highonthai Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Why do so many westerners use the word Farang when speaking in english? Or when posting on the web? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnmatt Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Where is a farang from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
needforspeed Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Farang is coming from the french army who was here some time ago, if want details just look at Thai history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorSucker Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Not again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMoran Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Why do so many westerners use the word Farang when speaking in english? Or when posting on the web? It's only really appropriate for statements pertaining to Thailand, methinks. Back in Australia, not many locals would understand the meaning so I don't recommend you add it to your vocabulary except when it's got something to do with Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highonthai Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 I understand the orgin and it's meaning, I'm asking why do so many foreigner's use it instead of (foreigner) when speaking in english to others? Is it that it's one of the first Thai words they learn when comming here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmine Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Is this the most done to death topic in the history of the TV Forum? If not, it must be right up there That is ofcourse, along with why i was fleeced by my Thai gf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
473geo Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) It is understood and easier to spell than foreigner........ oops you said speaking............ Well it is probably easier understood by foreigners, than foreigner,...in conversation..... . I guess it also means a foreigner visiting or in Thailand....so narrows the identlty of foreigner down a little too.... Edited January 10, 2010 by 473geo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellste Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) I understand the orgin and it's meaning, I'm asking why do so many foreigner's use it instead of (foreigner) when speaking in english to others?Is it that it's one of the first Thai words they learn when comming here? We use it because it is easier to say than foreigner. We also say "Nam", instead of water. Not to forget "Cingallets", "Work a job" and "Mjiiilk" Edited January 10, 2010 by bellste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CobraSnakeNecktie Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 as an aside why do african americans all call each other N*##gger? It makes no sense to me other than maybe the desire to be a Thai and pretend they are not a Farang anymore. The usage in Thailand I personally don't think it negative unless its qualified with a kee nok or something. It's somewhat like the use of Gringo in Brazil. Anything not Brazillian is Gringo. It seems there are a lot of things called falang in Thailand Falang = green fejiola guava (some say the original source of the phrase from Portugese traders 400 years ago) Wat Falang = some buddhist temples in eastern thailand Muay Falang = western style boxing Ban Falang = some non Thai style moo bans Falang Dum = dark colored foreigners from Africa for example mon falang = potato Feel free to correct me and or add more I am not aware of. I am sure there are many more I am missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHammer Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It's like the blacks using n*gger. It's ok for farang to say farang, but not for others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highonthai Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 It makes no sense to me other than maybe the desire to be a Thai and pretend they are not a Farang anymore. So far your the only one that's getting this post. Some of the tourists I run across or even an Expat with a limited Thai vocabulary seem to be the people that use this word to discribe themselfs or others that are not Thai. Are there any other Thai Words that I can use to make me more Thai. Or make me look more of a local Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It's like the blacks using n*gger. It's ok for farang to say farang, but not for others. No, its not as derogatory as that. It can be neutral and descriptive or it can be very insulting depending on the context. Also, it refers mostly to white "western" foreigners, so just saying farang in reference to Thai topics is more convenient. I think people would be even more insulted if we always said white foreigners instead of farang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHammer Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It's like the blacks using n*gger. It's ok for farang to say farang, but not for others. No, its not as derogatory as that. It can be neutral and descriptive or it can be very insulting depending on the context. Also, it refers mostly to white "western" foreigners, so just saying farang in reference to Thai topics is more convenient. I think people would be even more insulted if we always said white foreigners instead of farang. I wasn't serious, but it's still similar. Though farang isn't a negative word by definition, it's still negative when used to talk about a person while he/she is around. Also, a farang actually using the word farang will be looked at strangely. It's not a good word. It's mostly uneducated people who use farang, so when you hear an educated person use farang, you can be sure it's meant as an insult. But I don't care really, all but the most pc, use some form of slang to refer to people different than yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) It's like the blacks using n*gger. It's ok for farang to say farang, but not for others. No, its not as derogatory as that. It can be neutral and descriptive or it can be very insulting depending on the context. Also, it refers mostly to white "western" foreigners, so just saying farang in reference to Thai topics is more convenient. I think people would be even more insulted if we always said white foreigners instead of farang. I wasn't serious, but it's still similar. Though farang isn't a negative word by definition, it's still negative when used to talk about a person while he/she is around. Also, a farang actually using the word farang will be looked at strangely. It's not a good word. It's mostly uneducated people who use farang, so when you hear an educated person use farang, you can be sure it's meant as an insult. But I don't care really, all but the most pc, use some form of slang to refer to people different than yourself. I basically agree with all that. But I still think its OK for expats to use the word with each other and also uneducated Thais when we are referring to white westerners in Thailand. One thing I really don't like about the word is that the word in itself excludes non-white foreigners here. People who say it means foreigners generically are wrong. I would go even further. I think in Thailand, FARANG has become an adopted English word. Edited January 10, 2010 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
