Don't Stifle The Thai Language; Let It Live And Breathe

[webfact]

VENUS' VISION

Don't stifle the language; let it live and breathe

By Veena Thoopkrajae

Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankhiri has recently discovered a new phrase, "chi-mi", widely used among Thai teenagers, and it did not take him long to make the slang expression and himself a hot topic in the social media.

A few hours after giving an interview on "chi-mi" and expressing his concern about the Thai language, Trairong became the target of criticism for his disapproval of the expression

"Chi-mi" (equivalent to a question tag or "Is that right?") might have been on Trairong's mind for quite some time, but the public debate started when he chaired a culture minister's meeting on Thai-Chinese cultural cooperation on Wednesday. During the meeting he expressed concern about the word.

He says he is worried about the deterioration of Thai culture, especially the language, and he would like the National Film Board to look into language usage in Thai soap operas and movies. During the meeting, the title of a gay-themed comedy, "Hor Taew Taek Haek Chi-mi", was raised as an example of improper language usage. (Sorry, the translation of this movie title is beyond me.) To nobody's surprise, the ministry has already disapproved of the title. "Sometimes we don't even know if the word is Thai or English," noted Trairong, who also extended his concern on the threat to the Thai language to music.

Don't he know that teens have been using the expression for quite some time on their MSN chat sites and other media? It is their way of injecting fun into the spoken language, and is widely used. Like other expressions from the past such as "ma jang", "jeng" or "jaab" - meaning "very hip", "stylish", or "cool", "chi mi" is a fad. It will fade, die or evolve eventually.

Certainly, the deputy prime minister has good intentions, but his approach is rather primitive and reflects a lack of understanding of culture. If he believes that to preserve the national language is to ban particular words, music or movies and keep the language stagnant, then he will have many serious problems.

Language is not a top-down means of control, it is a tool for freedom of expression - to the extent that it doesn't harm others. Language is also a vital artistic tool, allowing people to exercise creativity. It is a pencil for a drawing, a brush for a painting and lyrics for a song. Imagine what would happen if you dictated the movement of a person's brush when he painted, or forced a pencil in a hand that is drawing.

Likewise, governments cannot command and force people when it comes to language. The language keeps evolving, popular words replacing unpopular words. Some words become extinct not because the government bans them but because they simply die a natural death. This is the reason why few people have ever heard of the words "kum-foi", once proposed as a replacement for "mai kwad" (broom); "mak-teen", for football; "mool-lapan", for software; and "wilaan", proposed as a replacement word for "maew" (cat). The list could go on, and it is part of the long history of language evolution.

Trairong and Culture Minister Nipit Intarasombat should look at these words and ask themselves: Why did they disappear from everyday usage?

The language is alive because of its evolution and people who use it in so many different ways. We need no academic study to prove that. But we can learn a great deal from the works of the late Rong Wongsawan, one of the great Thai authors of the last century. He was among the first to use the so-called "flower-generation" hippie language of the 1960s, and his unconventional usage was stylish and inspiring to his fans.

The government should celebrate the language evolution created by the young generation rather than feel threatened by it. Culture Minister Nipit has said: "We must preserve our national language. If nobody sees its importance, then we're doomed."

He's probably missing the point that young people use it in their own way because it is still very important to them.

Dear Khun Nipit and Khun Trairong, with due respect, to love and preserve doesn't necessarily mean you have to control, suppress and stop things from evolving. The Thai language is alive because it keeps evolving and is enjoyed by Thais of all generations. We are exploring and putting creative new ideas into words and expressions, and you should not interpret it as "neglecting, threatening or destroying" the language.

The Thai-language is evolving because it is still very much alive and kicking. Chi mi?

-- The Nation 2010-11-13

[kuffki]

It is perfectly normal human evolution and many languages worldwide change, some new words added, some words shortened. In my opinion if anything Thai language would be so much easier if it had less tones(keep getting those wrong, no matter how long i stay here)

PS. Chi Mi came from a song(do not recall the singer) but was and still is a hit.

[dumpling]

It is perfectly normal human evolution and many languages worldwide change, some new words added, some words shortened. In my opinion if anything Thai language would be so much easier if it had less tones(keep getting those wrong, no matter how long i stay here)

PS. Chi Mi came from a song(do not recall the singer) but was and still is a hit.

Also I think that age is a big factor.When we are younger the way we speak reflects this "the cool factor" as people grow so does the use of their language and it tends to follow more traditional paths.

[bushwacker]

Dah!!!! Nothing more important to be doing to help Thailand?

