Foreign Husbands Speaking Thai To Their Kids

[TheDon]

I agree with Kowneeo.

I think people in here are totally under estimating there kids.

My mother is Korean and she used to speak English to me when I was young and my father spoke proper english with a scottish accent and I had no problems and I speak perfect english with a aussie accent.

I have no idea where the thought of someone speaking broken english/Thai etc would do any harm.

[onethailand]

maybe i was/am selfish in so much that i always wanted to strive to learn more thai....i often had to force my self to even speak a few words of english to my kids even though i had them from day one...as they got older they started asking me more and more stuff in english....suddenly one day i realised that my oldest was fluent in both languages and the others weren't too far behind........and for me.....well i'm still trying to learn thai even after 25 years........don't worry about the kids, they will be okay...just be a good parent and a great friend

Well said

[jumnien]

The rebellious nature of many children assures that fathers attempts to force them to learn a specific language will often fail. Better to let them learn to speak Thai and English just like all the other children they play with!

[Smithson]

I haven't read all of this thread, but from what I've heard it's best for a young child to learn one language first, then start with others. A friend of mine had a child with an Israeli father. The parents spoke English at home, Hebrew was spoken when among other Israelis. When in Thailand child was also exposed to Thai and Isaan with other family members.

By the age of five she would mix all languages together when speaking.

If I had a child I'd speak Thai to them also, at least for the first few years. Speaking English to them at a young age may encourage them to see me differently to others around them. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities in the future for them to learn. My 3 dogs understand Thai and English, so it can't be that hard.

[jackspratt]

Would any of us want your kids learning English from our wives?

"daddy why you no give me money for chocolate?"

Well mine don't ask me like that.

doesn't

If you are going to attempt being a pedant, please learn the language. 'Don't' is correct in the above sentence assuming more than one child

Careful, your arrogance in questioning the age of a father, or assuming the intelligence of a person will bit you in the ass before you know it

Umm!..............shouldn't that be "bite you in the ass"

Slightly off topic, but something I have noticed in the back clocks of Issan, where I live, is that several native English speaking fathers, and others, will talk to (their) children as though they were talking with their wife eg "why you not put your shoes on".

While I can understand the (limited) use of English "shorthand" when communicating with the Mrs (I do it myself sometimes), I strongly believe if you are trying to teach your child English, then it should be correct English.

Or even better, correct Australian

[Thai at Heart]

I'm not saying it's either good nor bad, but just trying to understand why the native tongue isn't used.

After eight years of only speaking English with my son (I am a Brit) he still speaks English like his Thai mother.

But he's been going to school in Germany, so if you count Lao/Isaan, then English is his fourth.

It is highly unlikely that any kid will be equally proficient in all the languages to which they are exposed. One will always have a stronger root than another. Does you wife speak English with the kids also?

Yes she does; he patterns his way of speaking on hers, which of course is simpler and easier for him, albeit not correct.

Precisely

[Desertexile]

Its a communication thing.

We (TW & I) speak both languages with our children. Quite often I will speak English with our three year old and she will answer me in Thai, especially if she is anywhere near other children.

Cheers,

Soundman.

Do you think the kiddy will pick up your mistakes? Kinda like a Thai sending his kid to stufy English with a Thai English teacher who makes many mistakes. Unteaching?

[dsfbrit]

Over the last couple of days here in Phuket, I've seen a a few foreign husbands speaking Thai to their kids.

I suspect they did not want to offend you and assumed you could not speak Thai.

The converstaion probably went something like this.

Child: Daddy Daddy why does that funny Farang keep following us around listening to our conversations?

Farang Dad: I don't know, but he has been following Farang and their Thai kids for some days now.

Child: Daddy I am frightened.

