Read/write/speak thai

[mrentoul]

I'll try to be a good little farang and show them the minimum respect of learning their language.

You might even get some benefit yourself...don't you think?

[danbo]

Can anyone "here" pass on their experience, good or otherwise, of Thai classes at the Union Language School in Surawong Rd BKK ?

T.I.A

Dan.

[WISteve]

You might even get some benefit yourself...don't you think?

Of course I will.  Doubt I would begin th process of learning to read Thai without some perceived benefit to myself.  Just too bloody much work for nothing.  But it also makes points with the natives I think and shows them respect.

--WISteve

[mrentoul]

Both of those books are terrific, though it takes a long time to absorb the information in them.

They are very handy as reference books, rather than for instruction. They are particularly good if you are starting to read.

You will find examples in reading material (magazines and so on) which you have read previously in those books. One reinforces the other, helping the learning process.

Good luck.

[MaiChai]

I highly recommend those three links I gave earlier. I am finding learning online really useful, with being able to ask Thais questions, and looking at other peoples language questions. The thai-language.com site has a really great online dictionary, which you can query using transliteration. This dictionary also has a lot of words recorded by Thai speakers, which you can play back to confirm pronounciation and tone. It seems so much more interactive than going over the same material again and again in books. Give it a try, I'm a real convert, and its keeping me interested and motivated.

[WISteve]

Yes, kudos on the Thai-language.com dictionary.  When I've read a word somewhere and have lost the meaning it's great to be able to query the transliteration. Simple words like "teach" or "learn" I've found have many, many meanings in Thai.   Helpful and fun to use.

Thanks gentlemen.

--WISteve

[grtaylor]

Union Language School

I have no direct experience of them, but I have heard it said they are the best.

However, many of the students there are fundamentalist Christian missionaries, so, it depends whether you would want to be associated with people like that.  Personally, I wouldn't!