Thai Class

[anna234cn]

I've been here over a week and only know a few Thai words. I am planning to stay here for a few years. Do I have to have some Thai classes 'coz I am not interested in it a lot?

Do you guys here all have had some Thai classes in the university or somewhere else? I feel Thai is too hard to learn.

[RamdomChances]

anna

If you plan on staying its worth having some lessons, you will pick up some Thai anyway over time.

I'm dyslexic and was really poor at languages at school, before I moved up here I had 20 hrs of lessons one to one in a language school, very informal, its not that hard to get the basics and once you have the basics the rest will come with time.

Of course reading and writing are something else, but its worth learning, I think I'd need some formal lessons again though to be able to pick it up, it would help my speaking skills no end.

[Firefoxx]

Written Thai is a bit more structured than English in that it's pretty much "what you see is what you pronounce". There are very few exceptions, so if you can read Thai, you will know how to pronounce Thai words properly. However, knowing how to write a spoken Thai word may be difficult, because there can be several ways to spell something you hear (like in English: two, to, too or in Thai: รัด รัฐ รัตน์).

[makavelithedon]

Hi all,

I would appreciate if someone could recommend the best place to start when learning Thai?

I have lived here nearly a year and work has prevented me finding time to take classes, so I know some spoken Thai although very little.

I would appreciate a few pointers in which is the best way of going about learning, take written class or conversation firstly? I have been informed that by learning to write greatly improves speach and pronounciation but have no idea how long it takes to learn the skill with a teacher. The most cost effective way would be appreciated as classes don't come cheap where I am at around 6000 baht for 20 hours!

Many thanks,

Mak

[gburns57au]

Take written Thai first......formally and learn what you can while doing that.

How did you learn to speak your own language in school..???

Learn the alphabet and how to pronounce the letters ....then build your vocab by reading everything you can....learn your sentence structure by talking to and listening to Thais speaking....

If you say something wrong or structure the sentence wrong, most Thais will repeat what you said...a sure indication that you have stuffed up....if that happens ask them how to say it properly.

Remember tho that Thais have a great but frustrating sense of humour, My ex was teaching my friend how to say the word for "speak" as he always got it wrong....she said it 5 different ways often repeating his attempt without him realising it. He got p*****d of with her in the end when I told him what she was doing and he still says it wrong.....hehehe

[anna234cn]

Hi all,

I would appreciate if someone could recommend the best place to start when learning Thai?

Mak

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I also wanna know where to learn the basic Thai is the best place. I heard we cound study it in primary school with little children or univeristies. Any good language schools or intension courses?

I am learning the Thai alphabets myself from my books and tapes and trying to write Thai. It is a bit boring. But at least, I found I started to like this language.

A.

[withnail]

I've read on here before that pro language link are supposed to be very good. They offer a free trial lesson which I am having today. If it's any good I will sign up for a course.

I'll let everyone know how I got on later.

[Ajarn]

I am learning the Thai alphabets myself from my books and tapes and trying to write Thai. It is a bit boring. But at least, I found I started to like this language.

A.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A very good point you made about starting to like the language now....

I felt like I had to 'pay my dues' when learning Thai before I could get to really enjoying and appreciating the language. In all my AUA classes, there was always a fairly high percentge of farang drop-outs, saying that it was 'too hard', 'too boring', etc...

Motivation is the key. Either external, like needing to learn for living here, or internal motivation, i.e., you don't REALLY need to learn Thai because your environment is mostly English-speaking or your wife is a perfect translator already, but you'd like to learn more about your adopted country and better communicate with the locals...

For me, my motivation was external. When I settled in here many years ago, there were very few Thai who spoke English. If I wanted to eat, I had to learn Thai. And since I truly do like to eat, learning Thai was my only reasonable option.

I think self-study is usefull in theory, but not as much in the real world, in my experience. Take a class like at AUA if possible. A good teacher who can give you a good foundation in the language, like teaching the historical origins, alternative meanings, word-form logic, etc., is incredibly valuable to your future learning. Of course, practicing listening and speaking is critical. And, since language is a direct reflection of its local culture, the more you learn about the language, the more you learn about the people and their culture.

