Do You Make An Effort To Learn Thai?

[Neeranam]

I used to learn 5 new words everyday. I used to have a lot of learning Thai books and hung out with Thai people. I've never been to a class but think it's necessay for some if they have the time/money. When learning to read and write I put aside 1 hour a day, which when you think about it is nothing.

The best way to learn is immersion, in MHO.

I think it's sad when someone who has been here for 20 years can't pick up the local newspaper or have a proper conversation. I'd be embarassed. I remember many years ago sitting in a Pat Pong bar not being able to ask for a knife and fork after being here for 18 months. Knowing then I'd probably be here fo a while, I made a huge effort and am so glad I did.

It's amazing the number of times I go to a new restaurant and the waitress gives a menu to only my wife and totally ignores me. Thailand must be the only country in the world that treats foreigners this way, probably due to the number who can't speak. Can you imagine a waiter in UK asking a Uk woman what her brown-skinned partner wanted to drink.

What do you do to improve your Thai?

If you do nothing, why?

Laziness, arrogance, fear, stupidity?

[kiakaha]

I used to learn 5 new words everyday. I used to have a lot of learning Thai books and hung out with Thai people. I've never been to a class but think it's necessay for some if they have the time/money. When learning to read and write I put aside 1 hour a day, which when you think about it is nothing.

The best way to learn is immersion, in MHO.

I think it's sad when someone who has been here for 20 years can't pick up the local newspaper or have a proper conversation. I'd be embarassed. I remember many years ago sitting in a Pat Pong bar not being able to ask for a knife and fork after being here for 18 months. Knowing then I'd probably be here fo a while, I made a huge effort and am so glad I did.

It's amazing the number of times I go to a new restaurant and the waitress gives a menu to only my wife and totally ignores me. Thailand must be the only country in the world that treats foreigners this way, probably due to the number who can't speak. Can you imagine a waiter in UK asking a Uk woman what her brown-skinned partner wanted to drink.

What do you do to improve your Thai?

If you do nothing, why?

Laziness, arrogance, fear, stupidity?

I can read the newspaper in thai, read the subtitles at the movies and keep up etc...So reading and writing(typing) I've reached a happy place. And I'm always trying to read thai to keep those skills sharp, even when I'm out of the country.

As far as vocabulary goes , i used to do daily word lists, but now i just look up the meaning of a word when i read something in thai script that I dont understand, usually in the newspaper, and the words are usually in areas of speciality ie: law, medical etc....

But i've been pretty disciplined towards reaching a high standard for more than a decade now, certainly not an overnight thing.You get out what you put in.

I've always had a natural inkling to wanting to know how things work..started as a 10 year old when I dismantled the family television....so figuring out the language for me was simply a natural augmentation of that trait.

[happylarry]

Good for you Neeranam. You have an ability to learn another language but you must accept that some others havent got that ability. Agreed though, that many do not even want to try.

I have been over here for four years now and am sorry (not ashamed but sorry in myself) that I dont use the Thai language. I went to a Thai school in Samui where I learnt a hel_l of a lot, constructing sentences etc as well as vocabulary, and I can say various things in Thai but my problem is when a Thai person speaks to me I cant make head or tail of it. I may pick out the odd word that I recognise but the rest just blends in and makes no sense, consequently I gave up a long time ago.

I have a son who also lives here and he taught himself the language and speaks fluently and has also taught himself to read and write which is invaluable to him as a teacher of Thai children and I am proud of his acheivement in doing so.

I am retired and therefore dont have the added impetus of needing to speak for employment purposes and therefore I admit the laziness aspect creeps in, after all I have come here to relax and have an easy time. But if I had managed to make any headway at all in being able to converse then I think I would have pushed myself further but all I hit was a brick wall.

As for your list:-

laziness I have covered / arrogance....certainly not / fear....certainly not / stupidity....well who knows?

Everybody is talented at something but not necessarily learning foreign languages.

