Over Usage Of The Farang Word.

[KwanDean]

Yes, it is irritating to overhear the Thai's over-use of the word 'farang'.... (farang this......farang that.....farang baa.....farang kee neeo...etc), but it must be equally irritating for them to overhear whining 'foreigners' saying 'Thai this....Thai that......etc.

When in Rome !!!

[mccw]

take care na,

tod-daniels

Krung Thep

Let me spell it out for the "wanna-b-thai" foreign sock puppet contingent. Using that word to refer to other foreigner is clearly a "fox-paw" (or "faux pas" for you retards) of giant magnitude and should not be tolerated by other foreigners EVER!!!

haha

"take care na" - you big girl, 55

- is using "55" wanna bee too and "na" is alright? falang, oo sorry farang, a definate no no.

what a hiporcrit!!!

Edited January 15, 2010 by mccw

[Tod Daniels]

"take care na" - you big girl, 55

- is using "55" wanna bee too and "na" is alright? falang, oo sorry farang, a definate no no.

what a hiporcrit!!!

You are obviously more a thai language expert than I will ever be.

Given that fact; you will know the particle sa-pelled as "na" in engrish (and น่ะ in thai) is a particle used at the end of a sentence to soften it, emphasize, or make it polite.

As you can see (or not ) it is certainly NOT just a feminine particle; but one used by both sexes of the ever smiling yet diminutive, indigenous natives here when trying to soften a statement.

Again this is due ONLY to the thais reticence for confrontation, and/or direct speech; yet is something pawned off as another cultural oxymoron (<--look that word up yourself if you need to)

Kao-jai-na? (เข้าใจน่ะ)

Also FWIW; the thai word for the number 5 is sa-pelled in engrish as 'ha', (or in thai as ห้า). Using 3 or 4 number fives in a row is "M-sa-peak" (internet chat language) which is equal to the engrish words ha-ha-ha..

Can we please go back to the topic of this thread? Which, last time I checked was;

Why do so many westerners use the word Farang when speaking in english? Or when posting on the web?

Or are you still in “tod-bashing mode”? Give it a rest..

what a hiporcrit!!!

One last thing; the word is spelled "hypocrite", (use spell check next time, okay na )

(edited TWICE for sa-tupid sa-pelling mistakes)

Edited January 15, 2010 by tod-daniels

[dom samui]

(edited TWICE for sa-tupid sa-pelling mistakes)

:D

(4+1) (2+3)(7-2)(20/4) !!!

[mxr]

The thais use the word "jak" to talk about chinese people, and this is derogatory. Makes

chinese people angry. The word falang makes me angry, especially when there is a disagreement

and the thais use the falang word between themselves to refer to the white dude standing

right there, this is obviously derogatory and looking down on the white dude.

I asked my wife not to call me falang, i told her when we go to australia people will not

refer to her as thai, but simply as a person, so i dont like to be labeled as a falang as well,

but as a person.

Now that i have a thai car licence, when they refer to me as falang, i shove it real close to their

face and say mai falang, pom phen khon thai.

Edited January 15, 2010 by mxr

[Jingthing]

The thais use the word "jak" to talk about chinese people, and this is derogatory. Makes

chinese people angry. The word falang makes me angry, especially when there is a disagreement

and the thais use the falang word between themselves to refer to the white dude standing

right there, this is obviously derogatory and looking down on the white dude.

I asked my wife not to call me falang, i told her when we go to australia people will not

refer to her as thai, but simply as a person, so i dont like to be labeled as a falang as well,

but as a person.

Now that i have a thai car licence, when they refer to me as falang, i shove it real close to their

face and say mai falang, pom phen khon thai.

This is an interesting point. To westerners in the west we would think it incredibly rude to talk about someone that way within their hearing. So in your example, a Thai lady is in the west and there is a conflict. The westerners talk about it, with her hearing, saying that Thai lady is making a stink, she's crazy, (or Asian, etc.). Outside a person's hearing, it would totally normal and not rude to talk about her later, for example, that Thai lady was a pain.

In Thailand, the former example commonly happens. They do sound quite rude to us. From the Thai point of view, just how rude is it? Thais don't do the politically correct thing we do. They will call you fat to your face and joke about it, etc.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Jingthing

[BlackGrape]

Who really cares. In the last 10 years every wetserner has been a 2nd class citizen. That's my opinion. Maybe when in nigeria, u have never been banged up or had your boss shot in the head with a AK-47.

Mai Pen Rai!

