Learning Useful Language

[ray23]

First guys let me say this is not a rant just an observation:

Let’s learn the language; first we find the school something that as little as four years ago was almost impossible. Then if we are lucky we get a good teacher and I have been blessed with that, Miss Chuan included. I would say the first year I was just goofing around with it. But Chuan inspired me I spent a year with her as she was trying to learn to teach. Her patience and understanding always amazed me. I was spending two hours in calls four days a week. Six hours of study six days a week. Buddy I was serious. On my way to reading and writing.

Anyone seen the Picture of Chuan she is female and so were my other teachers. I learned to ask for noodles 18 different ways, I don’t like noodles.

Man I can go to the market and buy pineapples all day long. I’m married I don’t go to the market. My wife does, she prepares a meal gives it to me and I eat it. End of story

I can find the bus depot; I’ve never ridden a bus in Thailand.

Now the airport that does come in handy if I need to pick up a friend. But that might happen once a year and that is done in English.

Yes I can say I want to buy a short, even what color I want, I can bargain the price of that shirt. What really happens we go downtown by some cloth the housekeeper takes that to the village and I have tailor made shirt for about the same price as off the rack.

You live In Thailand you should speak Thai, only if you live in Bangkok or you’re going to spend a lot of time speaking to the elite. It’s been over three years since I have been to Bangkok.

You see in this area they don’t really speak Thai they speak Issan an inferior language in the eyes of the elite.

I have a friend who has lived here for twenty years, co owner of the longest existing English school in Udon. Certified translator by the Thai and US governments. He has really very little problem here or in Bangkok. But get him in the villages around here and even he has problems having a general conversation, in the villages.

What is my hobby Bike touring, that would get pretty boring if I stayed in Udon all the time.

Anyone remember the government complaining that students couldn’t speak Thai properly. Why slang every society has it.

So after two years I’m really prepared to be a tourist. But generally those things that are in my real life are not offered in class. So I’m really not prepared to live in Issan.

I think Chuan I offering a class in Issan seem like I read that somewhere. Ok I go and learn how to buy pineapple in Issan... Am I any further ahead?

No I need to know how to buy nuts bolts, hardware. I need to able to tell a guy I want a ground wire on an outlet. I need to tell a mechanic to adjust my brakes, change the brake pads. Change the oil, I want new tires.

Don’t get me wrong learning something is darn site better then nothing. The problem I see I’m not learning the local language, nor the things that I will use. You don’t use it, you lose it.

A year of hard studying and not being able to advance beyond basic Thai to an intermediate class. The end result of this is I want to speak to the locals, simply because they are my neighbors and for the most part very nice people.

I’m now at a point where I am very hesitant of returning to school, because I don’t think I can accomplish what I need to live here. I may become a very good tourist but

[Thaddeus]

I understand your frustration Ray.

I have never had any formal tutoring, and my wife was a bloody awful teacher, no patience at all (and patience when trying to teach a farang to speak Thai is a key factor)

The spoken Thai that I do know has just been picked up during my time here, it's not that much compared to some, but I can get by and it means that I know what I need to know for my day to day use, not what a text book has pre-decided what would be good for me.

Compare it to the way you first learned your native language (which I assume is English) you picked that up as a child just by listening, learning and repeating and you would have had a fairly good command of it before you went to school, school added to your abilities and knocked the rough edges off.

I could probably take some formal eduction now as it would be adding to what I already know, but I'd probably end up saddled with the thoughts you are having i.e. 'when am I ever going to need that' and anything remotely useful will have been forgotten long before I get round to using it, so why bother.

No, I think I am quite happy just adding as I need and not filling my head with stuff I am never going to use.

With regards to pah sah Isaan, I know a few phrases (most of which I wouldn't dare use in public) what's the point, next to useless in BKK, in fact, for a farang can be next to useless in the next town along which may have a slightly different dialect, a native speaker can adapt, but if you aren't totally fluent, you will end up reverting to Thai or pointing and drawing pictures.

[ray23]

I too pick up things from the wife. I certainly speak a lot more then I did before.

I'm really leaning towards self study I do have a book that gives phrases in Thai Lao and Issan. Might be a good place to start. It's funny although I seldom get there people in Bangkok understand what I say.

Pom Ow putt pasa Issan geng Mak Mai Dai

Edited August 19, 2008 by ray23

[maipasathai]

Ray,

Did you buy the book in Udon? If so can you tell me where and also the title of the book?

[ray23]

Title: Thai-Isan-Lao Phrase book

Author: Asger Mollerup

Publisher: White Lotus

Yes I bouhgt it in a book store in Udon, but not in the complex. I've had it for years.

It might be availabe at the complex, try that and if they don't and you live in Udon make contact with me I and I will take you where I bought it. I couldn't begin to give directions to it.

[maipasathai]

Thanks Ray,

Will do

[ray23]

Boy, talk about a reminder coming out of the blue. I was at Robinon this morning, I didn't know they tore down the buildings on the corner Robison that how often I get down there.

There are six farrrangs there three males and three females. I've been here to long first thing that hit me is why bring a cheeseburger to five star resturant. Thuth is seven years ago I would have been very happy to date any of the girls I was seeing :oops:

Anyway they were speaking in a non English language sounded like Itallian but know no Itallian and every now and then I'm hearing words that sound familiar. But I didn't understand them. Me being the friendly cuss that I can be at times I go over and say good morning and ask what language they are speaking. They were from Spain and speaking Castellan Spanish.

Thirty five years ago when I was in college I took spanish in college, only to find out it was doing me no good. Mexican people do not speak Castellan Spanish. I learned to communicate with them using street Spanish.

So that may be what is motivating me to think the way I am, I had completly forgotten it until today.

I thnk one the things that has controlled my language usage has always been Am I being understood, do I understand, Not the form proper or otherwise.

I did stop by and met the local PAD leader and in Thai wished him good luck, He understood. Made a point of joking with the other shoppers I was understood.