Expats - Farangs Speaking The Local Language

[appleman]

My Thai is excellent and there are two reasons for that. 1. I have lived here for 3 decades. and 2 (and more important) even after 3 decades I still study Thai at least one hour every day.

I wonder if those who said that they have tried to learn Thai and given up have really "tried".

[Amyji]

I lived in Bangkok for nearly 4 years and married my Thai sweetheart during the latter part of my stay. Since hubby spoke good English, I got lazy and we spoke English together. (He's on this forum, Golf is his username, but he's not active anymore). I bought the Thai For Beginners series and studied diligently for many months before I ever met Golf. I had a private tutor for about a month. I listened to Thai music. I watched Thai TV.

The tones and the short and long vowels always stump me. I hear a word that sounds exactly like another I know and I ask Golf to say each of the words so I can hear the difference and sometimes it's barely different. I know, I know, English has the same thing, like the words door and drawer. I think the key is to be able to read Thai. When I read those two English words, they are clearly different, but saying the words they sound nearly identical. I would get to the point where my head would swim and be so fatigued. I think I'd understand some Thai, but then I'd hear some Thais in a conversation and NOT UNDERSTAND A WORD. It felt so discouraging that I would give up.

We're now back in the US raising our son. Golf speaks Thai to our son exclusively, and what's interesting is watching our son Aidan learn both languages. He repeats EVERYTHING. I would not. I would listen and internalize, rather than repeat out loud. Being a toddler, he says stuff incorrectly all the time, such is the way babies learn. My vocabulary has increased a lot in listening to Golf and Aidan talk. It's amazing, Aidan will turn to Golf and speak Thai, then turn to me and say the same sentence in English. I love it.

So my interest in learning more Thai has waxed again. Several things happened in the last few days to cause this to occur. 1. I found this thread! 2. I'm editing Benjawan Becker's newest Speak Like a Thai book on Heart Words. We're going to do the recording in a few days (Golf and I are on the previous volume called Thai Proverbs and Sayings along with Benjawan and her husband.) Benjawan's transliteration of the pronunciation of Thai is the best I've ever come across and gets the closest to the real Thai. Reading through her new book and looking at her transliteration got me all excited about learning again.

Apparently I'm not a natural language learner. I become so envious of those who can pick up the language so easily. Living in Bangkok where access to English speakers was so easy made me take the lazy way out, unfortunately. I would like to learn Thai better, since the two people I love the most are Thai/Americans.

Now that we're living in the US again, I have even less influence, so if I'm to learn any more, I must take even more initiative.

LOVE this conversation amongst us as how well we learn and how motivated we are to learn.

[Tinkelbell]

quoted........"The tones and the short and long vowels always stump me. I hear a word that sounds exactly like another I know and I ask Golf to say each of the words so I can hear the difference and sometimes it's barely different. I know, I know, English has the same thing, like the words door and drawer. I think the key is to be able to read Thai. When I read those two English words, they are clearly different, but saying the words they sound nearly identical."

.............................................................................

Amyji, I know what you mean.

Having seen some of the expats stumped on these simple ( yes, for Thais ) Thai words: Tiger - Mat - Blouse, respectively.

It's quite a chanllenge for a non-native speaking Thai trying to master this. They said it's confusing and puzzled them since it sounded the same to their ears. Seems they can't distinguish the tones.

But seeing you're serious about learning Thai language, also you're one step ahead of the class by surrounding yourself with two Thai speaking. I know you're on the way to be a winner. Don't be discouraged. Be patience. Good luck!

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Thanks for bringing this thread back. I have been in Thailand a year, and my failure to learn the language has been the most disappointing aspect of my move. I know less than 25 words. I work with some Filipinos and they seem to pick it up right away. I work with some farangs who have been here more than 10 years, and they just seem to get in trouble by speaking Thai (well, to be honest, they're pretty rude when speaking English as well).

I'd like to take AUA, but I don't even think I have the skills yet to make it worthwhile. A few weeks back, I tried to get a song teauw to Lam Thong shopping mall. No one could figure out where I wanted to go. Then I said McDonalds, and they knew. It turns out I was pronouncing "thong" like the underwear. I am now trying to learn one new word a day. However, I have no confidence in my pronunciation, not even my kwap koon's or sawadee kwap's.

I want to retire here, so I have to learn the language: both written and spoken. I feel like I'm missing out on so much, not being able to speak the language.

[Ulysses G.]

My Thai is excellent and there are two reasons for that. 1. I have lived here for 3 decades. and 2 (and more important) even after 3 decades I still study Thai at least one hour every day.

I wonder if those who said that they have tried to learn Thai and given up have really "tried".

My Thai is mediocre and there are two reasons for that 1. I have lived here almost 2 decades and 2. (and most important) I never study Thai at all (although I did attend AUA for about two years when I first got here and just picked up a lot in the classroom while daydreaming about other stuff).

I think that appleman is right.

Edited June 7, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[telaksslave]

I speak just enough Thai for the locals to make fun of my accent. The local noodle seller at the end of the street, apparently does a hilarious impersonation of my pronunciation of the word "Gung" (prawns).

how about hoi lang lom

[Maejo Man]

how about hoi lang lom

If you are alluding to oysters, I would suggest you try Hoi Nang Lom......After all this thread is all about how well you have learned the Thai language

[Antimony]

Im so J, I wanna learn to speak Thai too!

[PeaceBlondie]

This topic and others, especially the topic I started about not speaking Thai, finally convinced me to give it a go. Other posters shamed me into it, and so I enrolled in a course of 30 hours of classroom instruction. Failed. The textbook was not clear, the instructor rushed us past some important concepts (such as vowel sounds!), the tones sounded alike, the transliteration system was far from perfect, etc. But most of all, the student was not ready, so the learning did not appear. Benjawan Poontang's book never helped either (the sound of the letter a in the transliteration scheme is NOT the sound of any letter a in Alaska; ask any Inuit). So, I quit halfway through the course, and do not intend to pursue it.