[Jingthing]

Who really cares. In the last 10 years every wetserner has been a 2nd class citizen. That's my opinion. Maybe when in nigeria, u have never been banged up or had your boss shot in the head with a AK-47.

Mai Pen Rai!

You have to be a citizen to be a second class citizen. Only a tiny percentage of westerners in Thailand are Thai citizens.

[mccw]

Mostly when i see "take care na" writen it is at the end of a young ladies wall post in face book, but yes there's nothing prohibiting its use by either sex. I mention it because your calling people "wanna bee" thai's for using the word falang, but your using "na" which for a falang servers no purpose other than to sound like a thai, at least the falang word is a useful one.

For example:-

Mauy Farang, to distingwish farang boxing as apposed to thai boxing; you know that of course, if you feel the need to write it in thai, just so everyones clear, you go right ahead

Falang food

Both these uses obviously have no disrespect attatched to them, its just a useful word.

I always thought it was people who didn't speak thai that got so upset about hearing it all the time because they only recognised the one word and imajined they must be talking mai dee about them. In my experience 99.99% of the time there's been no malice in its use; its a pitty if other people have had negative experiences, i guess it might have alot to do with where you live and the places you frequent.

There may well be spelling mistaks here tod but i'm not so anal to care; the point of language is to communicate effectively, which is also the reason thai's and falangs use the farang word

[NADTATIDA1]

When ever anybody sees me especially the older generation of thais the first words to come out of there mouth is "farang farang"

I can be riding my bike passing a shop or a group of thais drinking lao khao and the word i hear is "farang farang"

I can be playing with the kids in the village and all i hear is comments of "farang farang"

Everywhere we as farangs go we are always referred to as farang even to the extent of Thai family relations who actually know your name !! even they still refer to me as farang! (that used to get to me!)

So the point the op makes which is aimed at farangs calling each other farangs could really and genuinely be aimed at thais and there over use of the word at all levels.

We just follow them as it is easier to say than foriegner(sp) and easier for a thai to understand after all we are in Thailand and we are farang!

Now that i have a thai car licence, when they refer to me as falang, i shove it real close to their

face and say mai falang, pom phen khon thai.

mxr? simply having a thai car licence does not make you any less of a foreigner in a thais mind.

maybe if you got a thai passport and became a thai citizen then you might have half a chance,but you will still always be a farang to a thai end of story.

This thread will run and run and run......

[Jingthing]

Yeah last time I got into a joking kind of exchange with a Thai about that, (where are you from? Here.) he clearly told me show me a THAI ID card and then I will accept you as a Thai. Not a driver's license.

[Birdman]

One more time and all together now:

Farang is a neutral expression for a Caucasian. It does NOT mean foreigner. If a Farang has a Thai citizenship he still is a Farang, a Caucasian .

During my first years here in the mid-80s this expression had no negative meaning at all. But over time more and more Farang came, who were clearly not interested in the local culture. For Thais their behaviour was rude and insensitive. So the word Farang became negative in that kind of situations.

[473geo]

One more time and all together now:

Farang is a neutral expression for a Caucasian. It does NOT mean foreigner. If a Farang has a Thai citizenship he still is a Farang, a Caucasian .

During my first years here in the mid-80s this expression had no negative meaning at all. But over time more and more Farang came, who were clearly not interested in the local culture. For Thais their behaviour was rude and insensitive. So the word Farang became negative in that kind of situations.

But people are not prepared to listen to your explanation.........

They choose to be offended.......it is a choice.......you can choose find anything offensive.......or not!!!!!.......people cannot offend you if you choose not to be offended.......

Your choice....nobody can change the way a person chooses to feel.......

There are obviously people who choose...yes....choose..to be offended..... ........why??....

[Matan]

Now that i have a thai car licence, when they refer to me as falang, i shove it real close to their

face and say mai falang, pom phen khon thai.

If I went to live in Uganda for 5 years and got a Ugandan driving licence, could I stick it in a local's face and say "I'm not a foreigner, I'm Ugandan" ?

Nonsense. I've lived in Thailand for 5 months and I could go get a driving licence today - would that suddenly make me Thai? Pfft.

[canuckamuck]

Maybe we should all talk like this:

"I just overlooked an inebriated gentleman of non Asian descent behaving quite imprudently on the adjacent side street . Sadly, as I observed his tomfoolery he perambulated onto the tarmac and quite properly found his comeuppance in a battle royal with a Thai auto-rickshaw".

[Neeranam]

One more time and all together now:

Farang is a neutral expression for a Caucasian. It does NOT mean foreigner. If a Farang has a Thai citizenship he still is a Farang, a Caucasian .

