Success

[bina]

hey everyone, i did it , with help and encouragement from u all,,,,

i can read i can read i can read.....

i can read small words now, have learned the names of many of the vowels and consonants, was able to write down a few words when my friend gave me a list....

what's even better is.... my friend (issan no educ.) is improving his reading and writing skills (albeit central thai style) by having to tutor me.....he could barely read a simple thai newspaper article (the stuff they print for migrant workers in israel)

he says sanook mak mak teaching me, even if i am pu ying kon gee.... so sabaijai maybe soon i can start reading and writing here in thai to avoid the transliteration problems.....and your write, now that i 'see' the tonal marks, etc.... i 'hear' and 'speak' properly and can differentiate between sound alikes....

preserverance pays off...... we have lots of rain days w/no work so do thai lessons; its certainly better then for him to sit and drink and play cards all day.....if i can do it, everyone can since i have no access to formal thai lessons etc.and do physical work all day so the brain is usually too tired....

thanx.....

[dvk1951]

Congrats Bina,

May this be the first step in the 'education of Bina', but you have got it right, perserverence does have its rewards. Keep at it.

[boxig]

Bina,

I like your writing style

Good Luck !

[RDN]

... the 'education of Bina', ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Educating Bina" - wasn't that a film starring Michael Caine? Well done - it's fun isn't it? สนุก มาก มาก!

[sabaijai]

Congratulations! Learning to read Thai opens up whole new vistas on the language, as you're already beginning to see. I look forward to the day you can begin posting a bit in Thai (assuming you have a Thai keyboard or keyboard map). Even if you can't post in Thai, you'll be able to decipher our chicken scratchings ...

[bina]

สนุก มาก มาก

sanook mak mak....

u bet!!!!! thanx all for encouragement; no i dont have a keyboard, had one, lent to someone thai in israel, he took it on bus and left it on bus.... got stolen (why anyone would want a thai/english keyboard in israel is beyond me, maybe they thaought it was amharit or something)....

also have to reload fonts for typeing: how to do so??? i had fonts but reformatted so everything went...

also, how do you type the vowel and tone marks over the consonants? in hebrew we put them in by hand if needed after printing out the paper....

[RDN]

สนุก มาก มาก

sanook mak mak....

u bet!!!!! thanx all for encouragement; no i dont have a keyboard...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you are running Windows XP, you can try "Start/Programs/Accessories/Accessibility/On-Screen Keyboard" or just "Start/Run" and type "osk" and click OK.

That will get you the on-screen keyboard. Now you have to change your "Input Language" - which has been described somewhere in this forum already - so I encourage you to search for it (sorry I can't do it now). It's in "Control Panel/Regional and Language Options". Good luck! I'll check back tomorrow to see if anyone else has posted instructions, and if not I'll try to find it .

[Richard W]

สนุก มาก มาก

also have to reload fonts for typeing: how to do so???  i had fonts but reformatted so everything went...

also, how do you type the vowel and tone marks over the consonants?  in hebrew we put them in by hand if needed after printing out the paper....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You didn't tell us your operating system! It matters.

In Windows XP, Click START, open CONTROL PANEL. Select REGIONAL AND LANGUAGE OPTIONS. Click on LANGUAGE tab, then DETAILS and SETTINGS tab. Click ADD and then select THAI from the drop down INPUT LANGUAGE box and THAI KEDMANEE from the drop down KEYBOARD LAYOUT box. Click OKAY, OKAY, APPLY, OKAY. Thai language should then be installed.

One possible problem is that files for complex scripts may not have been installed, If so, then on Windows XP, as an administrator:

Click START, open CONTROL PANEL. Select REGIONAL AND LANGUAGE OPTIONS. Click on LANGUAGE tab, tick 'Install files for complex script...' and click OK etc.

If this doesn't work, there are various web pages you can use, e.g. mine at Thai Text Entry Version 1.2 It enables you to switch input methods, so it may be sensitive to browser differences. (I've just discovered that it gets a bit sick on Mozilla if you switch the encoding away from 'Unicode (UTF-8)', which is the encoding declared on the page. IE6 doesn't seem to be affected by such a switch.)