[hammered]

Now is a time when languages will change and educators need to accept such. The ways in which people communicate are rapidly changing as are the things people do. We will see lots of change and no government will be able to stop it. There ar emore important issues in Thailand now than preventing a phrase or two entering the language or trying to stop the SMSisation of langauge from happening.

In Thailand now there are too many old people with ideas form ther past trying to tell people livinhg in the modern world how to live without even understanding what is happening around them. They and all their ideas will end up being swept away if they dont learn to accept change.

This language thing is just refelctive of the attitude in poltics, technological development, business etc. Just because you are old, pwerful, from a big family and state something no longer means people will naturally accept it.

Edited to add: good editorial

Edited November 13, 2010 by hammered

[Kilgore Trout]

As Chomsky has said, if enough people use the phrase then it is correct.

Ridiculous how Thai's use the "culture" card to object to anything they don't like

[Thaddeus]

Jing jing.

[yellow1red1]

Now is a time when languages will change and educators need to accept such. The ways in which people communicate are rapidly changing as are the things people do. We will see lots of change and no government will be able to stop it. There ar emore important issues in Thailand now than preventing a phrase or two entering the language or trying to stop the SMSisation of langauge from happening.

In Thailand now there are too many old people with ideas form ther past trying to tell people livinhg in the modern world how to live without even understanding what is happening around them. They and all their ideas will end up being swept away if they dont learn to accept change.

This language thing is just refelctive of the attitude in poltics, technological development, business etc. Just because you are old, pwerful, from a big family and state something no longer means people will naturally accept it.

Edited to add: good editorial

good - mebbe ; but oohhhhh sssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooo looooonnnnngggggg

They really do get paid for each word, eh?

12 paragraphs could be cut down to 3, eZ

[hammered]

Now is a time when languages will change and educators need to accept such. The ways in which people communicate are rapidly changing as are the things people do. We will see lots of change and no government will be able to stop it. There ar emore important issues in Thailand now than preventing a phrase or two entering the language or trying to stop the SMSisation of langauge from happening.

In Thailand now there are too many old people with ideas form ther past trying to tell people livinhg in the modern world how to live without even understanding what is happening around them. They and all their ideas will end up being swept away if they dont learn to accept change.

This language thing is just refelctive of the attitude in poltics, technological development, business etc. Just because you are old, pwerful, from a big family and state something no longer means people will naturally accept it.

Edited to add: good editorial

good - mebbe ; but oohhhhh sssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooooo looooonnnnngggggg

They really do get paid for each word, eh?

12 paragraphs could be cut down to 3, eZ

Methinks maybe journos get to liek the sight of their own words and maybe compare how long each is in inches on a daily basis

[sabaijai]

[RAZZELL]

Can't beat a bit of "Blueberry"...my Mrs sends me barmy singing that song...and she's 35!

RAZZ

[hansnl]

Now is a time when languages will change and educators need to accept such. The ways in which people communicate are rapidly changing as are the things people do. We will see lots of change and no government will be able to stop it. There ar emore important issues in Thailand now than preventing a phrase or two entering the language or trying to stop the SMSisation of langauge from happening.

In Thailand now there are too many old people with ideas form ther past trying to tell people livinhg in the modern world how to live without even understanding what is happening around them. They and all their ideas will end up being swept away if they dont learn to accept change.

This language thing is just refelctive of the attitude in poltics, technological development, business etc. Just because you are old, pwerful, from a big family and state something no longer means people will naturally accept it.

Edited to add: good editorial

I agree with all the ideas about a living language.

I do not agree with your ideas about older people being swept away.

You would be quite impressed to see how much older people do understand what is going on in the world, and also see the stupidity sometimes showed in their ways by the young.

Older people have a function: they are moderators.

And as such they have a very important function, in effect injecting some common sense, some wisdom, some knowledge of life into the highballing young people.

The thing is, younger people get older, and one day will be old too.

Then they will be moderators of that time.

[souvenirdeparis]

Nowadays one doesn't speak NY English he can't read a French mag ;

even I understand chi mi = chai mai .

There has always been several varieties of ThaÏ. Politicians are out of contact they haven't got a clue .

[Igor]

It's good to teach the language in school and to keep that teaching to the more or less formal language. But if you stifle the evolution of a language, you stifle the people along with it.

One of the reasons English is such a powerful language is that it has happily accepted contributions from every language it brushes and creates new words daily. English has at least 200,000 common words (i.e. not professional lingo) and when you add specialty words, some lexicographers claim nearly a million. I am told - and I have no reference to back this up - the Thai language has less than 50,000 words and hasn't changed much in the last few decades.