HL

[Arkady]

Well, there are a lot of farangs, specially from English speaking countries, are hopeless in learning languages and have never really had to be proficient, unlike people from language minority countries like Holland or Scandinavia, who can't even function at home without knowing foreign languages. Some try hard but still can't become proficient but most are lazy and don't really try at all. Thais don't expect foreigners to speak Thai, so it relatively easy to function, unlike, say China or Latin America, where life is complete misery, if you don't know the language. It doesn't really matter what method you use - self study or teacher. Most of the Thai schools and teachers are not really very good but some are helpful. But you certainly need help with pronounciation at first, either through a teacher or CDs etc. I would think the best tip for beginners is to start learning the Thai script early on. There are many foreigners who appear to speak Thai fairly fluently but cannot read or write. If you listen carefully to their Thai, you quickly realise how limited it is because they can't learn new vocabularly by reading and using a dictionary and can't visualise words which helps remember the correct pronunciation. It usually sounds like heavily accented baby Thai. I have been learning for over two decades but have to admit that it has been rather off and on. I can read legal and accounting documents but am not so good with newspapers or books and it would be a lot better, if I had kept at it consistently without some lengthy breaks. I am now having another push and enjoying it very much. It should be a life time hobby or at least for as long as you live in Thailand and it certainly enhances your life here no end.

[Tod Daniels]

I've lived here over 4 years now, and I certainly regret for the first 32 months, I ignored the thai language spoken around me. Instead I pushed it into the background like a nuisance noise.

I've studied thai for at least several hours a day, nearly everyday for the last 16 months straight. I taught myself to read first, and then speak, and also to type on the pc, but I still have problems with writing. I wish I'd paid more attention to learning thai when I first got here but, hindsight is 20/20.

I think ANYONE; even alleged 'tone deaf' foreigners who think they don't have a knack for languages can learn "two-word" or "tourist" thai quite easily IF they try. Ordering food, directing a taxi, asking the location of something if you're lost, day to day pleasantries, telling someone you only speak thai a little bit, asking someone to speak slower; all of those things aren't hard by any stretch of the imagination. Most are "frozen phrases" which a thai would understand even if the foreigner saying it mangled the phrase horribly.

Granted with a limited vocabulary once a thai goes off "script" you could be lost, but day to day or what some thai language schools call "survival thai" can be a BIG help. You're certainly not going to be talking about the upcoming G8 Summit or global warming, but you can get by day to day quite easily and build on what you know.

I am continually amazed at the number of people who've lived here a LONG time, often married to thai women (whose engrish is marginal at best), living up-country in Nakhon Nowhere and yet they cannot speak or understand the simplest thai. Perhaps they make do thru the clever use of mime and/or charades, who knows. I also meet retired foreigners who've been here a long time as well and who are just too lazy to even try, saying it is too difficult or takes too much time. <deleted>, you're retired, you don't DO anything but kill time, how can you not at least learn some thai. The mind just wobbles at how they even manage to survive here. With thai language schools being both plentiful and inexpensive in the Bangkok area, there is no reason not to learn survival thai.

I am far from a foreign wanna-b-thai sock puppet, but I do believe IF I live here I should be able to converse with the native inhabitants in their language. Although if the truth be told, usually I'll try to coerce them into speaking english first to gauge their mood as they chatter away thinking I can't speak or understand thai. I have found a good ice breaker after listening to them denigrate you to your face while hiding behind their presumed language barrier is; "Why do you speak like that? Do you think only thai people can speak and understand thai?" It certainly quiets them down, lol...

It was a hard uphill battle to learn to speak clear enough, and with the right word order to be understood and I still have problems if I don't watch them reply to me, as I tend to tune them out, but in my opinion it was and is time well spent.

[Neeranam]

Good for you Neeranam. You have an ability to learn another language but you must accept that some others havent got that ability. Agreed though, that many do not even want to try.

I have been over here for four years now and am sorry (not ashamed but sorry in myself) that I dont use the Thai language. I went to a Thai school in Samui where I learnt a hel_l of a lot, constructing sentences etc as well as vocabulary, and I can say various things in Thai but my problem is when a Thai person speaks to me I cant make head or tail of it. I may pick out the odd word that I recognise but the rest just blends in and makes no sense, consequently I gave up a long time ago.

