Uttaradit Or Chiang Mai

[Blinky Bill]

We're not pedants, we are human beings.

[Blinky Bill]

In my few travels around the world and having looked at a map or 2 over the years, I have never seen Thailand referred to as Tailand.

[uptheos]

In my few travels around the world and having looked at a map or 2 over the years, I have never seen Thailand referred to as Tailand.

Nor have I, so I will notify the writers of the English/Thai dictionary immediately, if not sooner.

I suppose we could call it Thighland

[IanForbes]

I suppose we could call it Thighland

That is what I frequently call it. But that's probably from spending too long wearing a Thai. Lovely thighs are one of Thailand's greatest attributes.

[rethaired]

Hi,

I’ve been itching to respond to the various replies to my original post for some time, but held off until I have had some time under my belt. I can almost hear some say ‘’ he’s only been here 5 minutes and thinks he knows it all’’ Not true, I accept I have much to learn but am trying very hard.

In the very early stages I read a great deal on three forums and the underlying trend was of cynicism and negativity with a great emphasis on the money grabbing ways of the average Tai girl. This didn’t help our relationship very much at the beginning because I found myself analysing everything my girlfriend/fiancé/wife was saying and doing. Any discussion regarding money was treated with great suspicion, and I was questioning many of her motives. One of my wife’s overriding ambitions is to be very rich, she makes no bones about it, and I had to wonder if it was to be achieved at my expense. Fortunately she is an excellent diplomat and was able to rise above it; otherwise our relationship could have been doomed before it got started.

I am pleased to say that I had no cause to worry. Although not static her average income exceeds mine and our capital assets are very similar. I was wrong in my original post about her work, she is actually a free lancer working for several contractors who contract to local government (does that make sense!?)I have suggested that maybe she stop working and spend more time with me but she is reluctant to do so, although she has reduced her working hours and delegates more than she used to. The cost of building the house, together with furnishing, is being shared equally between us.

I have settled down very well inUttaradit since I feel it would have been criminal to take her away from her friends, family and work mates. I am studying the Tai reading, writing and speaking with a vengeance, and playing regularly at the army golf course when she is working, which answers the question from Loaded.

Ulysses.G. Yes I did anticipate taking up from when I left the UK and, by and large that is the case. Before my wife died of the big C I was well looked after by a very dutiful lady, I played a lot of golf, did a mass of reading and otherwise led a fairly quiet domesticated life. Life is very similar here. I do get well looked after, I do play golf and I do read a lot. The difference is that I have a much younger wife and my friends speak a foreign language. The first difference is a great asset and the second is slowly being overcome. Of course there are disadvantages. I miss the camaraderie of my friends back in my old golf club. After a game of golf I am soaked in sweat. The Tai food is taking some getting used to. There are very few farang here so I HAVE to learn the language and I find it a difficult language to learn. The Tai T.V. programmes are absolutely appalling. The soaps are watched from 8.30 to 10.30 each evening and I am sure that the choreographers would be unemployed in the UK. Fortunately this will be overcome in the new house since we have one room which has been designated for me ( even thebuilder refers to it as ''Chris's room'')where I can have some peace (they DO like crowds around them) and watch programmes in English.

Uttaradit, I agree, is a quiet town, but that suits me, and we travel to Phitsanalok regularly for the big shop, maybe Cinema or bowls. There are very few farang although I do meet one occasionally for a drink. My wife and I often visit the farang restaurants New York or Swiss Gardens, so I can still get a good steak now and again. It would be good to meet up with one or two English speaking farang in the area, who play golf, but by and large I am very happy and life here is much, much better than the one I left behind in the UK

It would have been helpful if your original post had described some of the info given here because it appeared --at first-- to be an unbearable situation.

[Thailand]

Glad to hear you've settled in and enjoying life there, lincdales.

Without wanting to sound overly critical the country is Thailand inhabited by Thais who speak Thai, not Tai.

I stand corrected

You could also be correct: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_peoples

[uptheos]

Glad to hear you've settled in and enjoying life there, lincdales.

Without wanting to sound overly critical the country is Thailand inhabited by Thais who speak Thai, not Tai.

I stand corrected

You could also be correct: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_peoples

Some pronounce the word Thai with an H others pronounce the word Tai without an H

[Blinky Bill]

No Tai here.......

[Blinky Bill]

Or here

[KevinHunt]

 

Some pronounce the word Thai with an H others pronounce the word Tai without an H

Some are right and some are wrong. Such is life.

In some languages 'TH' is pronounced as a 'D' as in the scouse expression 'Day do dough, don't day'.