.

Wrong.

Tell us if Kaek is neutral for Indians/Pakistanis/Arabs .

Tell us if Jaek is neutral for Chinese.

Explain the difference.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Neeranam

[Jingthing]

One more time and all together now:

Farang is a neutral expression for a Caucasian. It does NOT mean foreigner. If a Farang has a Thai citizenship he still is a Farang, a Caucasian .

.

Wrong.

Tell us if Kaek is neutral for Indians/Pakistanis/Arabs .

Tell us if Jaek is neutral for Chinese.

Explain the difference.

I think we would need Thai people to explain the difference, if any.

In any case, I still feel resistance is futile. We are a small minority here in a homogeneous, xenophobic society. Nobody made us come here or makes us stay here. The locals use the term a lot, and spending any energy fighting this or being upset about it hurts ourselves more than it changes anything. So personally, I have surrendered about this long ago. Most know the old cliche, worry about the things we CAN change.

Anyway, I think it makes sense to communicate to Thai people we are close with that you don't like them using the word with you around, you can effect that. The other point that is worth considering. Maybe we SHOULD use the term even MORE ourselves because if it is so derogatory (even without a dereogatory context) we might be able to NEUTRALIZE the word somewhat by using it ourselves. In the same way gay people have decided to OWN some of the classic insult words and use them in describing themselves. The gay world changed the meaning of the word queer in exactly that way.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Jingthing

[Birdman]

Both words are used in official Thai translations without any contemptuous meaning. For instance at http://www.thai-language.com

4. แขก khaaekL noun person or people of south- or southwest-Asian descent (Indian, Persian, Arab, etc.)

1. จีน jeenM proper noun, geographical, adjective China; Chinese...

But some locals mean it abusive. So it depends.....like I explained it already

Some seem to interpret something provocative contemptuous into words, much more than it is in reality.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Birdman

[Neeranam]

Both words are used in official Thai translations without any contemptuous meaning. For instance at http://www.thai-language.com

4. แขก khaaekL noun person or people of south- or southwest-Asian descent (Indian, Persian, Arab, etc.)

1. จีน jeenM proper noun, geographical, adjective China; Chinese...

But some locals mean it abusive. So it depends.....like I explained it already

Some seem to interpret something provocative contemptuous into words, much more than it is in reality.

Not 'jeen', 'jaek'.

It was used for chinese some years ago but now is offensive and only said behind their backs. Similarly, farang has come to that point. kaek has been derogatory for a while.

Once you've been here awhile, you'll realize this.

[Jingthing]

Similarly, farang has come to that point. kaek has been derogatory for a while.

Once you've been here awhile, you'll realize this.

So it is either mostly neutral or mostly derogatory. I think we can agree it is mostly not a compliment. Given the two options, how about my idea that we use the FARANG word ourselves a lot more? If the target group of an insult uses it all the time in a neutral casual way referring to themselves and other "farangs", don't you think that indeed does serve to take some of the sting out of the word (assuming much exists)? I think this way of looking at it is at least worth considering. Maybe too many of us are showing too much restraint in using the word and too many of us are REACTING to it in a way that indicates we feel we have been insulted. Aren't we giving more power to the word than it actually has by choosing to react to it at all? Yes I can imagine the argument, they will just think we are all stupid.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Jingthing

[Birdman]

Both words are used in official Thai translations without any contemptuous meaning. For instance at http://www.thai-language.com

4. แขก khaaekL noun person or people of south- or southwest-Asian descent (Indian, Persian, Arab, etc.)

1. จีน jeenM proper noun, geographical, adjective China; Chinese...

But some locals mean it abusive. So it depends.....like I explained it already

Some seem to interpret something provocative contemptuous into words, much more than it is in reality.

Not 'jeen', 'jaek'.

It was used for chinese some years ago but now is offensive and only said behind their backs. Similarly, farang has come to that point. kaek has been derogatory for a while.

Once you've been here awhile, you'll realize this.

I live/work/everything here since 25 years, have been everywhere and speak Thai well since years and I have to say, that you are wrong, if you say that it is derogatory only. Maybe in your neighbourhood?

In countless situations Farang is used very, very neutral. At the hotel reception for instance: "Khun Neeranam?". "...the Farang in the lobby over there"....

Edited January 16, 2010 by Birdman

[lightstar]

In South Korea we are 'foreigners'. In the backpacking scene we are 'westerners'. But no different to the expats using 'gaijin' in Japan, or 'gwailo' in Hong Kong...