I have a son who also lives here and he taught himself the language and speaks fluently and has also taught himself to read and write which is invaluable to him as a teacher of Thai children and I am proud of his acheivement in doing so.

I am retired and therefore dont have the added impetus of needing to speak for employment purposes and therefore I admit the laziness aspect creeps in, after all I have come here to relax and have an easy time. But if I had managed to make any headway at all in being able to converse then I think I would have pushed myself further but all I hit was a brick wall.

As for your list:-

laziness I have covered / arrogance....certainly not / fear....certainly not / stupidity....well who knows?

Everybody is talented at something but not necessarily learning foreign languages.

HL

Thanks happylarry. It was no easy feat. I felt exactly the same as you. I could have easily given up. Fear was a big one for me - the fear of making a fool of myself. I did for years(it seemed) to practice some new vocabulary/phrase only to be laughed at and not understood. It took my 5 years of trying till I was able to say "sweat", "prawn" and "glass" without the blank stares.

I disagree that some haven't got the ability(well obviously one or two might not have the ability) - Id say they haven't got the motivation or persistance. Also, age plays a significant role in language aquisition.

btw, if your son teaches English, he shouldn't be speaking Thai to the kids.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Neeranam

[teacup]

Ok here is the best kept secret of learning the THAI language

Watch a slow speaking thai lakorns and boring plot - with english sub,

.....cos they tend to have many repetitive words in their dialogs, this way you will know what each word/phrase sounds like and is being used for or in what everyday/typical situation

6 mos .....you will see the result and thanks me

My best advice here

[Neeranam]

Ok here is the best kept secret of learning the THAI language

Watch a slow speaking thai lakorns and boring plot - with english sub,

.....cos they tend to have many repetitive words in their dialogs, this way you will know what each word/phrase sounds like and is being used for or in what everyday/typical situation

6 mos .....you will see the result and thanks me

My best advice here

I agree, it's something like immersion. Years ago, I only had thai tv and it was usually on - it's kinda like osmosis.

It's "toraman" watching those Thai soaps though.

I used music videos too. I used to sit with Carabao "lung kee mao" and a dictionary.

[teacup]

Ok here is the best kept secret of learning the THAI language

Watch a slow speaking thai lakorns and boring plot - with english sub,

.....cos they tend to have many repetitive words in their dialogs, this way you will know what each word/phrase sounds like and is being used for or in what everyday/typical situation

6 mos .....you will see the result and thanks me

My best advice here

I agree, it's something like immersion. Years ago, I only had thai tv and it was usually on - it's kinda like osmosis.

It's "toraman" watching those Thai soaps though.

I used music videos too. I used to sit with Carabao "lung kee mao" and a dictionary.

Now you can get soooo maaaaany thai lakorns with eng-sub thru Youtube

[barky]

Yes, ultimately, I do think for those who intend to live in Thailand for an extended period (maybe indefinately) it would be in their own interest to learn Thai. One of the main reasons of course is that you can avoid getting ripped-off or know when a Thai is talking negatively about you and therefore be able to take an appropriate course of action.

For myself, I have now lived here going on nine years and my level would be a little over "survival level". There are times when being able to understand everything more clearly and in more detail would be an advantage, however, I have managed to get this far and live a relatively comfortable life doing, within reason, what I want.

Unfortunately, I don't feel there is enough incentive for me to "immerse" myself, as no matter how long I live here, and how good my Thai becomes, married to a Thai, own property, pay taxes, be law abiding, I will still always been seen by almost the entire Thai population as "the farang", an outsider, an alien, someone that can be taken advantage of. And as long as I live here and try my best to "fit in" my skin colour will always ensure I get "special treatment". I simply cannot be anonymous, part of the crowd, if you will.

Nevertheless, having said all that, I have decided that along with learning ballroom dancing with my wife next year, I will, for my my own self interest at least, also take a course in Thai and build myself up to a level of Thai I would consider "fair" and adequate.