Translation: They do though, don't they.

I remember an Irish gent asking whether the cigarettes I sold were 'Toy Cigarettes'. I had already begun to answer that they were'nt toy cigarettes but were indeed real cigarettes, when I realised too late that what he was asking, with a rich Dublin accent, was 'Are they Thai cigarettes?'.  

I don't know what their friends thought when they told them they were going on holiday to Toyland, begob and begorrah.

And for those that don't know their geography - Toyland is where Noddy and his mate Big Ears were from.

To put this back on topic - Chiang Mai!!

Edited September 5, 2009 by KevinHunt

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Thank you - thank you - thank you.

Finally some common sense: Even within a single language there is a wide range to pronounciations, and neither Thai nor English are exceptions to that.

And as for transliteration: there is NO STANDARD that works. Feel free to write any Thai word in any non-Thai alphabet in any way you want that sounds reasonable in whatever flavour of English (or other language) you may speak.

There you go, total freedom. Isn't it great!

Noobs.

Edited September 6, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[uptheos]

Thank you - thank you - thank you.

Finally some common sense: Even within a single language there is a wide range to pronounciations, and neither Thai nor English are exceptions to that.

And as for transliteration: there is NO STANDARD that works. Feel free to write any Thai word in any non-Thai alphabet in any way you want that sounds reasonable in whatever flavour of English (or other language) you may speak.

There you go, total freedom. Isn't it great!

Noobs.

I like this freedom idea. Of course I like most other people have always pronounced it Thailand, but I'm going to start pronouncing it Tailand for a while and see who picks me up on it.

Of course what Blinky Bill really wanted to say in his pictures, is that the most common method of transliterating Thai into English utilises the convention that "th" signifies an aspirated "t", while "t" is used for an unaspirated "t".......right BB?

[WaiWai]

There is an International Phonetic Alphabet which works pretty well. Of course, every Thai language text has to use a different transliteration system . The Chinese mostly all know and use Pinyin.

I'd like to know why many foreigners here pronounce "Laos" as "Lao" ? Is it because that's the Thai way?

Kevin Hunt -- great story about the cigarettes. There's an old Aussie joke about the doctor asking the patient if he had come to the hospital "to die" ("today).

Edited September 6, 2009 by WaiWai

[uptheos]

I'd like to know why many foreigners here pronounce "Laos" as "Lao" ? Is it because that's the Thai way?

Maybe they are making the mistake of pronouncing it the Tai way?

It does seem that many foreigners do pronounce words the same as Tai's...oops I mean Thai's.

Why do foreigners use Falang, Centrun and Loy baht when speaking to other foreigners........why do they try to speak Thai (Tai) to other English speaking foreigners anyway?

[Blinky Bill]

I like this freedom idea. Of course I like most other people have always pronounced it Thailand, but I'm going to start pronouncing it Tailand for a while and see who picks me up on it.

Of course what Blinky Bill really wanted to say in his pictures, is that the most common method of transliterating Thai into English utilises the convention that "th" signifies an aspirated "t", while "t" is used for an unaspirated "t".......right BB?

Umm, err, yep.

[IanForbes]

Thank you - thank you - thank you.

Finally some common sense: Even within a single language there is a wide range to pronounciations, and neither Thai nor English are exceptions to that.

And as for transliteration: there is NO STANDARD that works. Feel free to write any Thai word in any non-Thai alphabet in any way you want that sounds reasonable in whatever flavour of English (or other language) you may speak.

There you go, total freedom. Isn't it great!

Noobs.

Considering that I've seen translations from Thai to English spelled in a variety of ways, I like this idea. Even on bank documents they've spelled the name of a certain Thai village at least 3 different ways that I can remember. My Thai lady friend even spells her own name in a variety of ways.

The word "farang" to my ears sounds like "falong" when spoken by most Thais. I seldom hear anyone pronounce the "R" when they say "krap". It always comes out sounding like "cup". I've mentioned this before and I've been given a Thai verbal translator to try and learn the subtle difference, but despite trying VERY hard to hear the difference, I've had very little luck. If I pronounce Kanchanaburi the way it is spelled in English no Thai knows what I'm saying. But, if I say something that sounds like... "Gandjanapoli" the Thais know exactly where I mean.

[uptheos]

Thank you - thank you - thank you.

Finally some common sense: Even within a single language there is a wide range to pronounciations, and neither Thai nor English are exceptions to that.

And as for transliteration: there is NO STANDARD that works. Feel free to write any Thai word in any non-Thai alphabet in any way you want that sounds reasonable in whatever flavour of English (or other language) you may speak.