Well, the world is changing and language needs to keep up in order to be vital and functional. French was well on the way to be the international language of science but the government fights the adoption of new words. (They didn't like the inclusion of the word 'jeans' for goodness sake!) Consequently, English surpassed it and has become the defacto international language. That may change as we progress into the 21st century. I don't know. Maybe Chinese will become the new international language. Probably not but who knows?

If Thai wants to be a viable language, it needs to be a living language that grows and copes and loses what it doesn't need and adds what it does. If chi-mi is a good word, it'll last no matter what government wants. If it's a passing fad, it'll die on it's own.

[anterian]

The French tried to legislate against English words and phrases entering theur language, for example "le weekend", "le Parking", they introduced a limit on airtime of AngloAmerican songs, they failed.

Shakespeare is credited with introducing around 3000 new words in his works, about 2000 have survived into current usage,

It still goes on, radar, laser, scuba, are all examples of new words. If a language cannot create new words for new concepts it will simple borrow from other more vibrant languages. By no stretch of imagination would I ever describe Thai as a vibrant progressive language, I see elswhere in ThaiVisa they say Thais read on average 93 minutes a day, I would not count comics as reading

[Griffin09]

"A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanging but is the skin of a living thought and may vary in color and content according to the time and circumstances in which it is used"

I believe this was Oliver Wendell Holmes (US Supreme Court Justice). Basically, all languages, words or phrases change over time and should be accepted, respected or rejected by the populous based on their meaning and impact on the culture involved. Having said that, the gov't should be in power to govern the nation and see it grow and move forward not to micro manage it's culture or it's language.

[Roota]

Ridiculous how Thai's use the "culture" card to object to anything they don't like

Rather than 'ridiculous' I'd just say that it's a typical and understandable reaction when a very conservative society (which Thailand still is, at heart) finds itself thrust into a fast-changing world (as Thailand has been in the past few decades). In any case the language cops will inevitably be on the losing side. Young Thais are already laughing at this clown.

But live here long enough and I guarantee that you too will start to miss some of the graceful older aspects of Thai culture that are now fading away. And if saying that makes me an old fart, so be it.

[swerver]

The French tried to legislate against English words and phrases entering theur language, for example "le weekend", "le Parking", they introduced a limit on airtime of AngloAmerican songs, they failed.

Shakespeare is credited with introducing around 3000 new words in his works, about 2000 have survived into current usage,

It still goes on, radar, laser, scuba, are all examples of new words. If a language cannot create new words for new concepts it will simple borrow from other more vibrant languages. By no stretch of imagination would I ever describe Thai as a vibrant progressive language, I see elswhere in ThaiVisa they say Thais read on average 93 minutes a day, I would not count comics as reading

Thais reading 93-minutes/day

Who came up with that number probably did mean it as a JOKE.

Take the photos / pictures out of the Thai newspaper and Thai Rath goes belly up because not a Thai would buy the newspaper.

Next time you are on the Skytrain take a look how many Thais are reading a book WITHOUT photos/Pictures. From a Skytrain full with people you may find one or two. As for comics / cartoons books you see many of them looking at the comics / cartoons and you can rest assured not always interpreting the comics / cartoons correctly caused by the viewer’s preconceived ideas.

Years ago it was my feeling from observation and deduction that until the end of the first life cycle (14 year of age) children learn languages the easiest because they do not couple the words to their mother tongue. Start 2^nd life cycle (12-year of age) the problem starts, their mother tongue is by then pretty well implanted and from there on out they are starting to couple other language(s) to their mother tongue words. For a few years the higher-ups in education did pooh-pooh me “what does a maintenance engineer know about language learning”. By now 2010 it is a well established and accepted fact that during the first lifecycle a child learns language(s) the easiest. Try to tell a Thai parent this. I have given up a long time ago, they are not my children. Let them be happy with their comic books, the capitalist will be looking for a longtime more for low wage labor. Ford at “Detroit of the East” is already building a new assembly line for its 2012 model for export to make its exuberant profits.

[Roota]

Ridiculous how Thai's use the "culture" card to object to anything they don't like

Rather than 'ridiculous' I'd just say that it's a typical and understandable reaction when a very conservative society (which Thailand still is, at heart) finds itself thrust into a fast-changing world (as Thailand has been in the past few decades). In any case the language cops will inevitably be on the losing side. Young Thais are already laughing at this clown.

But live here long enough and I guarantee that you too will start to miss some of the graceful older aspects of Thai culture that are now fading away. And if saying that makes me an old fart, so be it.

[chmiroau]

With the evolution of language comes advancement of the society that uses that language. A language that is technically superior will in no doubt produce technically advanced products. Who is going to doubt that the Germans build the best cars in the world, eg Mercedes and BMW. They can do this because the language that they have is sufficient for producing technically advanced auto mobiles.