[Birdman]

Learnt in the beginning at the YWCA /Sathorn Thai all the basics with a one on one teacher for 1 or 2 years, learned more during day by day life, my main teacher was my wife, with whom I spoke some years exclusively Thai.

Living in a country for many years without speaking the language is not acceptable for me.

[Birdman]

Yes, ultimately, I do think for those who intend to live in Thailand for an extended period (maybe indefinately) it would be in their own interest to learn Thai. One of the main reasons of course is that you can avoid getting ripped-off or know when a Thai is talking negatively about you and therefore be able to take an appropriate course of action.

For myself, I have now lived here going on nine years and my level would be a little over "survival level". There are times when being able to understand everything more clearly and in more detail would be an advantage, however, I have managed to get this far and live a relatively comfortable life doing, within reason, what I want.

Unfortunately, I don't feel there is enough incentive for me to "immerse" myself, as no matter how long I live here, and how good my Thai becomes, married to a Thai, own property, pay taxes, be law abiding, I will still always been seen by almost the entire Thai population as "the farang", an outsider, an alien, someone that can be taken advantage of. And as long as I live here and try my best to "fit in" my skin colour will always ensure I get "special treatment". I simply cannot be anonymous, part of the crowd, if you will.

Nevertheless, having said all that, I have decided that along with learning ballroom dancing with my wife next year, I will, for my my own self interest at least, also take a course in Thai and build myself up to a level of Thai I would consider "fair" and adequate.

Not to get ripped of is one of many side effects, if you can speak the language. But the main reason is that Thailand is home for many Farangs, with all the bad and good things around. And at home of course I want to speak the "home language".

Some poster say we are all guests here, but that is not true. Many Farangs have everything they own here, they live and work here, family, house etc and they do not want to leave. Such a place is called home.

BTW: Westerners will not be Thais, that's clear. Many do not want to be Thai and live here at the same time. And Thais nowadays can very well recognize that. They do not accept us as one of theirs, except you live 100% Thai. But they accept us as people who live in Thailand as well. Maybe more than eg the Indian community here.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Birdman

[bkkjames]

I used to learn 5 new words everyday. I used to have a lot of learning Thai books and hung out with Thai people. I've never been to a class but think it's necessay for some if they have the time/money. When learning to read and write I put aside 1 hour a day, which when you think about it is nothing.

The best way to learn is immersion, in MHO.

I think it's sad when someone who has been here for 20 years can't pick up the local newspaper or have a proper conversation. I'd be embarassed. I remember many years ago sitting in a Pat Pong bar not being able to ask for a knife and fork after being here for 18 months. Knowing then I'd probably be here fo a while, I made a huge effort and am so glad I did.

It's amazing the number of times I go to a new restaurant and the waitress gives a menu to only my wife and totally ignores me. Thailand must be the only country in the world that treats foreigners this way, probably due to the number who can't speak. Can you imagine a waiter in UK asking a Uk woman what her brown-skinned partner wanted to drink.

What do you do to improve your Thai?

If you do nothing, why?

Laziness, arrogance, fear, stupidity?

Naturally gifted And you know what, the waitresses still hand the menu to my wife.

[Insight]

This post might sound bad, but it is the way I feel.

First three years I made a fairly significant (but not 100% dedicated) attempt at learning the language. Picked up whatever basic vocab I could here and there, and learned to read Thaiscript at a very slow rate.

I've been here 8 years now and I am sometimes ashamed at how little it's progressed since then - hardly anything - but then there really doesn't seem to be that many reasons for learning anymore.

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them? The Thai commercial assault you get in every part of this city winds me up to the point of wanting to remain ignorant just not to risk being brainwashed. Whenever I do ask somebody how to ask for something in Thai it's largely met with blank stares. Thai people always switch back to speaking in English with me anyway. Given that my wife has been studying English for years all communication with her defaults to English anyhow. I talk with my staff in English because all the applications we develop are in English for English-speaking people.

There's only two reasons I think I'll ever renew the effort - either having kids or moving outside of Bangkok or a major city. Until then (and the latter of the two is highly unlikely), I'll most likely happily struggle on.

