Thai Or English

[Neeranam]

My daughter is learning to speak. My wife and I would like her, obviously, to be fluent in both our native languages(Thai and English). We sat down together last night and looked at a kid's book, in which the words were written in Thai and English. She points to pictures and says the Thai word.

She is going to a kindergarden all day, five days a week.

The big question is do I say, e.g "'ใช่ช้างสองเชื่ก'(chai chang song cheuak), 'yes, two elephants', 'No, not ช้าง, elephant', or 'yes, elephant, ช้าง'" ?

One of my mates suggested that I speak only English to her, all the time. Another said that I should say both words and try to explain the different languages (confuses her at the moment). I would like to hear advice from those who know.

I feel that I should speak English to her all the time in the house when alone with her. I, of course, want what is best for my daughter. I do, however, feel awkward when socializing with Thai friends who do not understand English, as they don't understand what I am saying. If I change from Thai to English will this confuse her, or will she maybe be able to take it in her stride?

I certainly don't want her to go to an International Kindergarten. To complicate things, we plan to go to Spain in a few years, for a couple of years, to live/work. This is one reason I want her to learn her native language well.

Should my wife and I try to speak only one language when together? Before she was born we spoke Thai most of the time, except when with those who only spoke English.

I welcome any ideas on the best way for her development in two languages, from the experts out there, or anyone else who can share their experience.

[sbk]

Speak english with her all the time. I am sure your Thai friends will understand if you just explain to them in thai that you want your daughter to be fluent in english. She will not be confused by learning more than one language at a time. I have a friend whose son could speak german, english and thai by the time he was 7.

[penelope]

Apparently, Tiger Woods had English speech problems in his early years.As soon as his mom stopped talking to him in Thai his English speech improved.

[dfwbkk]

I think conventional wisdom is to do what others have recommended: You speak English with her and mommy uses Thai. Since the predominant language around her is Thai it's even more important that you stick to that.

Kids will need a little more time when learning 2 languages from the get-go (even if you're Eldrick Woods) but don't let that discourage you. The one thing I've seen so far (which I think will go away after pre-school starts again for our 3 and a half year old, is that the english grammar gets all screwed up initially when heavily exposed to Thai (go figure since we just spent 4 months in Thailand ). However, kids emulate their surroundings (specially their parents...).

/// dfw

[Up2U]

My first marriage was to a Spanish lady. (Great song - Dubliners). My daughter always knew when she was in trouble, because a flood of Spanish came frothing forth. When asked in Spain by her cousins whether she was Spanish, she always shouted 'No, I'm ENGLISH'. We soke both Spanish and English at home, wherever that may have been (UK, Spain, Iran, Saudi, Libya).

My daughter picked up Farsi very easily, when in Iran.

Now teaches Spanish and French in UK Secondary schools.

But until she was about six or seven she did very little to distinguish between the languages. Just used the more convenient word. Then, attending an English-speaking school, she learnt to compartmentalise the languages. And has since translated James Joyce into Spanish - which I think is remarkable.

With my present seven-year-old, she speaks mainly Thai, going to a Thai school, but when saying things like 'Good Morning' her accent is spot-on. I have not pushed the Angrit yet, but do insist that an 'r' sounds rrrrrright.

[IamMaiC]

Apparently, Tiger Woods had English speech problems in his early years.As soon as his mom stopped talking to him in Thai his English speech improved.

I use to work where he lives (Tiger) I said Sawadee to him and Right away he asked how do u know that? I am Half Thai Half American Amerasian My Dad says it is. I speak some thai and Mostly english He said to me You don't look thai I said Oh Well

[Neeranam]

I have just done a search on the net, and it seems that you guys are right. I should speak English all the time, and the mother should speak Thai.

[p_brownstone]

Unless you are Thai - and I mean a native speaker of the Thai language - I strongly suggest you do NOT speak Thai with your daughter at all.

I have been here over 30 years and speak, read and write pretty fluent Thai (I am English, my wife is Thai) but when our daughter was born I readily accepted my wife's request that I speak only English with her, our daughter, because my Thai accent, vocabulary and syntax were not absolutely correct.

This has proved to be a wise decision because my daughter - now 21 - is bi-lingual and totally fluent in both languages.

I assume you are in Thailand, and if so there are plenty of people around your daughter from whom she will learn Thai (but keep her away from Issan maids etc as much as possible), you are probably one of the few people close to her who speaks proper English, so you should concentrate on teaching her that language and not confuse her young mind with your undoubtedly weird Thai pronunciation!

[Snapshot]

Well, I can give you my own example:

I have raised my adopted daughter from birth (actually day 2) till now where she is 17 years and 8 months old.

She has never been to international school, never been living abroad, she has only been 5 days with me in Singapore. (English-speaking environment)

I have always insisted on speaking ONLY English with her, so today she is indeed very good at the language. She also understands all kind of jokes, understands irony (something Thais generally don't do), she watches English movies, and she can translate into Thai so fast that most people hardly have time to breathe.