The English language also has many benefits, and this has come about because it has been welcoming of all words, from wherever they may come, to advance the usability of the language. This is almost always good, but it also has its downsides as well.

While English can be extremely confusing, it is also one of the most beautiful languages one can use, if used beautifully that is.

Because of Americas massive business strength, English has become the worlds most accepted language for business, and that is the reason why many of us are here in Thailand, to make a living teaching this great language.

The very fact that there are, in any one day, over 250,000 English words commonly used is tantamount to its strength as a language. With the exception of oil rich countries, English is the most commonly spoken language of the affluent. (I always wondered why affluent and effluent were so closely spelled.)

This then has to be the language of choice for a world population. English has so far proven its ability to accept and welcome new words, or at times use words from other languages, to better itself. It is because of this trait that it has become the most learned language across the world today.

As for a recent post about Thai language. Are you sure that they only have 50,000 words? If this is true then this language must be put on the endangered list.

Language also gives a person freedom to express how they feel. Simply stating 'mai bpen rai' when something is too difficult may just be a symptom of not being able to adequately explain the situation. (Remember the Mercedes thing??)

While I agree that the Thai language is fun, it is certainly not up to scratch with the current times that Thailand is in. A world economy. I could go on, but I truly feel that there is little benefit for anyone to learn Thai as a second language, the benefits of having English (or perhaps Chinese) would be great and very beneficial for anyone's earning potential.

(The government doesn't seem to have any problem when the Thai language uses words like "fashion, coffee, computer ect ect", just when the old Thai words are changed to suit the new users of the language.)

Message to the Thai people, stand against the government, and demand for English to be made the second official language of Thailand, it is in your best social and economical interests.

[animatic]

NO CHANCE that an old stuffed shirt Political hack is gonna put this genie back in the bottle.

He can never compete with 3 'slap you cross the face cute' Thai girls singing this word in a hit song.It is part of the vernacular and give enough usage will hit the dictionaries with in 5 years.

Languages are living breathing organisms in flux. Old people generally have nothing

to do with the development of language, and most often couple their lack of change to

dislike of the young changing things. Forgetting that Their generation did JUST the same thing.

Edited November 13, 2010 by animatic

[Thai at Heart]

Who cares about chimi chimi. They managed perfectly well to translate

"la,la,la,la,"

"la,la,la,la,la"

Is this considered bringing French into the Thai language?

This nonsense that to do something different is in some way dangerous to Thai culture, as though it is almost a deliberately destructive act is so tedious, I can't believe that these academics continue to be paid to simply act as brakes on any form of change in the country.

Of course, we won't wonder why Thai men where shirts and ties to work? Or why do we see so many images of Thai women being publicly topless in daily life not too long ago.

Edited November 13, 2010 by Thai at Heart

[Hardie]

While I agree that the Thai language is fun, it is certainly not up to scratch with the current times that Thailand is in. A world economy. I could go on, but I truly feel that there is little benefit for anyone to learn Thai as a second language, the benefits of having English (or perhaps Chinese) would be great and very beneficial for anyone's earning potential.

(The government doesn't seem to have any problem when the Thai language uses words like "fashion, coffee, computer ect ect", just when the old Thai words are changed to suit the new users of the language.)

Message to the Thai people, stand against the government, and demand for English to be made the second official language of Thailand, it is in your best social and economical interests.

'Fun'? That's an insult. Thai is a highly evolved language capable of expressing anything and everything any modern language is capable of...

People are free to speak whatever they want and need. To declare English 'official' would mean nothing to the average person. The obsession with English by Thais is less disturbing to me from a linguistic viewpoint than a psychological one, and mixing the two does nothing to enhance English proficiency. Quality education of all types, including language, is hard to find in Thailand, and limits the development of professional skills.

The English language is in whose best interests?

[hungryhippo]

Why stop at just banning it in films? Why not issue an on the spot 500 baht fine for speaking it in public. Why not disconnect people when spying on their MSN conversations and finding them using the banned words.

The English language is in whose best interests?

You're wrong. There is a lot of information out there which is only accessible if you know English. Computer programming being one such subject. You can not be a good computer programmer in Thailand without knowing something about English as you will need to read a lot of material that isn't translated. I'm sure it's the same for a lot of other things too. There are Thai books on the subject but it's like the blind leading the blind.A good grasp of English by a majority of Thais would make much more information available to all.

Edited November 13, 2010 by hungryhippo

[Hardie]

Why stop at just banning it in films? Why not issue an on the spot 500 baht fine for speaking it in public. Why not disconnect people when spying on their MSN conversations and finding them using the banned words.

