Why Do Thais Talk At The Same Time

[MSingh]

I've always wondered why Thais [mostly] interupt each other??

I hate it a lot if someone interrupts me when I speak. I've read about farang cultures so I know they don't like that.

If someone likes to talk that much, I'll let them talk and I just shut up.

Where is this Farang Land that i hear about so much ??

You do know when you say that " You know you don't like that ", you're generalising Billions of people ??

[PeaceBlondie]

I just asked my partner about this multiple conversation. If he understood my explanation, I think he agreed that lots of Thais talk at the same time. Then he walked away. I guess it might be true, but so what? None of my business. Maybe they speak in five Amerindian tongues simultaenously. Mai pen writes.

[tampasailor]

...It's like they don't like pauses in conversation. When my wife and her sister are talking, it's non stop...both talking 500KPH at the same time and not pausing to even take a breath.

Just wondering if I'm the only one that notices this???

It's a highly efficient way of communicating - both transmitting and receiving at the same time. It's called "full duplex".

Dolphin can do this but they talk on one frequency and listen on another... full duplex.. Dolphin are the only creatures on this planet with a brain larger than a human. Maybe you are on to something... Can you do an MRI or Brain CAT on one of these creatures??? or is it that they talk and pretend to listen??? YES It's a trick! it's a trick!!

[Heng]

The more one gets interrupted is a good guage of how much respect one has in that social circle.

[Beardog]

Where I live outside of Pattaya it is an enigma . the kids are the most polite & like able people to be around. The Thai grown ups could sure learn some conversation manners. I love it when they pretend I am not talking to my girl & if my girl still responds I let her know I am talking to her if the persist on being rude The bike gets fired up & where outta there. I don't see any reason to have to put up with the bullshit way of jumping over an ongoing conversation, as they are the most important person on earth. I still don't understand why no one just listens when someone talks & then gets to respond to a listening audience. But TIT

[JetsetBkk]

... They sometimes act as if questions asked in English, ending on a rising tone and expecting a spoken reply, never were uttered. ...

Forget about the "rising tone". Just say "... or not?" at the end of the question.

[thesunset75]

Just happened to me yesterday and today in the Dutch class

Not only Thai but most woman from all over the world did that, what I experience was...3 Polish girls they are profeser, doctor, have a great jobs and higher degrees !

While we were trying to understand what teacher says but they all 3 talking in Polish and yak yak yak all the time.

But nobody say anything yesterday only upset faces.

Today other teacher says "you 2 talking too much interupt other classmate and difficult for me too, if you have manything to talk then do it outside the class not when im teaching !

Bang... hehehe

[Richb2004v2]

I don’t think this is only applicable to Thais. It seems to me that most people from ‘developing countries’ do this, or at least the ones that I have spent time with. The North Africans that I work with are even worse. To the inexperienced they seem like they are constantly on the verge of breaking out into a fight, as they all speak to loud and on top of each other. Leave three or four Libyans in a room together and within minutes it sounds like a riot has broken out. Indians are the same. Than again I always find that it’s pretty easy to work out where the Americans are in a restaurant. I was reminded of this tonight when I look out of my bedroom window to see what the noise was. It was two Americans dropping a friend at their home.

[Dakhar]

It isn't the interuption that anoys me so much as the VOLUME.

FYI the average dB level for conversational speech in 50-55dB. Just for fun, I kicked on my sound level meeter on my i-phone, and found that my father-in-law speaks about 86-90dB!!!!!!!!!!! (My wife was anoyed by my scientific experiment)

I checked my father in law's hearing, and he hearing well within the normal limits....

So ultimatley, there is no reason for him to talk so loud.... other than he prefers to shout.... and when he is on his cell phone.... Geez, I think folks in Hades can hear him.

[Dakhar]

...It's like they don't like pauses in conversation. When my wife and her sister are talking, it's non stop...both talking 500KPH at the same time and not pausing to even take a breath.

Just wondering if I'm the only one that notices this???

It's a highly efficient way of communicating - both transmitting and receiving at the same time. It's called "full duplex".

Dolphin can do this but they talk on one frequency and listen on another... full duplex.. Dolphin are the only creatures on this planet with a brain larger than a human. Maybe you are on to something... Can you do an MRI or Brain CAT on one of these creatures??? or is it that they talk and pretend to listen??? YES It's a trick! it's a trick!!

I would think that a person fluent in both sign and voice/speech could recieve and transmit at the same time.

[a2396]

Goes along with not being able to pay attention, oblivious to extraneous noise, lack of rational thought, etc. Higher educated Thais seem to be less so, but still exibit some of the same at times. I have a friend who has a Master's degree and another who is soon to be a registered nurse. It is often impossible to carry on an uninterrupted conversation with them for more that 2-3 minutes, when someone else is present.

[xsplat]

SE Asians don't seem to "do" conversation, western style. They talk around subjects, vaguely and barely, they don't talk about them. If conversation in the west is a game of ping pong, a movement back and forth and game of changing spin and direction, evolving richer and more fitting adaptations and having fun with the play of thought, in Thailand it is a game of musical chairs. Get your word in wherever there is a space, and random starting and stopping of the music.

