If You Speak Fluent Thai..............

[roamer]

By fluent I mean the ability to engage in a pretty wide ranging conversation much as you would be able to do in your native language. If you can do that, how much do you think the Thai's you speak to have changed their views about the direction of their nation in the last few years ? You are often given a different, maybe modified opinion, if you can't speak fluent Thai but speak to a fluent English speaker. I believe that Thai's, even fluent English speakers, come much closer to revealing their true feelings when they are speaking in their own language. I'm not simply talking politics here or recent events, just an overall impression. Anyone able to contribute ?

My reasons for asking ? I've been speaking with a very respected TV documentary film maker who has just spent six weeks in Thailand and confessed that he was no closer to understanding the situation on the last day than he was on the first. "I felt closer to understanding North Korea than I did Thailand" His words.

[NaChampain]

You are touching on a subject, which can be looked at from so many angles. It's a very complex issue and it requires sometimes very hard decisions to solve, as you may talk about structural changes to the overall society.

I have lived here almost 20 years and works in an industry in which I need to interact with state employees, politicians and private employees. There are many opinions of course. It's not only education, which influences peoples opinions, it's how deep they think or can think about issues. This means as you point out that they often can express themselves better in their native language no matter how fluent they are in a 2. or 3. language.

There are so much more to talk on this subject, but there are a number of good radio and tv shows in Thai. I would recommend your documentary friend perhaps gets transcripts of some of these shows. But again it depends on which angle one is willing or able to look at this very complex situation.

If possible have a look at the editorial from The Nation on 19. July. It was a fairly balanced input on why or how foreign media channels may look at the current situation a bit skewed to say the least.

[Garry9999]

I've found that Thais I've known for many years eventually open up and talk of their true feelings, language doesn't really come into it, it's more about trust and familiarity.

[mazeltov]

I believe that Thai's, even fluent English speakers, come much closer to revealing their true feelings when they are speaking in their own language.

Do you speak more than one language, a second or third language to your native language? Languages are complex codes of the certain way of thought and cannot be easy translated into another code.

The difference depends not so much or not only on the speaker (sender) but also significant co-depends on the listener (receiver) and how many languages (signal codes) the listener is able to understand.

And this is not something that is typical Thai it is universal.

Look at the reverse situation, imagine you communicate with someone who is not from the same country than you. Topic of the talk is your country. Wouldn't there be a huge difference how you s talk with the other person when a) the person is able to speak and understand your native language, the language spoken in the country that is the topic of your conversation or the person don't speak and understand the 'first' language and you can communicate only in a secondary language.

Even if person from a) is a non-native you would expect that is competence and background information is much better than that of person ; hence you would talk and explain the things in a very different way.

This situation you don't have only with different languages but also when it come to different social and educational background. An physician would choose a different speech when his patient is a fellow medic or a something else. You would talk differently to a child than to an adult. Talk in a different way with your peers, than you would talk to your parents or grand parents or other very senior persons. and so on.

There is really no surprise that Thai would reveal more when they speak in their own language. Everybody would do. But mostly it is you as the listener, the receiver of information, might understand more of it when he speaks the language.