One of the biggest mistakes sometimes is to do too much 'assumed' direct translation from your native language into Thai. Many many words, phrases, idioms, etc., do directly translate, but many more don't.... I put a pretty high priority on learning what does and what doesn't so that my communication can rely on direct translation more of the time, with higher accuracy.

Another mistake I see a lot is translating or extrapolating from your own culture into thai language meanings...Recently, someone insisted 'Kor' (polite form of request) had an inherrent meaning 'to beg'... and he would never use that word. (because he never begs)

That kind of thinking is a waste of time and, frankly, indicative of closed-thinking, in my opinion (not to mention that refusing to use polite words can signal, to some Thais, an impolite person). You can only learn if your mind is open and if you're interested in knowing the truth, rather than preferring to propogate your own prejudices..... If you want to know, ask someone who speaks the language and ask for feedback. But, don't blindly accept the ' All Thais are like this' kind of response, either

For anyone who's in Thailand, just starting, and feeling kinda in a rut, try getting to some very public place, like a vegetable market, perhaps. It was always my favorite place to go to after Thai class, and the ladies were so fun and supportive of my efforts- even their laughing at me felt more like they were laughing with me.

Another nice thing about these markets is that it's an easy place to use and practice those basic daily phrases we all use... " An nii thowray, khrap?"..."Luuk la thawray, khrap?" "Paeng maak!" " Wan ni rawn, na'?" "Khun cheu aray, krap" "Tengngan ru yang, khrap?" If you get bored (or shot down) with one conversation, move a couple of meters and you've got a new person to practice on....who can't escape you, either

Have fun in whatever you're doing, 'mai pen rai' whenever possible, keep your mind/heart open... That's the secret to my success

[theCatat]

<<I've read on here before that pro language link are supposed to be very good. They offer a free trial lesson which I am having today. If it's any good I will sign up for a course.

I'll let everyone know how I got on later.

so, how'd it go? i've emailed them for more information, as i'm not sure which formal program i'll be going through, only that i intend on jumping in asap. but one on one as i'm really shy with languages.

cat

[SK1972]

Catat...........AUA is suppose to offer Thai class at reasonable prices, some of the other schools charge outrageous prices..............if you want private lessons, email me and I can hook you up with a farang woman who has been taking private Thai lessons.

[meadish_sweetball]

Catat...........AUA is suppose to offer Thai class at reasonable prices, some of the other schools charge outrageous prices..............if you want private lessons, email me and I can hook you up with a farang woman who has been taking private Thai lessons.

A note about AUA. AUA has no common curriculum for teaching Thai. Bangkok AUA is known to practice the so called 'natural approach'. This means that students at the beginners level are supposed to 'immerse' themselves in the language, and are not allowed to use Thai, even if they have learned some sentences and vocabulary since before. At lessons, you will sit and listen to one or more teachers discussing very simple subjects in very clear and slowly spoken Thai.

Questions are allowed, but must be placed in English. The underlying philospohy is that you are very likely to produce faulty grammar and/or tones or sentence constructions, and this should not be encouraged. You should be fed with the correct pronunciations and constructions for up to a year and then slowly try to use what you have learned.

Obviously, this approach does not fit everyone (we all have different learning styles) if not for anytyhing else so because of lack of time.

AUA in Chiang Mai, as I understand, use a more common type of teaching structure, closer to what you might expect from your own school years.

Hope that helps a little.

[Spee]

What a great post, Ajarn! It's stuff like this that keeps me coming back!

Motivation is the key.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Couldn't agree more. I also think a dose of humility helps too. In other words, take the approach like when in nursery school or kindergarden and concentrate on the basics: alphabet, colors, numbers, basic phrases, etc.

... or your wife is a perfect translator already

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even better to have a "long-haired dictionary" as my teacher sometimes refers to our Thai ladies (/f/poot-/f/len or jokingly of course).

My fiancee' helps me all the time with my pronounciation and new words. In turn, I help her with her english.

I think self-study is usefull in theory, but not as much in the real world, in my experience. Take a class like at AUA if possible. A good teacher who can give you a good foundation in the language, like teaching the historical origins, alternative meanings, word-form logic, etc., is incredibly valuable to your future learning. Of course, practicing listening and speaking is critical.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Again couldn't agree more. One of the things I focus on is how my teacher's mouth moves and pitch changes when she is speaking new words. This has been so helpful in terms of proper pronunciation. For example, with the "ng" consonant at the start of the word, the teacher told us to try to speak the sound "through the nose." But I also noticed at the same time, when she uses "ng" her tongue stays at the bottom of the mouth and doesn't move to help make the sound.