[ianh68]

Maybe Thai is such an inefficient language that it tkes 10 minutes to say what we can say in one minute....not to say that English is better, but maybe a little more effecient in communication.

There's a lot to that

Try listening to any Thai soap opera or game show on TV and you hear several people speaking [yelling] at each other all at the same time.

I just wonder how they can understand what's going on.....or does it really matter what's going on??

And to be fair, they do speak slowly and softly when talking to strangers, vendors, etc. I just wish that my family gave me the same respect as they give strangers.......

Thai soaps are intentionally designed as wallpaper. If your family does not give you enough respect then you must act.

I was teaching 12 and 13 year old Thais one day who simply would not shut up, all 31 of them. Finally I lost my cool and shouted REALLY LOUD, and they shut up.

Have you tried standing absolutely still and waiting for silence? An old teacher trick. Do not lose your nerve however long it takes. They will eventually get the message.

[kennkate]

Had to teach my wife to say " Please" Do Thia's have a equivalent word ?

Has for Shouting Mother comes round and they have A Thai Chat No problems with that.

However It allways continues as she walks to the gate gets on her motorcycle and drives off up the road, Increasing the volume to outdo the motorcycle. Its as if she wants the whole Village to Know.

Why dont they get it over with in the house, It's every time. Maybe it's goodbye see you later.

I must let the village know I have been to see you as I ride off.

Are They all the same Me Nr Chang Mai So up North

[Nostraforce]

Could it be a mother/baby thing? When the baby cries the mother interrupts his crying to tell him quickly speaking in thai to stop crying so much?

[khaowong1]

Try going to a Thai wedding or ordination party. 50 or 60 adults and just as many children and all talking at the same time about 50 or 60 different things. And they all wonder why I'm not talking with them. I can't concentrate on one conversation while listening to 50 or 60 at the same time. I just sit back and watch them. After 2 1/2 years, I have finally got my wife to give me a straight yes or no answer without going on for 15 minutes. Sometimes.

[khaowong1]

It isn't the interuption that anoys me so much as the VOLUME.

FYI the average dB level for conversational speech in 50-55dB. Just for fun, I kicked on my sound level meeter on my i-phone, and found that my father-in-law speaks about 86-90dB!!!!!!!!!!! (My wife was anoyed by my scientific experiment)

I checked my father in law's hearing, and he hearing well within the normal limits....

So ultimatley, there is no reason for him to talk so loud.... other than he prefers to shout.... and when he is on his cell phone.... Geez, I think folks in Hades can hear him.

I love this. This is really funny.

[khaowong1]

no mannerism, rude, ignorant!

have a friend who sometimes comes along with his gf, we are talking, she gets up walks over to him and starts whispering in his ear, amidst our conversation, repeats it several times, as innocent as anything.

got the impression that she does it for fear of being neglected, competitive thinking...however, it seems to e a very common behavior, as there no privacy as we understand it in the "west".

But then never witnessed it in the BTS, everyone is quiet, so in the buses or on the "Ruea Duean"....

Privacy?? What privacy?? As an American, I get really annoyed that there is virtually no privacy anywhere in Thailand. It's as if the Thai's are afraid of being alone for any length of time. I can't figure this one out. I love privacy.

[Svenn]

Not only do they talk concurrently, but I've noticed they'll often KEEP talking alone even after everyone's left the room!!

Maybe it's a tradition left over from trying to fill the silent and scary rural countryside with chatter so it's not so lonely?

[Quadra]

...It's like they don't like pauses in conversation. When my wife and her sister are talking, it's non stop...both talking 500KPH at the same time and not pausing to even take a breath.

Just wondering if I'm the only one that notices this???

It's a highly efficient way of communicating - both transmitting and receiving at the same time. It's called "full duplex".

Dolphin can do this but they talk on one frequency and listen on another... full duplex.. Dolphin are the only creatures on this planet with a brain larger than a human. Maybe you are on to something... Can you do an MRI or Brain CAT on one of these creatures??? or is it that they talk and pretend to listen??? YES It's a trick! it's a trick!!

Just watch Fox News and their political pundits and presenters talking. Cant understand half the conversation because they all talk over each other. Maybe they are aiming their programming at Thailand lol. My g/f of 2 years tends to talk very loudly as if everyone is deaf and her mum is just the same. Beats me as to how my g/f's 1 year old neice gets off to sleep with both the gran and the mum singing at the top of their lungs to lullaby her. Still got a great g/f though and her family are great too.

[Tonyzill]

The only time it annoys me is when I am talking to the Missus and there are other Thais around who wont be following our Thaiglish conversation and just start there own with her as though I dont exist.

Other things I have noticed is that they will be saying something to someone but they dont seem to be bothered whether they hear it or not - for example we are leaving the house in the car and as we pass the nieghbour they will start a conversation or tell each other something and when I stop the car so they can finish the Missus just says why you stop so I carry on and they carry on long after they are out of ear range. Fascinating but completely baffling!!!!!!!!!!1