dont think that is the reason.

I think its more that they make assumptions (maybe unfairly) about the lifestyle of farangs who speak Thai.

[BritManToo]

53 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

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

Who wants to make friends with foreigners?

[Photoguy21]

6 hours 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.

Never, they always enjoy that I have some command of their language.

[herfiehandbag]

6 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.

Were the women cheaper in Cornwall? 

 

I should imagine they were a bit more robust!

Edited December 22, 2023 by herfiehandbag

[1FinickyOne]

6 hours ago, bob smith said:

Has anyone else ever experienced this sort of negativity?

Not a wisp... 

 

mostly there is no fuss about it as we just converse normally... the few that might even note it are pleased. 

[Gottfrid]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

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.

As usual, you love Thailand but it´s wrong with everything and the people.

[sikishrory]

6 hours 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.

In the early days of learning getting laughed at a lot. Kinds of stuck with me. Now I can't be bothered to speak it unless really need to. To get passed that crap beginners stage and still have motivation and a desire to speak it after getting laughed at and insulted for a awhile takes some commitment.

As frustrating as it was I don't hold it against them. I have laughed at others trying to speak English as well. Not with malicious intent but just because it is funny sometimes.

The type you speak of that don't like westerners speaking Thai are certainly around  but I find I don't encounter it much. Lots of these sort of people are associated with the bar or tourist scene and don't like that you know the game.

[scottiejohn]

13 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

Were the women cheaper in Cornwall? 

 

I should imagine they were a bit more robust!

They would have to be to put up with his "me, me" attitude etc!

[Gottfrid]

5 hours ago, ozimoron said:

 

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

You would get a positive reaction from them saying anything as long as they see you as a possible customer.

[bob smith]

Just now, Gottfrid said:

You would get a positive reaction from them saying anything as long as they see you as a possible customer.

well said mate.

[FruitPudding]

6 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Could have been "gin kao leng" which is Isaan for dinner

[mikebike]

6 hours 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.

18 yrs. Never experienced negativity re speaking Thai. 🤷‍♂️

[herfiehandbag]

Just boarded the local bus from Chiang Khong to Chiang Rai, asked the conductor what time it left in my appalling Thai - big smiles all round and expressions of surprise that a Farang spoke Thai. 

 

I couldn't speak for "hi so" reactions since I don't really know any, but the locals enjoy it when I speak Thai.

 

I too am planning to take some lessons when funds allow in the New Year (start to get my pension!)

 

The bus journey - well on the way up this morning it was a gung ho roller coaster ride! Heaven knows how fast the driver could have made the thing go if all 4 cylinders were firing consistently!

[Hawaiian]

7 hours ago, nikmar said:

i get the opposite. 

Me, too.

[lanng khao]

Ordering food and drinks and telling the Lazada driver I'm home is enough for me..

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

As usual, you love Thailand but it´s wrong with everything and the people.

Most people everywhere are stupid and worthless.

[bob smith]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most people everywhere are stupid and worthless.

agreed.

[cleopatra2]

30 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most people everywhere are stupid and worthless.

Does that include yourself ?

 

Joking aside, most people stop learning the language at the basic to low intermediate level. Unfortunately this is less  than the standard of a child in the native language. The majority of adults when conversing in their native language with other adults expect the level of conversation to be of an equal standard. An Adult will find the conversation uninteresting if the other adult speaker can only communicate in a child like manner.

[GroveHillWanderer]

39 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most people everywhere are stupid and worthless.

 

33 minutes ago, bob smith said:

agreed.

What a jolly old pair of misanthropes you two are. 

[BigStar]

8 hours ago, bob smith said:

suppose it depends where you are.

 

No.

[bob smith]

2 minutes ago, BigStar said:

 

No.

elaborate..

 

are you capable?

Edited December 22, 2023 by bob smith

[BigStar]

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

elaborate..

 

are you capable?

 

I get a pleased response anywhere in Thailand I speak (basic) Thai, esp in Pattaya where it immediately signals I'm not one of the idiots.

 

In your case, it probably has something to do with poor, annoying pronunciation, not to mention personality. Lot of ignorant farang around priding themselves on their mangled imitation of what they thought they heard bar girls speak.

 

[Gottfrid]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Most people everywhere are stupid and worthless.

But you are the one on top deciding that, right?

[bob smith]

2 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

But you are the one on top deciding that, right?

it's BMT man, show some respect! 

[JackGats]

Even if your Thai is much better than their English, what they will do is say "Oh you speak Thai good, how long you be in Thailand?", after which they will return to only speaking their Mickey Mouse English.

 

"Oh you speak Thai good, how long you be in Thailand?" = "shut up with your Thai and let's practice my 15 English words".

[Rimmer]

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[Neeranam]

4 hours ago, lanng khao said:

Ordering food and drinks and telling the Lazada driver I'm home is enough for me..

Is your username thai?

[ozimoron]

10 hours ago, Neeranam said:

chud

 

Actually, it's stupid as there is no correct transliteration.

Once, doing a course to be a teacher, we learned the phonetic alphabet and tried to spell 'farm' 4 of us were correct but had different spellings.

I say farim, the south English guy , faam, the Welsh guy something else and the Geordi something else.

 

Learn to write Thai.

 

No Thai syllable is pronounced with a final D. A D in spelling is modified to a T when spoken.

[novacova]

12 hours ago, bob smith said:

Has anyone else ever experienced this sort of negativity?

No, never, not once.

[EVENKEEL]

12 hours ago, proton said:

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.

My same opinion, they don't try to understand unless spoken correctly.