[Groongthep]

I first came to Thailand in 1988 and I have been trying to learn Thai on my own ever since using only courses intended for self study and by practicing with Thai people in everyday life. I am a merchant seaman and have had the good fortune to be able to travel to Thailand 2 or 3 times a year for the last 21 years. I am now to the point where I can speak well on most any subject (providing I know anything about it of course ) and can read and write (type) on an upper elementary level. I can read things such as public notices, advertisements, and children's books, butewspaper articles are much more difficult. I can usually get the general idea of what they're about by quickly skimming over them, but to understand everything it is still very time consuming and usually involves quite a bit of dictionary work. I also routinely use the Thai text messaging function on my mobile phone for both sending and receiving messages in Thai but that is rather easy.

Still, I wouldn't consider myself to be on much more than an intermediate level particularly because I have a hard time comprehending rapidly spoken idiomatic Thai. A little over two years ago I started going to AUA on Rachadmri Rd. in Bangkok. When I went into the office the first time I only spoke Thai with them so they could get an idea of what level I should start out in. They put me in AT5 which is the highest level. If you are at all familiar with AUA you will know that they use what they call the "natural" method. It has been praised by few and maligned by many, but I have found it helpful. I would not recommend it to someone starting out from scratch though. Basically each class is simply two native speaking Thais (the teachers) talking or roll playing on a particular subject and all the students do is sit there and absorb as much as they can. Asking questions is discouraged but once in a while the teachers will ask questions of the students. I'm not sure if this is to try to determine how much the student is comprehending or if it's just to keep them awake. Anyway, I usually understand the big majority of what is being discussed in class and often become quite encouraged that I am improving in comprehension only to go home later, turn on the television and get really depressed because I can only understand about 50% of what is being said. An exception to this is the news broadcasts which i understand much better because I usually know something about the subject from reading the Nation or Bangkok Post and there are of course pictures as well.

I have come to the conclusion after 20+ years of on and off study that in order to reach a high level of fluency in Thai a foreigner needs to study full time, at least for awhile in a reputable school or with a good tutor. On the Thai Language sub forum there are a number of members who in my opinion have reached a truely immpressive level of fluency. I am not one of them. If you are studying on your own, recordings of native speakers are essential. Reading Thai script as soon as possible is also very important but maybe not so much as some others contend. After all, there are speakers of every language who are fluent in speaking but may be completely illiterate in reading and writing.

I have found learning Thai to have greatly enhanced the periods of my life that I spend here and am sure I would have stopped returning long ago if I were unable to interact with the local people as I can now. I will probably never reach the very high level of fluency attained by the upper echelon on the Thai language forum but I will continue to try. If for no other reason than for me learning has not only been rewarding but thoroughly fun as well.

[teacup]

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them?

Well if you don’t like this approach, then don’t try.

It’s just one way to learn the language that’s all, and there are many simple and less annoying plots out there.

The main goal here is not whether you like watching soaps or not, it’s all about learning the language in quick and easy way.

Well I cant stand math or physic either, but I do have to study them coz I can see the benefits of learning them.

[kiakaha]

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them?

Well if you don’t like this approach, then don’t try.

It’s just one way to learn the language that’s all, and there are many simple and less annoying plots out there.

The main goal here is not whether you like watching soaps or not, it’s all about learning the language in quick and easy way.

Well I cant stand math or physic either, but I do have to study them coz I can see the benefits of learning them.

when i first started to learn to read, i found that "the car number plate" game was great for consonants, especially when stuck in traffic all the time

[bkkjames]

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them?

Well if you don’t like this approach, then don’t try.

It’s just one way to learn the language that’s all, and there are many simple and less annoying plots out there.

The main goal here is not whether you like watching soaps or not, it’s all about learning the language in quick and easy way.

Well I cant stand math or physic either, but I do have to study them coz I can see the benefits of learning them.

Did you study English?

[teacup]

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them?

Well if you don’t like this approach, then don’t try.

It’s just one way to learn the language that’s all, and there are many simple and less annoying plots out there.