As to fonts, you just drag the font file onto the fonts directory, e.g. C:\WINDOWS\FONTS.

The consonants, subscript vowels, superscript tones and over marks in the vertical stack are typed in the order:

1) Consonant first.

2) Everything else in order from bottom to top, so tone marks come last.

Preposed vowels (เ แ ไ ใ โ) and postposed vowels (า ำ ะ) are typed independently, as though they were consonants. Note that น้ำ is typed in the order: consonant, tonemark, vowel. Do not type ำ as two symbols - if you do, most search software will not equate it to ำ as a single symbol.

On Thaivisa, remember to make Thai text 'large' (I use size 7) to make it legible.

Edited to remind to install fields for complex scripts first.

[Spee]

no i dont have a keyboard, had one, lent to someone thai in israel, he took it on bus and left it on bus.... got stolen (why anyone would want a thai/english keyboard in israel is beyond me, maybe they thaought it was amharit or something)....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can download a free demo at : http://www.unitype.com/

The Global Writer is a cool (if a bit slow) tool that allows creation of text in many common world languages, including Thai. Once you get the hang of it, you can crank out a few sentences pretty easily.

Good luck and keep going. I'm not far ahead of your speed, and it does take a lot of time and effort.

[RDN]

Thanks to Richard W and Spee for this good information.

I'll pin these instructions to the top of this forum so that other members can find them easily. If anyone has a comment on these instructions, please add a post to the pinned topic (I won't lock it) and I'll check out what they say and modify the instructions accordingly.

[bina]

it worked richard, thanx... now have to figure out how to physically type ; as i have a hebrew english keyboard so cant add stickers on keyboard keys my kids will kill me; as it is they are dyslexic and the dual keyboard drives them nuts ..... but i type blind in both lanuages so will have to do the same in thai i guess...except those vowels are a real pain....... if a thai teenager can do it than i can...

it just reminds me of my mother saying in wonderment when my daughter started to speak at the age of around 15 months or so..... "wow, she can speak hebrew, and its such a difficult language...."

[Shola]

I love to read and constantly have a book on the go, so when I decided to try and learn to read Thai I just went to Se-Ed books and bought a set of 6 books for pre-school kids and read it through with my hubby helping!

It's so fun! like learning to read all over again, and it's true when you see how the words are actually spelt out you get to know how they are pronounced correctly.

Anyway I've a way to go yet, can still only read very basic things, but its helped me no end, especially in the supermarket, as I can actually read whats in things now!

[bannork]

hey everyone, i did it , with help and encouragement from u all,,,,

i can read  i can read i can read.....

i can read small words now, have learned the names of many of the vowels and consonants, was able to write down a few words when my friend gave me a list....

what's even better is.... my friend (issan no educ.) is improving his reading and writing skills (albeit central thai style) by having to tutor me.....he could barely read a simple thai newspaper article (the stuff they print for migrant workers in israel)

he says sanook mak mak teaching me, even if i am pu ying kon gee.... so sabaijai maybe soon i can start reading and writing here in thai to avoid the transliteration problems.....and your write, now that i 'see' the tonal marks, etc.... i 'hear' and 'speak' properly and can differentiate between sound alikes....

preserverance pays off...... we have lots of rain days w/no work so do thai lessons; its certainly better then for him to sit and drink and play cards all day.....if i can do it, everyone can since i have no access to formal thai lessons etc.and do physical work all day so the brain is usually too tired....

thanx.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ขอเเสดงความยินดี

บ้านนอก

[simon43]

I've been living in BKK for about 2 years now, but only 'seriously' started to learn Thai about 9 months ago. First I did an intensive 1-to-1 course (about 60 hours), to understand all the various tone and pronounciation rules.

Next, I started out on my own, writing simple Thai words and sending Thai text messages to my GF.

Now I'm onto reading Enid Blyton children books in Thai (aimed at about 11 year olds and I do need to refer to my dictionary MANY times!).

I'm not far off being able to read fast enough (and speak/sing correctly), on the Thai-language karaoke songs that have no transliteration

[penzman]

I've been living here for 10 months and the only thing I can read so far is กก (KG).