During her school days, she is presently attending Grade 6 High School, she has NEVER once been able to have a conversation with any of her English teachers, simply because none of them could speak English. They taught the language but couldn't speak it. (very sad indeed, but this is the quality of Thai schools, and we are here talking about very well-known schools in my area).

I think this should answer your questions fairly well.

Oh, and by the way. There has always been this discussion whether, when a kid is learning a second language (at home), one should from day one: A: Correct the grammars immediately, or B: Just let the child talk as much as possible, don't interrupt, the kid is trying to express itself (the grammar lessons can come later)

You'll have to decide yourself on this one, since the "experts' differs on which is the best.

Good luck with your efforts, and don't worry a thing, things will be fine, believe me, you will give the child a fine start of the (language) life, how many kids gets the opportunity to be able to speak two languages before the age of six?

[astral]

You should speak to her in English and your wife in Thai.

Then she will learn the two together and there will be no confusion.

[Boon Mee]

Apparently, Tiger Woods had English speech problems in his early years.As soon as his mom stopped talking to him in Thai his English speech improved.

And his golf got better!

Now look at him. He's got a girlfriend/wife - whatever and his game has gone to sh1t!

[penelope]

Apparently, Tiger Woods had English speech problems in his early years.As soon as his mom stopped talking to him in Thai his English speech improved.

And his golf got better!

Now look at him. He's got a girlfriend/wife - whatever and his game has gone to sh1t!

Actually , his scoring average is quite similar to that before his relationship. The thing is, other players have risen up and gotten better, thus he doesn't win as often these days.And winning is what counts for world ranking points.

[ZOVOX]

I am bi-lingual and so are most of my friends are the same. Children learn languages very quickly, so do as suggested: you speak to her in english and your wife speaks in thai. the problem will come later when she goes to school. if she goes to thai school, you will probably find that her written english will suffer, so will have to teach her at home.

[Sandy]

I myself speaks fluently Laos, Thai, English, and French (from school) and i never had any kind of problems with language. But i do not know how to read or write in Laos and Thai. Now my daughter, shes 2, speaks Spanish (from her dad), Laos, and English, and understands Thai. Im starting to pick up Spanish here and there too. Eventually she will get everything down. And later in her future, knowing 2 languages will become an advantage to her. Give her some time, she is only beginning to talk.

[Neeranam]

Thanks a lot to you all for the advice, especially p brownstone and snapshot.

I sometimes think my Thai is good enough but, of course it is not, my pronunciation is terrible.

One thing that I will try and put a stop to is some of the friends jokingly trying to get her to speak Isarn(where we live).

I will try not to worry too much and let things happen naturally.

I wonder when I should take her to the golf driving range

[Spee]

I will try not to worry too much and let things happen naturally.

I would say good idea except when it comes to formal schooling.

I give my fiance' extra money so that we can send her daughter (6 1/2 y.o.) to a better school where she receives formal classroom studies in both Thai and English.

[wolf5370]

I think if you live in LOS then speak English at home, (s)he will learn the Thai from the environment and school - especially when young. If you live in the west, then the other way around.

My Aunt is Englisg. She married an Italian and went to live in Italy. When she had kids they made a rule to only speak English at home (unless Italian guests were present) and Italian outside. All the kids (x3) were fluent in both language and also have learnt others since. The eldest was at Uni until 37 and speaks 11 languages (that's eleven!) - five fluently (she defines fluent as not having to translate in her head) - she is a proffessional interpreter for the Italian government now. The other 2 can speak at least 5 languages.

I saw a prog on TV in the UK once that said as kids are brains are switched to language learning mode. We pick up languages very quickly. At about 7 we begin to rapdly loose this ability and as we age it becomes harder still. However, bilingual kids seem to keep this 'switch' set and so can often go on to learn more languages as they get older. Sounds like we are lucky then.

My kids tend to speak English most of the time, though they understand Thai. Mother and I only spoke English to them (except when she tells them off that is!). They are both under 5, and attend an English school. At their age, they can mix with kids from any language and make themselves understood. I am considering asking my wife to switch to Thai indoors now (I'll still do the English) - her fluency in English improved with speaking English all the time. Now to concentrate on getting the kids uop to speed.

PS: They can and do (loudly) pray in Pali though.

[Sandy]

wolf5370 Posted on Thu 2004-08-12, 06:28:17

They are both under 5, and attend an English school. At their age, they can mix with kids from any language and make themselves understood.

I know exactly what you mean. Its funny how my daughter would talk to other kids, like her cousin who is full hispanic, in Laotion and he knows no English only Spanish, would actually understand eachother. Kids are just so smart.

[meemiathai]

I will have to speak chinese(cantonese & mandarin) and english to our children and my wife to them isaan & thai. Thank god we are not living in France!

[IamMaiC]

Apparently, Tiger Woods had English speech problems in his early years.As soon as his mom stopped talking to him in Thai his English speech improved.

And his golf got better!

Now look at him. He's got a girlfriend/wife - whatever and his game has gone to sh1t!