The main goal here is not whether you like watching soaps or not, it’s all about learning the language in quick and easy way.

Well I cant stand math or physic either, but I do have to study them coz I can see the benefits of learning them.

when i first started to learn to read, i found that "the car number plate" game was great for consonants, especially when stuck in traffic all the time

Yes if you want to learn ........you will find ways to learn

But If you DON'T WANT TO.........then you can come up with so many excuses why it cant be done

Simply put: ----If you think you can, you can.............If you think you can't, you can't

[teacup]

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them?

Well if you don’t like this approach, then don’t try.

It’s just one way to learn the language that’s all, and there are many simple and less annoying plots out there.

The main goal here is not whether you like watching soaps or not, it’s all about learning the language in quick and easy way.

Well I cant stand math or physic either, but I do have to study them coz I can see the benefits of learning them.

Did you study English?

---- OF COURSE!!!

Edited March 13, 2009 by teacup

[think_too_mut]

What do you do to improve your Thai?

If you do nothing, why?

Laziness, arrogance, fear, stupidity?

It is rather awarenes that, unless done systematically and polished to a business level, that Thai will be rubbish and misdirected effort.

"Immersion"is an ability to absorb a language without rules being explained. Children have that, it disappears before they are 10 years old.

My daughter, 5, picked Japanese without being taught.

After 6 years in Japan I can hold basic conversations as I know it will never be good and customer presentable. I have seen foreigners (Indonesian, Indian, Chinese) who had finished Japanese University and lived here long time being shut down in flames in meetings with "stop this crap butchering of Japanese language, call the translator in and tell it in English".

Interestingly, Japanese speakers - none of them still has the job while myself, without using Japanese in the office, am still here.

Ah, my colleagues from BKK office also told me - listening to self-taught Thai from an overconfident foreign speaker is as pleasant as hearing someone scratching a blackboard with nails. Nobody listens what he is saying - all just wait when it is going to finish, he added.

I heard one teaching me how Thais do not like to ask questions afterwards. He thought he has grasped their culture. What self-delusion it was - they did not ask any questions because they gave no flying <deleted> what he was rumbling, just wanted to get out of earshot.

[Jingthing]

I lived most of my life in the US and only learned basic SPANISH. Spanish is useless here so I am glad I didn't bother. I think it is a choice to make the investment in learning Thai or not and I am offended by people who make idiotic generalizations about why people don't bother. I don't doubt being fluent in Thai makes thing easier living in Thailand. But like anything else it is a personal choice that people have as to how to spend their time. This is not a country that is really very interested in assimilating foreigners anyway, you will NEVER be Thai. OK, 99.99 percent of you anyway. I thought I would learn more Thai (I know the very basics) before I moved here but bottom line I would rather read a great English novel or watch a top rate German film than study Thai, any day of the week. I think Thai is a pleasant language though. However, I do not think the cultural treasures awaiting you if you are fluent compare to learning European languages. Yes, I realize that is Eurocentric thinking but I don't care. Become fluent in French, you can read Sartre in the original. What great literature can you read in Thai?

Edited March 13, 2009 by Jingthing

[Insight]

I can't stand watching the soap operas for more than 30 seconds - why would I want to understand them?

Well if you don’t like this approach, then don’t try.

It’s just one way to learn the language that’s all, and there are many simple and less annoying plots out there.

The main goal here is not whether you like watching soaps or not, it’s all about learning the language in quick and easy way.

Well I cant stand math or physic either, but I do have to study them coz I can see the benefits of learning them.

I'm not criticizing your technique, teacup - in fact it did get the imagination going again. Wish there were English subtitles for that morning breakfast show they have on Channel 7 (I think), but can't really see that happening anytime soon.

Working as a software developer I'm learning new stuff all the time. Some of which I do find pretty boring, but as you say, the benefits of learning keep you going. I'm afraid that I just can't see that many benefits with learning Thai anymore.

[teacup]

Well I still can’t understand fully (except bunches of excuse)---as why those who are making a home here just don’t really bother to learn enough thai----- to be able to go about anywhere and do about anything on their own, without any assistance.

