Youtube

[ElZorro]

Most of you probably know already about the huge number of Thai language videos that one can find in youtube. There are karaoke songs, soap operas, complete movies, adverts and all sorts of programs ripped from TV. Some even have English subtitles, which is really helpful for beginners, like this โปงลางสะออน concert:

Do a search for thai, ไทย, โฆษณา, ละคร, subtitle, หนัง, บรรยาย, etc.

Here is a soap opera with English subtitles:

[aanon]

Most of you probably know already about the huge number of Thai language videos that one can find in youtube. There are karaoke songs, soap operas, complete movies, adverts and all sorts of programs ripped from TV. Some even have English subtitles, which is really helpful for beginners, like this โปงลางสะออน concert:

Do a search for thai, ไทย, โฆษณา, ละคร, subtitle, หนัง, บรรยาย, etc.

Here is a soap opera with English subtitles:

interesting videos. the subtitles on the soap opera clip are actually pretty good - if only the soundtrack was a bit more subtle!

all the best.

[mrt273nva]

i couldn't stand the soap opera. i the screaming and yelling at each other. i couldn't even finish it. I comedy was pretty good but the thai was fairly fast and i could only pick up part of it even with the subtitles.

i found that thai karaoke with latin characters helps quite a lot for learning thai, except the only time i can enjoy it is when i am already fairly drunk. i also need someone who isn't bored of me saying "what does that mean?" sitting next to me.

[ElZorro]

I've found another video with English subtitles. This time, it's not only the language, but the content as well that is very interesting and inspiring for foreign language learners. This is part 1 of 5 segments taken from an interview on Thailand's No.1. talk show Joh Jai with polyglot Stuart Jay Raj.

[aanon]

I've found another video with English subtitles. This time, it's not only the language, but the content as well that is very interesting and inspiring for foreign language learners. This is part 1 of 5 segments taken from an interview on Thailand's No.1. talk show Joh Jai with polyglot Stuart Jay Raj.

the subtitles on this one are good.

stuart jay raj speaks thai well, and his pronunciation in mandarin (the only other language i can comment on) is good. what he has is an interesting skill, but if you're going to learn 20+ languages, how deeply are you learning each of them? personally i believe that there's enough depth in any one language to occupy a person for a lifetime, and i like getting deeply into things, so that's how i choose to proceed.

anyway, you're right, it was interesting to watch and think about.

all the best.

[ElZorro]

stuart jay raj speaks thai well, and his pronunciation in mandarin (the only other language i can comment on) is good. what he has is an interesting skill, but if you're going to learn 20+ languages, how deeply are you learning each of them? personally i believe that there's enough depth in any one language to occupy a person for a lifetime, and i like getting deeply into things, so that's how i choose to proceed.

I'm not sure about that... It seems to me that Stu Jay has been learning languages since he was born. He is not actively learning over 20 languages now (you are always learning new things about the languages you speak, even your own native language, but I mean dedicating some time regularly to memorizing vocabulary and studying grammar). Once you achieve proficiency in a foreign language, I don't see any problem with starting learning another, and if you are good at languages, you can achieve an advanced level in a couple of years, so if you keep at it industriously for decades, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to learn more than then languages at a very high level.

I just read a blog entry about this subject in the Tower of Confusion blog. The blogger argues that there is no point in learning more than two languages at the same time. I'm not sure I agree with that, but I believe there is no problem in daisy chaining languages.

[aanon]

stuart jay raj speaks thai well, and his pronunciation in mandarin (the only other language i can comment on) is good. what he has is an interesting skill, but if you're going to learn 20+ languages, how deeply are you learning each of them? personally i believe that there's enough depth in any one language to occupy a person for a lifetime, and i like getting deeply into things, so that's how i choose to proceed.

I'm not sure about that... It seems to me that Stu Jay has been learning languages since he was born. He is not actively learning over 20 languages now (you are always learning new things about the languages you speak, even your own native language, but I mean dedicating some time regularly to memorizing vocabulary and studying grammar). Once you achieve proficiency in a foreign language, I don't see any problem with starting learning another, and if you are good at languages, you can achieve an advanced level in a couple of years, so if you keep at it industriously for decades, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to learn more than then languages at a very high level.

I just read a blog entry about this subject in the Tower of Confusion blog. The blogger argues that there is no point in learning more than two languages at the same time. I'm not sure I agree with that, but I believe there is no problem in daisy chaining languages.

each to their own, i guess. i really believe that there's an endless amount to learn within a single language and culture, and to do so takes serious time. of course, people's goals in language learning differ.

all the best.

[Virin]

Once I watched this kind of video, there are too many rude words and some talking styles are unacceptable. Becareful those words you're learning from these videos, Thai words are sensitive if you choose the wrong ones.

[camerata]

If anyone wants to learn some ratchasap and watch a great series at the same time, there is now a DVD version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms with Thai soundtrack and English subtitles. 17 disks and 84 episodes. Available from Maeng Pong for 4,800 baht. It'll keep you going for months!

[CuriousGeorge77]

StuRay is quite a good jazz pianist as well.

I am hardly a liguist, although I find it interesting. however, with many things, such as history, science and other things, I find that getting a different perspevctive often helps understand everything more deeply. I remember StuRay talking about how he inderstands Asian pronunciation as a gradient, basically from India to China. Quite interesting, and somthing you'd never pick up if you didn't have that kind of perspective.

Anyway, it certainly takes people from both schools, and they are both great approaches. I marvel at you both, as I am a total language hack.