Lazy git I am...

[booma]

สนุก มาก มาก

sanook mak mak....

u bet!!!!! thanx all for encouragement; no i dont have a keyboard, had one, lent to someone thai in israel, he took it on bus and left it on bus.... got stolen (why anyone would want a thai/english keyboard in israel is beyond me, maybe they thaought it was amharit or something)....

also have to reload fonts for typeing: how to do so???  i had fonts but reformatted so everything went...

also, how do you type the vowel and tone marks over the consonants?  in hebrew we put them in by hand if needed after printing out the paper....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

there is a website called simplythebest.net you can find a free thai font in there (in the font section). click download, open it up and copy the truetype file onto your desktop, then drag it into your fonts folder which is found in your control panel. delet the version on your desktop for the sake of tidyness

I can't write in Thai yet so I can't guarentee it will be any good.

B

[bina]

yes.... it worked...

the instuctions posted were great. i was able to write out the name of someone that i asked someone to locate for me... i looked at my friend's name in his writing, and then pecked it out on the virtual keyboard.... the only problem w/the key board is that i have bad eyesight and the characters are microscopic, but i did it

this was definatelya speeded up course in writing thai due to neccesity...... and i can read addresses now, and names of all our workers in thai so i can pronounce them properly now.... this is so cool.... i think it does make it easier that i already read one alphabet that does not have latin letters so seeing weird squiggly shapes doesnt really phase me too too much.. and letters that change sound at beginning or end is also similar to hebrew so... its just those vowels

[Insight]

Congrats Bina...

I can read Thai (remember most of the vowels and constantans), but I have absolutely no idea what I'm reading most of the time - My vocab is that limited.

Any recommendations on next steps in my situation?

[Shola]

I've been living here for 10 months and the only thing I can read so far is กก (KG).

Lazy git I am...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Blimey! Don't worry about it I've been here 5 years and I havn't got much further than that!!

BTW I am finally about to do something about though, I'm checking out the Thai language school in Bkk 'Baan Phaasaa Thai' Anybody been here or got any experiences to share about other thai language schools in Bkk??

looking to go in at an intermediate level.

Shola

[bina]

i could jread hebrew fluently (from religious services) but not understand so:

you have to look for everyday words, copy them out, search for them in the sentences, read short things that have pics so u can guess at the context and spot out for repetative words, and one last thing, as a dog trainer and animal behavior person>>>

always quit while you are ahead..... never try one more time after you succeed , or quit after failing.... so do a little everyday and suddenly things fall together ....

oh, and avoid non thai words, i found them impossible.like the word icecream written in thai.. same as in hebrew, after 22 years i still sound out words that are english written in hebrew and it takes a while for me to catch that to the amusement of my kids.....

[Neeranam]

Congrats Bina...

I can read Thai (remember most of the vowels and constantans), but I have absolutely no idea what I'm reading most of the time - My vocab is that limited.

Any recommendations on next steps in my situation?

Also Congrats Bina, reading Thai will help you learn much faster.

Insight, what I did was get a Prathom 1 Thai book and read it with a dictionary alongside. If you have a girlfriend or wife that can speak English and Thai it would help. Try to read every day even a little, and persevere. Soon you will be on P2 and on and on. I gave up after P4. I have all I need for the moment.

[Insight]

Thanks Bina & Neeranam - will try what both of you advised.

Going to visit the girlfriends parents over Songkran. It'll look like I'm on drugs if I use my current tactic of smiling politely for the full four days, so going to have to put the extra effort into this one.

[stateman]

สนุก มาก มาก

"Start/Programs/Accessories/Accessibility/On-Screen Keyboard" or just "Start/Run" and type "osk" and click OK.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I created a file containing my thai keyboard characters. I printed it out and taped it to my pc. After a while, I find it more convenient to have a ready-copy to look at, without having to hit several keys to get to the virtual keyboard. I also made them big enough to be distinct and easy read.

It is attached here for anyone who wants it.

Verify with your own keyboard as a few odd symbols may be slightly different than mine.

Kedmanee_Actual_keybd_090505.doc