The English language is in whose best interests?

You're wrong. There is a lot of information out there which is only accessible if you know English. Computer programming being one such subject. You can not be a good computer programmer in Thailand without knowing something about English as you will need to read a lot of material that isn't translated. I'm sure it's the same for a lot of other things too. There are Thai books on the subject but it's like the blind leading the blind.A good grasp of English by a majority of Thais would make much more information available to all.

French translators obviously need to learn French, but that has nothing to do with the average person on the street. As limited as any culture can be, they do give people an identity beyond anonymous consumers of mass-produced trinkets. Once a language is lost, so is the culture...

[houlicha]

Don't stifle? Has Archie Bunker been sighted in LOS?

[brahmburgers]

many good replies on this thread. Agreed, no one, not even a top government official/committee - can stifle changes in language. Some newfangled words and phrases will stick, some will fade away. A note about English: I recall floating down a river on a raft, and in another raft I heard a young girl tell her friend, "I am so going to do this again." ...with the word 'so' emphasized. Great use of the language, even if not correct.

As for Thai, there are already over 700 words in Thai language which are adapted from English, and a few hundred adapted from languages other than English. They're called tap sap. a book articulating that. Tap sap is a great word and should become a tap sap for English language, as there's no word in English for the following: 'a word or phrase adapted from another language.' I'd like to see the English language adopt the word 'tap sap.'

[groper]

Seems to me the powers that be are so desperate to hold onto their control of the populace (and the status quo) that they're happy to attempt any ridiculous measures. Telling people what to do, think and feel has always been a priority. Badge it under culture (read nationalism) and you activate alarm bells in many a 'good' citizen, who also believes their 'Thainess' should be preserved. Many aspects of Thai culture was simply manufactured by past leaders and it's the jobs of those currently holding the flame to make sure it lasts. If you've got kids in Thai schools, goverment or private (excluding international schools), spend the 1st hour observing the morning 'ceremony' and you'll see the measures that are employed to instil a respect of all things Thai. This deep, lasting indoctrination, is driven top-down without question from any lower rungs on the ladder. What's interesting is that when something is grown from the roots up, which is certainly the case with language, those at the top feel threatened and try to stamp it out. Culture and language are two of the same things: they're evolutionary and they're the property of the people, chi mi?

[samjaidee]

The French tried to legislate against English words and phrases entering theur language, for example "le weekend", "le Parking", they introduced a limit on airtime of AngloAmerican songs, they failed.

Shakespeare is credited with introducing around 3000 new words in his works, about 2000 have survived into current usage,

It still goes on, radar, laser, scuba, are all examples of new words. If a language cannot create new words for new concepts it will simple borrow from other more vibrant languages. By no stretch of imagination would I ever describe Thai as a vibrant progressive language, I see elswhere in ThaiVisa they say Thais read on average 93 minutes a day, I would not count comics as reading

I'm not doubting for a moment your fact about Shakespeare but do you have a source for it. What I'd really like to see is a list of them. You've really piqued my curiosity.

Its interesting that the three new words you selected are all acronyms. This seems to be common thread in development of modern new words. As technology develops we are using acronyms more an more.

laser

origin:

1955–60; l (ightwave) a (mplification by) s (timulated) e (mission of) r (adiation)

radar

origin:

1940–45, Americanism ; ra (dio) d (etecting) a (nd) r (anging)

scuba

origin:

1950–55; s (elf)- c (ontained) u (nderwater) b (reathing) a (pparatus)

Here's another one.

nimby (not in my back yard)

and then of course there's the famous yuppie of my youth.

Time and time and time again I see articles about Thailand and there one emotion that keeps recurring.

Pity.

I pity their parochial outlook which sometimes extends to xenophobia.

After five years in Thailand I've been in Vietnam for five years. The thirst for knowledge here is so refreshing.

[asiawatcher]

Language will evolve and as has been the case with Latin, Germanic and Celtic - all will evolve in the fullness of time.

The greatest destruction of the English language can be blamed on Bill Gates, who sole handedly by including American English (lazy English) in all Microsoft applications, has propagated to students (and adults) globally, it is okay to spell incorrectly as well as enunciate at gutter level.

Thai has evolved since Rama V's revamping of the origins (and a few before) and without my being a Thai linguist, the different dialects from North, South and Bankokians will also merge in similarities eventually. Maybe the political vampires looking to hook onto any vote-gaining advantages, should look at ridiculous new-age words like the Canadian origins and thickly used in North America, using 'sick' to describe something 'good'. Total confusion reigns but Thai language should be reserved in whatever form it eventually takes or evolves to.