designersing Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 bit of a strange one this, we were chatting to my wifes mother talking about nicknames/ names in thai for my wifes soon to be born baby, she mentioned some names and then joked nong goy, I asked jokingly what it meant and felt like the joke was on me! (yes I should take time to understand thai language better!) any of you fellas with thai wifes who can ask what 'goy' or 'gouy' means, I have looked it up in my dictionary and online but found nothing, anyone who knows what it can mean, if anything..... ta in advance for any feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotime Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 (edited) Little Finger? Not sure it's used for nicknames though. You would know the relevance, if any. Edited September 21, 2008 by Shotime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidHouston Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I have a guess for you. ก้อย (gaawyF) or นิ้วก้อย (niuH gaawyF) means "little finger" of one's hand. We know several women with the nickname of "ก้อย". I suspect they were small babies when born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
designersing Posted September 21, 2008 Author Share Posted September 21, 2008 Little Finger? Not sure it's used for nicknames though. You would know the relevance, if any. wow fast reply shotime thanks! Yeah I got the same translation, I also found something relating to King Rama V era with regard to race, I'm at a loss with it anyhow but thanks for reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toptuan Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 (edited) Depending on how it's pronounced,** "Goy" is a vulgar name for penis. Therein lies the joke--and yes, the joke was on you. The girls' nickname is close enough to produce a lot of double-entendre jokes (actually triple-entendre jokes, if you include the "little finger" imagery). **Here's how to differentiate the sound: Girls' nickname: "gaw-wy" -- sounds like two syllables; (over-emphasize what looks like the diphthong--for you linguists) Vulgarism: "goi" just like it looks; one syllable (under-emphasize the diphthong) I'm sure there are some tone variations as well, but getting the syllables/diphthongs correct will steer you away from unintended slips of the tongue. Edited September 21, 2008 by toptuan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
designersing Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 Depending on how it's pronounced,** "Goy" is a vulgar name for penis. Therein lies the joke--and yes, the joke was on you. The girls' nickname is close enough to produce a lot of double-entendre jokes (actually triple-entendre jokes, if you include the "little finger" imagery). **Here's how to differentiate the sound: Girls' nickname: "gaw-wy" -- sounds like two syllables; (over-emphasize what looks like the diphthong--for you linguists) Vulgarism: "goi" just like it looks; one syllable (under-emphasize the diphthong) I'm sure there are some tone variations as well, but getting the syllables/diphthongs correct will steer you away from unintended slips of the tongue. hmmmm, yeah I was kinda hoping it wasnt vulgar! Oh well, I guess the baa nork mother in law has done it again! I wouldnt really expect anything intelligent to come from her mouth anyway! Thanks for the insight! DSG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5tash Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 : Girls' nickname: "gaw-wy" -- sounds like two syllables; (over-emphasize what looks like the diphthong--for you linguists) Vulgarism: "goi" just like it looks; one syllable (under-emphasize the diphthong) Girls nickname ก้อย (gaawyF) Penis คอย (kaawyM) These two words have different initial consonants and different tones also. The vowel sound is the same. I don't see how these words can be confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toptuan Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 : Girls' nickname: "gaw-wy" -- sounds like two syllables; (over-emphasize what looks like the diphthong--for you linguists) Vulgarism: "goi" just like it looks; one syllable (under-emphasize the diphthong) Girls nickname ก้อย (gaawyF) Penis คอย (kaawyM) These two words have different initial consonants and different tones also. The vowel sound is the same. I don't see how these words can be confused. Thanks for the added insight. It really gets tricky when many girls actually spell their nicknames "Koy," in English, thus confusing the spelling of the "G" and "K" initial sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikker Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 The rude word is actually ควย. Different initial consonant, different vowel, different tone. I'd be surprised if Thais actually make jokes based on ก้อย/ควย. Seems unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangkorn Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Agree with Rikker: "kuay (M)" and "gawy (F)" do not sound alike at all. 5tash: it seems you've got a typo, which comes out as the verb "to wait," not the colloquial word for "penis." designersing: shouldn't jump to conclusions and ridicule the woman, if you can't even understand her language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5tash Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 5tash: it seems you've got a typo, which comes out as the verb "to wait," not the colloquial word for "penis." I was waiting for someone to tell me I had cocked-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toptuan Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 designersing: shouldn't jump to conclusions and ridicule the woman, if you can't even understand her language. Pontificating seems to be an inappropriate activity for this forum, don't you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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