Actually , his scoring average is quite similar to that before his relationship. The thing is, other players have risen up and gotten better, thus he doesn't win as often these days.And winning is what counts for world ranking points.

Their trying to get his ranking He was number 1 for five years? Correct people always try to topple the man on top

[OxfordWill]

I saw a prog on TV in the UK once that said as kids are brains are switched to language learning mode. We pick up languages very quickly. At about 7 we begin to rapdly loose this ability and as we age it becomes harder still. However, bilingual kids seem to keep this 'switch' set and so can often go on to learn more languages as they get older. Sounds like we are lucky then.

I am jealous of your (collective) ability to speak more than one language fluently (i.e. without the need for conscious tltn) although I should add that I have thus far been unable to find any bilingual person who speaks English as well as me (vocabulary, mainly, but also structure and flair).

I think the issue of quantity versus quality is a valid one.

(I still wish I had been brought up bilingual despite this post).

EDIT: to correct spelling errors (did I mention I do irony too?).

[samran]

Its all about association.

I grew up in OZ, speaking English at home both parents. Even though my mum is Thai, and English is her second language, it feels bizarre to speak to her in Thai.

I learnt Thai from speaking to my grandmother who lived with us, combined with some formal Thai education later down the track.

I will speak to some of my Thai cousins in English, as that is what is I have always done, but I will speak only Thai to other Thai cousins (who are fluent in English also) as it feels strange to do otherwise.

Point is, by exclusively speaking English to your daughter and she should become quite fluent in it. In my experience, I was never confused between knowing two languages. Simply, I learnt to speak English to one group of people, and Thai to another.

[Neeranam]

On 8/11/2004 at 3:36 PM, p_brownstone said:

Unless you are Thai - and I mean a native speaker of the Thai language - I strongly suggest you do NOT speak Thai with your daughter at all.

I have been here over 30 years and speak, read and write pretty fluent Thai (I am English, my wife is Thai) but when our daughter was born I readily accepted my wife's request that I speak only English with her, our daughter, because my Thai accent, vocabulary and syntax were not absolutely correct.

This has proved to be a wise decision because my daughter - now 21 - is bi-lingual and totally fluent in both languages.

I assume you are in Thailand, and if so there are plenty of people around your daughter from whom she will learn Thai (but keep her away from Issan maids etc as much as possible), you are probably one of the few people close to her who speaks proper English, so you should concentrate on teaching her that language and not confuse her young mind with your undoubtedly weird Thai pronunciation!

Good advice. My daughter is now 17 next month and is bilingual. I still never speak to her in Thai unless we are abroad and I want to say something that another doesn't understand.

[sipi]

Just be yourself. Your daughter will be exposed to both languages and make up her own mind.

My kid could speak fluent Thai and English at 5. Now he refuses to use Thai unless he has to.

[GinBoy2]

When my son was born we were in Singapore.

 

I spoke to him only in English, Mom only in Thai & Lao, even though we are both fluent in all the three languages 

 

His brain figured it out, and even though he only used English outside of the home up until we moved to Thailand, when he was about eleven I think, he was totally fluent in all three.

 

Fast forward a decade and he now lives and works in the US. He'll speak Lao to his cousins, but his Thai has really dropped off, since he rarely uses it and unlike a lot of Thai's overseas never watches Thai TV.

 

With us, after he became fluent, at home he'd kinda mix n match what he'd say to me & Mom in whatever language came into his head I guess. But certainly over time in Singapore it became predominantly English both outside and at home

[Gumballl]

Slightly off-topic, but a few years ago when my youngest daughter (now 12 years old) renewed her Thai passport (in Korat), whereupon she was asked to sign her name in Thai (script). She does not know how, so my wife did it for her.

 

The gov't official said that next time my daughter needs to sign her name herself. Really? Has anyone else experienced this dilemma?

 

P.S. My daughter understands some Thai, but 99.44% of the time speaks (and writes in) English. We live in the US, so other than at home, she is never exposed to Thai.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Good advice. My daughter is now 17 next month and is bilingual. I still never speak to her in Thai unless we are abroad and I want to say something that another doesn't understand.

 

How do 16 year-old TV threads suddenly become alive again?

 

Regardless of the language I mean?

[sipi]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

How do 16 year-old TV threads suddenly become alive again?

 

Regardless of the language I mean?

 

6 hours ago, sipi said:

Just be yourself. Your daughter will be exposed to both languages and make up her own mind.

My kid could speak fluent Thai and English at 5. Now he refuses to use Thai unless he has to.

Hey your right. I didn't see the date.

Can I delete my post?

[NanLaew]

8 minutes ago, sipi said:

 

Hey your right. I didn't see the date.

Can I delete my post?

I wouldn't worry too much. It's strange but this happens quite frequently so curious on how  @Neeranam picked up on it. Does it come up in an alert on a members personal settings, or maybe in a members personal search on a related subject, or what?

[Damrongsak]

My wife never spoke Thai with our two boys, though she might have sung songs for them. Shame.  About all they learned was "eat rice" and "poop".  Of course they soon figured out "eat poop".  Kids are clever.