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What Does Bang Mean


STEALTH K3

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I agree, but isn't there a little bit more to it than that?

For example, I live in the Banglaumung area... near the sea. And there are many "bang" villages nearby... Bang Chang, Bang Sare, Bang Saen etc.

But up in Isaan (or more specifically the Korat region), there are no "bang" villages. Instead, places/locations/villages near water seem to be called "noen".

Is it a regional/cultural thing or am I reading too much into it?

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Bang Kok, yes.  The original Thai name for the city, before it became the capital.  The "Kok" is a type of wild olive or something like that.  (i.e., "makok" in current usage).

So, would that roughly translate as, 'Place of wild olive trees'? I think know the fruit you speak of; the very bitter ones.

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I will put my Thai native speakers up for the challenge;

"Bang" is a district or "place of" - translations are not total, or perfectly literal, but an "Academic discussion" led me to still agree with the first argument.

So if there os a Bang-tong get on the bus - its a district of gold :o

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Ban, Baan, or pronounced "Barn" is a small village or a house.

Bang with the ever ng sound on the end is a place of or where something happens - Making poeerty, charchol, rice etc. I now have countless anacdotes about Bang and what happened there up to 300 years ago.

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There is lots of scope for confusion with "Bang" if you are spelling it in english its easy to confuse with Ban.

I've never heard about the canal thing, but it also means "some" just to confuse even more :o

All the bangkok thai's complain they can't understand the southerners when they come down here, so it is understandable that words would have different meanings down here. Probably a southern thing, there are quite a few Bang's around here, even a bang nam khem.

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QUOTE(RamdomChances @ 2005-01-19 23:28:40)

There is lots of scope for confusion with "Bang" if you are spelling it in english its easy to confuse with Ban.

I've never heard about the canal thing, but it also means "some" just to confuse even more

All the bangkok thai's complain they can't understand the southerners when they come down here, so it is understandable that words would have different meanings down here. Probably a southern thing, there are quite a few Bang's around here, even a bang nam khem.

I also have never heard of the canal thing. Nice to hear someone as knowledgeable in the Thai language as RC hasn't either. Maybe it is a Southern thing. The last time I went to Had Yai, I couldn't understand them. Sounded like a different language. The same as if my Thai wife went to many parts of England, she wouldn't understand much.

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I wonder if the Central Thai "Bang" is related to the Kham Muang (Northern Thai) "Pang" which often translates as a forest camp. The elephant camps are known as "pang chang" and many small villages up north beging with "Pang."

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PvtDick,

"Your colleagues are either not very bright, or they were just trying to brush you off".

Actually I don't appreciate your comment. My Thai colleagues are highly intelligent contributors to this country, they interact regularly with senior leaders of industry, both Thai and foreign, and they don't 'brush me off'.

I've since shown them the various posts. They reinforce the point already made by one contributor, that one perfect or strict translation of 'bang' is not possible.

They remain with their overall general comment that it usually means something like district.

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