There you go, total freedom. Isn't it great!

Noobs.

Considering that I've seen translations from Thai to English spelled in a variety of ways, I like this idea. Even on bank documents they've spelled the name of a certain Thai village at least 3 different ways that I can remember. My Thai lady friend even spells her own name in a variety of ways.

The word "farang" to my ears sounds like "falong" when spoken by most Thais. I seldom hear anyone pronounce the "R" when they say "krap". It always comes out sounding like "cup". I've mentioned this before and I've been given a Thai verbal translator to try and learn the subtle difference, but despite trying VERY hard to hear the difference, I've had very little luck. If I pronounce Kanchanaburi the way it is spelled in English no Thai knows what I'm saying. But, if I say something that sounds like... "Gandjanapoli" the Thais know exactly where I mean.

Many a night I've sat and listened to Yellow Liver, whilst downing a few beers....very appropriate.

[elektrified]

I'd like to know why many foreigners here pronounce "Laos" as "Lao" ? Is it because that's the Thai way?

Maybe they are making the mistake of pronouncing it the Tai way?

It does seem that many foreigners do pronounce words the same as Tai's...oops I mean Thai's.

Why do foreigners use Falang, Centrun and Loy baht when speaking to other foreigners........why do they try to speak Thai (Tai) to other English speaking foreigners anyway?

Isn't the s in Laos always silent? I seem to recall that from school many years ago. Also I was just watching CNN and the journalist whom I believe is Australian born was talking about Laos. She pronounced it with a silent s as well. What is the correct way to pronounce Laos anyway?

[IanForbes]

I'd like to know why many foreigners here pronounce "Laos" as "Lao" ? Is it because that's the Thai way?

Maybe they are making the mistake of pronouncing it the Tai way?

It does seem that many foreigners do pronounce words the same as Tai's...oops I mean Thai's.

Why do foreigners use Falang, Centrun and Loy baht when speaking to other foreigners........why do they try to speak Thai (Tai) to other English speaking foreigners anyway?

Isn't the s in Laos always silent? I seem to recall that from school many years ago. Also I was just watching CNN and the journalist whom I believe is Australian born was talking about Laos. She pronounced it with a silent s as well. What is the correct way to pronounce Laos anyway?

Say "Layos" and nobody will know what you are talking about. Say "Laow" like you would pronounce "allow" and everyone knows where you mean.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

More importantly, the Lao themselves not only pronounce it as Lao, but even write it that way in Latin script; go there and they will stamp your passport "Lao P.D.R.".

The s is a bit of a mystery why the French put that in.

[purplehaze]

Talk about off topic,a few posts yeah not a whole page and the rest.The OP must be glad he chose Uttaradit to get away from serial farang wafflers.

[personchester]

If you have never lived in Thailand before and you move straight Uttradit on your own with your gf, then within just 2 months you'll either be an alcoholic, suicidal or be manically depressed.

Come to Chiang Mai because the large expat population will smooth your transition. Live in Chiang Mai without marrying the 'love of your life' and see if you can live together and whether her expectations of the relationship match yours.

If you tell us where/how you met your girl, I'm sure you'll be able to receive better advice.

Thanks for your comments, although I'm not sure where/how I met my girl is relevant. If I read between the lines correctly, no it wasn't in a bar. Actually she is a very inteligent woman with a highly responsible job in government. Her parents are fairly well off by Thai standards and father is a very well respected member of the local community. I guess she would hold her own fairly well in any type of company.

I am aware of the large expat population in Chiang Mai and, if Utteradit does become too boring, that is where I shall be heading for. In the main I am not one for too much night life, what attracts me to Thai time and time again is the weather, culture and the people, not to mention golf. I guess I am going to have to experience Uttaradit before coming to a final decision and that is why we are going for a 6 month period there.

My experience of the forums I have been a member of in the past is that the ones who have settled down and happy with their lot are reluctant to speak about it. Which is a shame really since most of the feedback tends to be negative.

That is not to say that your comments are unwelcome. I take on board EVERYTHING and judge from what I read.

One is surprised that you asked for advice on such personal matters, can't you judge and decide life for yourself, go online and make a search on Chiang Mai and you will get details on all aspects that might be of interest to you, compare this with Uttaradit, discuss the matter with the love of your life the result of which will lead to a final decision acceptable to both of you, end of story.

[Blinky Bill]

Talk about off topic,a few posts yeah not a whole page and the rest.The OP must be glad he chose Uttaradit to get away from serial farang wafflers.

But this is important stuff.