She also gives us the occasional does of literal words versus some informal or "slang-ish" applications. For example, she spent some time teaching us the literal translation for different tastes and then told us how they can be informally used to describe people. For example, we know that /r/wahn is the word for a food that tastes sweet. She said this term can also be used informally to describe a person who is shy, demure, or very proper. Or /m/kem describes a salty food, but can be used to describe someone who is stingy. Very hard to get stuff like that out of a book (not that I would think of using the informal uses with still very limited knowledge).

One of the biggest mistakes sometimes is to do too much 'assumed' direct translation from your native language into Thai. Many many words, phrases, idioms, etc., do directly translate, but many more don't....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When I am studying I try to empty my thoughts of english language. It's the Thai-way or the highway, so borrow from a cliche'.

A long time ago when I was taking Spanish at university, in the second term my professor would not allow anyone to speak in anything else but Spanish when in class (unless he had a specific point to make). That might be a little difficult in elementary Thai classes, but I think the concept is sound.

Cheers,

Spee

[theCatat]

<<SK1972 Catat.....if you want private lessons, email me and I can hook you up with a farang woman who has been taking private Thai lessons.

have done, thanks :-)

<<A note about AUA. AUA has no common curriculum for teaching Thai. Bangkok AUA is known to practice the so called 'natural approach'. ... 'immerse' themselves in the language, and are not allowed to use Thai ... you will sit and listen

then it's not for me.

i do believe i'll go the private route first, uni second. i've got several phone numbers now to call when i get into town [thanks frog] and one more on the way. i just need to find one who has a 'kind' approach when teaching, but who won't let me get away with my being shy.

i contacted prolanguage and they've gotten back to me. but the grammar mistakes in the email didn't sit right ...

and i have several tapes [ and one on the way recommended here, 'Teach Yourself Thai Complete'] so i'll have a couple of months to listen to those. benjawan poomsan becker's 'thai for beginners' came highly rated, but i'm not all that impressed with it. nor was the thai teacher who was here for a brief time [one lesson]. but perhaps her comments put me off.

then i've got 'listen and learn' for those car moments, or when i'm working [for in the background]

cat

[sabaijai]

Catat...........AUA is suppose to offer Thai class at reasonable prices, some of the other schools charge outrageous prices..............if you want private lessons, email me and I can hook you up with a farang woman who has been taking private Thai lessons.

A note about AUA. AUA has no common curriculum for teaching Thai. Bangkok AUA is known to practice the so called 'natural approach'. This means that students at the beginners level are supposed to 'immerse' themselves in the language, and are not allowed to use Thai, even if they have learned some sentences and vocabulary since before. At lessons, you will sit and listen to one or more teachers discussing very simple subjects in very clear and slowly spoken Thai.

Questions are allowed, but must be placed in English. The underlying philospohy is that you are very likely to produce faulty grammar and/or tones or sentence constructions, and this should not be encouraged. You should be fed with the correct pronunciations and constructions for up to a year and then slowly try to use what you have learned.

Obviously, this approach does not fit everyone (we all have different learning styles) if not for anytyhing else so because of lack of time.

AUA in Chiang Mai, as I understand, use a more common type of teaching structure, closer to what you might expect from your own school years.

Hope that helps a little.

I've not studied at either AUA, but know lots of people who have studied at both, and from what they've told me, everything meadish says rings true. The AUA in Chiang Mai has a good reputation up here, and the folks I know who've gone through the programme come out speaking great thai. I've met some of the teachers there, and they seem super-earnest, qualified and attentive, and that probably accounts for a lot of the apparent success.

The so-called natural approach - which makes the fundamental error of believing that adults learn language in the same way that children do (despite the unanimous research showing otherwise) - is a complete dud. Anyone who manages to learn Thai in that kind of environment is learning it in spite of the method, not because of it! The Natch was thought up back in the 70s by an academic named Stephen Krashen, who has since then been totally discredited in lx aq research circles.

Payap University in Chiang Mai also has a strong Thai language program for foreigners.

[pop031]

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