473geo Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) It makes no sense to me other than maybe the desire to be a Thai and pretend they are not a Farang anymore. So far your the only one that's getting this post. Some of the tourists I run across or even an Expat with a limited Thai vocabulary seem to be the people that use this word to discribe themselfs or others that are not Thai. Are there any other Thai Words that I can use to make me more Thai. Or make me look more of a local Ok so you discard all the posts that give, in many cases, reasonable explanation.....and latch onto the one that criticises people for using the F word.........why did you not just put your criticism into your opening post at the start without waiting for 'support'?? You don't like people using the F word....because you feel the explanation is much deeper than ease of use.......up to you.... Edited January 10, 2010 by 473geo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMoran Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It makes no sense to me other than maybe the desire to be a Thai and pretend they are not a Farang anymore. So far your the only one that's getting this post. Some of the tourists I run across or even an Expat with a limited Thai vocabulary seem to be the people that use this word to discribe themselfs or others that are not Thai. Are there any other Thai Words that I can use to make me more Thai. Or make me look more of a local Ok so you discard all the posts that give, in many cases, reasonable explanation.....and latch onto the one that criticises people for using the F word.........why did you not just put your criticism into your opening post at the start without waiting for 'support'?? You don't like people using the F word....because you feel the explanation is much deeper than ease of use.......up to you.... Just out of interest, it might be worth taking note that of all the people here in Thailand, there are a significant majority (over 50%) who happen to be not farang, and are indeed kon Thai. In the course of everyday conversation with the subsets of those representative of this majority, it tends to be the norm that the term farang is fairly common, for better or for worse. Not so much 'over-usage' but more the fact that there are so many Thai's in this country that it becomes the normal habitual word to use, because the vast majority of the people that one encounters everyday in Thailand understand quite well the meaning of the word, and don't get upset about it. It's just a word, like aeroplane. Good to see it's made it into the Wiki now. Not long before it's in Oxford/Cambridge if it's not already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) It is so pervasive, that resistance is futile. People eventually learn that (check my own posting history on the topic if you are looking for laughs). English as spoken in Thailand has adopted some other Thai words as well. For example, SOI and TUK TUK. When is the last time you heard an English speaker say, the restaurant is on Lane 6, take a motorized golf buggy. Edited January 10, 2010 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyBalb0a Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 so when you hear an educated person use farang, you can be sure it's meant as an insult. This is not true at all. It is still all about the context. I have met many educated people who use the word in the most innocent of ways without any intent to offend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samuibeachcomber Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It makes no sense to me other than maybe the desire to be a Thai and pretend they are not a Farang anymore. So far your the only one that's getting this post. Some of the tourists I run across or even an Expat with a limited Thai vocabulary seem to be the people that use this word to discribe themselfs or others that are not Thai. Are there any other Thai Words that I can use to make me more Thai. Or make me look more of a local surely its just an easy way to describe us here in thailand..........after all we are foreigners here and it is easy to say,no more no less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
473geo Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 so when you hear an educated person use farang, you can be sure it's meant as an insult. This is not true at all. It is still all about the context. I have met many educated people who use the word in the most innocent of ways without any intent to offend. Because if they really wanted to offend......believe it or not the Thai vocabulary contains many words and phrases that would make 'Farang' look like a compliment.... ........non of which would even be picked up on......by anybody but the most prolific Thai speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfessorFart Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 That Wiki explaination still makes me laugh! What a load of <deleted>. Mwhahahahahahaha!!!! That was put up a long time ago as an April Fools for fuc_kwits..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nisakiman Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 so when you hear an educated person use farang, you can be sure it's meant as an insult. This is not true at all. It is still all about the context. I have met many educated people who use the word in the most innocent of ways without any intent to offend. My wife, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torrenova Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 It's like the blacks using n*gger. It's ok for farang to say farang, but not for others. No, its not as derogatory as that. It can be neutral and descriptive or it can be very insulting depending on the context. Also, it refers mostly to white "western" foreigners, so just saying farang in reference to Thai topics is more convenient. I think people would be even more insulted if we always said white foreigners instead of farang. And you'd be wrong. I'll never use the word as far too often it is used in a derogatory fashion. The next most common abuse is by westerners who try to either suck up to Thais or who have gone native and believe they are more Thai than others by using the word. To me, it is akin to nigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I would use it in English to emphasise that I was designating a member of an ethnic group as conceived by Thais. 'European' risks excluding Americans and Antipodeans, and 'Westerner' certainly used to risk excluding East Europeans. Incidentally, I don't believe 'Farang Dam' includes typical Africans - it's more for black Westerners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) The word farang is very definitive (basically meaning caucasian) and understood by all. So why wouldn't we use it. There are lots of words from other languages that we use in English everyday, why get excited about one more? It is the best word we have for describing farangs. Edited January 10, 2010 by canuckamuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 "Why do so many westerners use the word Farang when speaking in english? Or when posting on the web?" I do it because it is a word everyone knows that describes a 'western' nationality rather than having to guess whether the Farang is an American/Canadian, Australian/New Zealander, German/Austrian/Swiss, French/Swiss. Can you distinguish accurately between the comparable accents of those nations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 To me, it is akin to nigger. And isn't that a word that niggers use to refer to other niggers? So why can't Farangs refer to other Farangs as Farangs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswatson Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I think the question should be why write "farang" when I'm pretty sure all Thai's I have spoken to pronounce it "falang". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loz Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Maybe its just a test. Those who know its ok to use it have been here "long enough" and those who don't give away their "newbie-ness" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now