Edited May 2, 2008 by dsfbrit

[kingwilly]

Speaking Thai to your kid if you can why not.

cos it fcks them up for speaking both languages

My Thai wife and I want our child to be bilingual. He obviously needs role models for bilingual and trilingual speaking. Therefore, I speak both English and Thai with him, as does my wife. We also speak English and Thai amongst ourselves. He will be going to a school taught in English, but we want him to be adept at the Thai language as well. It is absurd to think that parents who want their children to be multilingual should never let the child know that they are multilingual as well.

this is the wrong thing to do, research shows that each parent should only speak their 'native' tongue, otherwise the kid learns bad habits, and cannot differentiate wich words belong to which langauge.

your kids will end up speaking good 'bargirl thai'

And I guess you've never heared complaints about foreigners in your own country not learning and using your language....?!

Last I noticed, there are about 60 odd million other people for kids to learn Thai from other than a dad speaking in a second language. I have only met a handful of foreigners in Thailand who are truly fluent. I can speak the language, but ask me to discuss the constitution in Thai, not a chance.

Plus there are 60mn odd other people for dad to practice his Thai with other than his children. I don't care what other people do, but if you want your kids to be bilingual (which is a useful thing most would agree), be disciplined and speak to them in your mother tongue. Interestingly, kids who learn two languages by 7 years old, find it much easier to learn a third or fourth also. If you don't want your kids to be bilingual, who cares.

exactly.

[jumnien]

The luk kreung kids in town for the most part speak English and Thai wonderfully regardless what language their father spoke to them. That's really all the research you need to do. Speak to some luk kreung children of all ages in your neighborhood, get to know their parents and make up your own mind. That's what I did!

Edited May 2, 2008 by sunrise07

[steelepulse]

Over the last couple of days here in Phuket, I've seen a a few foreign husbands speaking Thai to their kids.

I suspect they did not want to offend you and assumed you could not speak Thai.

The converstaion probably went something like this.

Child: Daddy Daddy why does that funny Farang keep following us around listening to our conversations?

Farang Dad: I don't know, but he has been following Farang and their Thai kids for some days now.

Child: Daddy I am frightened.

So focking funny wanna be brit.  As it happens I was at a restaurant and the guys was speaking to his 12 month old BABY.  Read the whole thread there wan--ker.  BTW, I speak Thai just fine after having been here for 10 years.  I just question those who speak pidgeon Thai to their kids.

Ao mai?

Jeb mai?

Tam mai?

Pai....

Nice Thai from the foreign husband...........................  But then again maybe his mother tongue wasn't any better................ which ties into other threads here on TV.

[disgruntled]

Do what you can. We all have different situations to deal with. Reading the posts here was pretty funny. Everyone is out to get each other. I think the erm experts say that both parents speaking their native language is best but I don't think its a 100% success rate. The experts also are still looking for WMDs in Iraq. But if you can do the two langauge thing why not. It's probably easier for foreigners who met their wives using their native language to continue using it. Some only communicate with their wives and others in Thai. It's a lot harder to go back to your native language when you are forced to speak first. just my opinion.

In my case, I speak thai to my 3 year old. I also speak Thai to my two step-daughters who are 10 and 15. My situation is a bit wierd as I don't live with my family due to work reasons. I see my kids probably once every month and half upcountry. Up there its all Thai/Esarn. My daughter knows some English from school and at home. She speaks Thai pretty well at her age. She has memorized many Thai songs from school and at home including some of the songs my 15-year-old daughter listens too. She also uses Esarn language a bit. Like one of the other posters mentioned about his wife, my 3 year old uses Esarn language when she gets angry. COuld that be that that is the language she hears from her mom when she's angry?

I wouldn't worry what other people think. I know many young Thais who have picked up the English language despite having two Thai-speaking parents. One of the best ways to improve your ability with a language is to spend some time overseas. If you really want your kid to pick up the English language or Thai language living overseas can make a difference.

Back to people putting others down. Sorry to be cynical but no matter what you do there are many other issues which will affect your child's life. If you smoke around your child, you damage your child's lungs. If you drink and drive you endanger your child. If you live in a polluted place you're probably damaging your child's health. Just living in Thailand is dangerous in itself. Then there is the fact that statistically there is a 50% divorce rate. So for some, your efforts to teach a language may be cut short and with divorce the child may face psychological issues. I just wanted to mention this as some people think being bilingual is a life and death issue for their child.