It would be great to speak Thai (or eat the food, or work legally), but mai dai. Or mai daiyeiah.

[Tod Daniels]

Learning to speak Thai is a complex process. I know some cranky, argumentative and angry farang who have "learned to speak Thai" very well in a certain sense. They can read and write and express themselves in a cranky, argumentative and angry manner very very well. I think they have missed a very important part of learning to actually speak Thai. Language involves culture.

IF learning to speak a language involves buying into the alleged culture exhibited here in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" I would have given it a pass long ago. The "culture" here can best be described as mindless brainwashing carried out over generations to keep the classes clearly separated.

That being said;

I can converse in thai about most anything I have of interest here. I probably read better than I can speak. I write like a 5th grader but type pretty well on the pc via messenger or in a word document.

I AM American, but rarely resort to speaking in a "cranky, argumentative or angry" manner as I have found it is lost on most thais. I do phrase things bluntly (sometimes very bluntly) and rarely ever use sentence softeners or hypothetical phrases. In speaking to thais I try to ask questions in a way that forces or compels them to give a solid answer one way or the other. I am NOT a fan of the ambiguity that the thai language seems to fall back on time and again in answering questions with vague or insubstantial answers just because you might not know the answer but don't want the other person to realize you don't know.

I say frequently: Speak straight with me, I am American; I can't lose face. Of course that sentence implies they can lose face, but that's their deal not mine.

*edited for spelling & clarity

Edited June 8, 2008 by tod-daniels

[toptuan]

I was wondering how many of you expats - farangs live here and speak or are learing the local language

You mean, Thai?

Or do you mean Lao? Spoken by the 20 million people of NE Thailand?

[distortedlink]

I congratulate any Farangs here that can speak Thai.

But what really gets up my nose, or should I say ears, is when out shopping, in a bank or restuarant somewhere, there is some Farang who not only speaks Thai but also wants everyone else to know he speaks Thai. He tries to impress by ranting a conversation at the top of his voice either on a cell phone or shop assistant.

Annoying, arrogant little people.

[Tod Daniels]

I congratulate any Farangs here that can speak Thai.

But what really gets up my nose, or should I say ears, is when out shopping, in a bank or restuarant somewhere, there is some Farang who not only speaks Thai but also wants everyone else to know he speaks Thai. He tries to impress by ranting a conversation at the top of his voice either on a cell phone or shop assistant.

Funny you should mention that;

There was a foreign guy on the sky train the other day that got a call on his mobile. Now I was standing next to him and clearly heard the voice on the other end speaking english, albeit like most thais, but it was clearly understandable english. The voice on the line asked where he was, and he promptly bellowed out in barely intelligible thai that he was on the sky train. Then the voice asked when he would be home, to which he shouted 15 minutes.

This went on with the voice on the phone asking him questions in english and him replying with terribly mispronounced thai at about an 8 on the volume scale, until he finished his call. He then looked around smugly as if to say to all the now hearing damaged people in that sky train car, "I can speak thai". As I passed him and got off the train, I said very quietly in thai, "You speak thai like a 5 year old thai child."

Which given the spectacle I had just witnessed, was either a compliment to him or a slam to every 5 year old thai child in this country.

[Ratsima]

I'm pretty ashamed of my poor Thai. I studied for years before I retired here. Lived here full time for over three years now and my fluency is certainly inferior to that of my five year old nephews.

I accept it now. Just something I have to live with.

[JetsetBkk]

... the instructor rushed us past some important concepts ...

I had one-to-one tuition - expensive, but at least you could get the teacher's attention, ask questions and learn at your own pace.

[a2396]

I was wondering how many of you expats - farangs live here and speak or are learing the local language

You mean, Thai?

Or do you mean Lao? Spoken by the 20 million people of NE Thailand?

It is a dialect of Lao. Sometimes referred to a Issan language. Most of the NE Thais understand and can speak it, but they cannot read written Lao. If you live in NE Thailand, best to learn both (Issan & Thai). Let me know when you are fluent & start having meaningful and revealing conversations with the locals. Have fun,

[SeanPhuket]

I was wondering how many of you expats - farangs live here and speak or are learing the local language ...

I ticked 'enough to get by'... although after almost 4 years it is a little embarrassing that I do not speak more ...

Soon enough though!!

[nihilnisibene]

We Russians speak Thai fluently. RAS, DWA, TRI, SI, HA, HOK.

[sandman333]

Thai's want to learn English but farangs dont want to learn Thai.If you go to live in another country you should learn their language and not expect them to speak yours.I have found it difficult because each region has its own dialect, and in the northwest were i am they speak Kamer.

[sandman333]

my girlfriend is a teacher and her grasp of English is limitd ,but at least she has tried to learn.i Rely on her to translate for me to her family and friends.i am trying to learn there are so many ways of saying the same thing. 1 word in English is 5 words in Thai.

[justcruisin]

Great admiration for you people who can speak thai fluently.

Have a friend who can change dialect from thai to laos,depending where he is talking to at the time.

He has been here for 25 yrs.

Has anyone encountered the problem where the G/F or wife refuses to help you to learn,as I have on a daily basis for more than 2 years?

Seems just a insecurity problem on her behalf.

Seems I will chat to other ladies then,maybe right she is correct.

I keep plodding away,try to learn everyday,watch Thai TV news,radio,immerse myself in it,slowly getting better all the time

[Neeranam]

1 word in English is 5 words in Thai.

Can you give any examples?