Don't you have any in-depth curiousities on the people, and places in the country that now you are calling “home”, and wanting to know more than you are already known? And what is the best way to accomplish this if it’s not through the common speaking language of the locals, through "your own" contacts and experiences........instead of through words of mouth?

Whether being accept as one of the thais or not, really has nothing to do with it, me think here. It’s just for your own basic survival skill, and benefits/goods on daily basis really.

Just like me, I like traveling to Indonesia and I go there often enough that I do make a few friends there.

So I’ve managed to study the language, good enough to be able to converse to any Indonesians at everyday basic level - real conversation I mean.

And I don’t care if they don’t see me as one of them, I did it for my own benefits because I want to learn more about them and their country.

And I don’t even live there, only go there once or twice a year.

Ok I give up............don't want to learn, still don't see any benefits, then Up to U

Edited March 13, 2009 by teacup

[DP25]

I've made an effort, but I should try more. I can speak ok, and I can read children's books and easy stuff like that (no newspapers or serious books), but I can't write without looking up the spelling for basically every word.

[happylarry]

neeranaman you have raised a very good point about the age. When you are of retirement age and have not done any significant studying for 46 years or thereabouts, you are out of the habit and it is incredibly difficult to learn to learn again, whether you want to or not.

Also I didnt say my son taught english...he teaches science.

But when he teaches english (voluntarily of course in his own time....lol) to a thai person ,who does not know any english at all then being able to talk thai is invaluable. How could you do it otherwise?

To the people who are saying anyone can do it....why arent we all playing for man united or playing music with cold play or whatever , its nonsense to say every one is the same and has the same capabilities in life. But I guess if you are one of those that can and have done it then it is easy to mock those that cant.

HL

[Jingthing]

Whether being accept as one of the thais or not, really has nothing to do with it, me think here. It’s just for your own basic survival skill, and benefits/goods on daily basis really.

Depends on where you live IN Thailand. In Pattaya away from the dark side there is absolutely no survival reason to learn anything more than very basic Thai (if that). None. Nada. I am here for other reasons than to enjoy Thai soap operas and folksy conversations about how much this costs and the 1000 kinds of diarrhea spoken during mealtimes, and for those who say it is disrespectful to Thai people, well, I never once felt disrespected by immigrants in the US who didn't speak English, I figured they have their own reasons and its none of my business! If I had chosen to live in the sticks, of course I would be very motivated to learn Thai for basic survival. Different story.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Jingthing

[bkkjames]

neeranaman you have raised a very good point about the age. When you are of retirement age and have not done any significant studying for 46 years or thereabouts, you are out of the habit and it is incredibly difficult to learn to learn again, whether you want to or not.

Also I didnt say my son taught english...he teaches science.

But when he teaches english (voluntarily of course in his own time....lol) to a thai person ,who does not know any english at all then being able to talk thai is invaluable. How could you do it otherwise?

To the people who are saying anyone can do it....why arent we all playing for man united or playing music with cold play or whatever , its nonsense to say every one is the same and has the same capabilities in life. But I guess if you are one of those that can and have done it then it is easy to mock those that cant.

HL

So in conclusion, some do - some don't for various reasons, each of which they believe is correct in their own approach to this matter. Problem solved.

[kiakaha]

there is definitely a cerebrial/biological aspect to learning a second language as an adult. Even if you have all the motivation and studious discipline in the world, some seem to just click with learning languages and some dont. Interestingly enough, many of the folks I know who are able to pick up Asian languages easily(read and speak) are also very adept with mathematics, sciences, low level computer programming etc... analytical minds who understand things by breaking down complexity into a series of simple steps.

[bkkjames]

there is definitely a cerebrial/biological aspect to learning a second language as an adult. Even if you have all the motivation and studious discipline in the world, some seem to just click with learning languages and some dont. Interestingly enough, many of the folks I know who are able to pick up Asian languages easily(read and speak) are also very adept with mathematics, sciences, low level computer programming etc... analytical minds who understand things by breaking down complexity into a series of simple steps.

Now I know why farangs who speak Thai are so boring.