Do Thai's Read?

[andrewbkk]

Educated Thais read. Uneducated ones don't.

What's an "educated" Thai?

[bkkjames]

Educated Thais read. Uneducated ones don't.

What's an "educated" Thai?

One that got further in school than you mate jk but to answer your question, an educated thai is one that reads.

[Finlaco]

Depends on their education. My ex and two of my friends graduated from ABAC, another graduated from Chula and regularly read English novels or non fiction.

In fact my ex just finished The World is Flat and Walmart, which I've just borrowed. 

It's strange when Farang comment on TV about  their wife's education or understanding of the outside world. I can understand having 'fun' with a poorly educated Thai but actually to marry .....

[OlafStapleton]

Depends on their education. My ex and two of my friends graduated from ABAC, another graduated from Chula and regularly read English novels or non fiction.

In fact my ex just finished The World is Flat and Walmart, which I've just borrowed.

It's strange when Farang comment on TV about their wife's education or understanding of the outside world. I can understand having 'fun' with a poorly educated Thai but actually to marry .....

Marry about child production, not about quality relationship.

PS

Person say Farang indicate person low education or person mix with low education Thai, Thai word for foreigner Kon Dtaang Chaat

Very few on TV declare they skin colour so use farang here wrong

Edited July 24, 2011 by OlafStapleton

[Finlaco]

Depends on their education. My ex and two of my friends graduated from ABAC, another graduated from Chula and regularly read English novels or non fiction.

In fact my ex just finished The World is Flat and Walmart, which I've just borrowed.

It's strange when Farang comment on TV about their wife's education or understanding of the outside world. I can understand having 'fun' with a poorly educated Thai but actually to marry .....

Marry about child production, not about quality relationship.

PS

Person say Farang indicate person low education or person mix with low education Thai, Thai word for foreigner Kon Dtaang Chaat

Very few on TV declare they skin colour so use farang here wrong

sorry I'm not sure what ur trying to say.

[phomsanuk]

My housekeeper does't but her daughter has her nose in a romantic novel much of the time..

[Trembly]

Having said that (about education), many parents who can afford it simply ram as many extra-curricular classes as they can think of down their children's throats*. Whether they're just keeping up with the Jonechais, crazy, misunderstanding how true education (in the orginal sense of the word) works, or all of those things, I'm sure we've all come across such parents.

The poor kids are barely allowed to have a childhood and often grow up resenting anything which to them carries the stigma of rien or aan nangsue (study or reading books). . . until they have kids of their own, perhaps.

Edited July 24, 2011 by Trembly

[andrewbkk]

Person say Farang indicate person low education or person mix with low education Thai, Thai word for foreigner Kon Dtaang Chaat

Huh?

Are you saying that the word "farang" is reserved for uneducated people (presumably Westerners) or people (again, presumably Westerners) who mix with uneducated Thais?

Do you read, by any chance?

Edited July 24, 2011 by andrewbkk

[OlafStapleton]

Person say Farang indicate person low education or person mix with low education Thai, Thai word for foreigner Kon Dtaang Chaat

Huh?

Are you saying that the word "farang" is reserved for uneducated people (presumably Westerners) or people (again, presumably Westerners) who mix with uneducated Thais?

Educated Thai use nationality of foreigner (Kon Angrit, Kon American) if not know you name or foreigner (kon Dtaang Chaat) or tourist (Nak Tong Teow)

Many western person only mix with uneducated Thai. Not know educated Thai.

Hence thread Do Thai's read.

[newermonkey]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

[OlafStapleton]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

Yes, I read Thai children story, they not so bad.

[newermonkey]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

Yes, I read Thai children story, they not so bad.

Yes "Thai children story" and the language does not go beyond that in its sophistication. Thai was a verbal language only, then Sanskrit was used as its written format, Thai was (and is) a very basic language evolving in a rural only setting.

English come from a completely different philosopher based background and has evolved over thousands of years. Thais should change over to English, it will be the biggest advancement in Thai history, The Thai language has reached its limits (long ago) and is comical the way its growing with its bastardized and abreviated English adaptions.:jap:

[Kilgore Trout]

I don't read novels, so I must be a dumb then according to most people here. lol

Thaivisa members always showing its true colors.

I don't think its so important as what you read as long as you read and read at the appropriate level; your brain needs to be challenged to a certain extent in order to exercise it (it is a muscle that can get rusty) and continue to progress.

As a primary school teacher I can tell you that literacy is the most important aspect of learning; it is the key to all other subjects and one's ability to be keyed into the world around us; a level of ability which gives us tools to digest what we read and then make conclusions ourselves and develop our own thoughts. It is also the key to writing; if you can't read at a high level, then you will not be able to write at one either.

If we learn to read at a young age and learn to appreciate the written word then it becomes an extension of us and becomes a tool, or a means to entertain, learn, convey thought, meaning etc. etc.

If we don't learn to read well at an early age reading will always be difficult, boring and a chore and will certainly exclude us from much of what the world has to offer.

The difference between Thailand and the west has to do with just that; the importance society places on reading at an early age (5-12 or so), just look at the difference in the types of activities related to literacy your average pratom 6 Thai student is asked to do compared with a year 7 student in England or a sixth grader in the US.

Bottom line; if you don't develop a proper grasp on literacy at an early age it is very difficult to attain such as an adult.

[a51mas]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

Ha ha... it's always summertime wherever you are.

Edited July 26, 2011 by a51mas

[happyrobert]

As a Thai, I read almost every kind of books : fiction, non-fiction, travel, self-improvement and textbooks. I also read interesting articles from the internet. I just don't read on the train, i prefer to watch people get on and off the train.I don't think books here are more expensive than abroad. In fact, i think there are cheaper here. ItI think some people here are ignorant. They don't care about the outside world and live in their small world. Of course we learn about our history and as they don't pay attention much, they soon forget. Personally, i haven't read and watch political news since April last year. It was too depressive for me.

I note that you state "of course we learn about OUR history". That is the problem!! You learn about Thai history and know nothing about the rest of the world. There are lots of other countries in the world and they all have their own history.

My wife has a Masters degree and it amazes me how little she knows about anything "non-Thai". It is the fault of your government and the Education department. It tends to be an Asian trait although probably less so for Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and (maybe Philippines) in other words those English speaking Asian countries are a bit more the wiser about what is happening in the outside world. Outside of Thailand, that is!!!

By the way, congratulations on your excellent English Pammalitta I assume that you have spent a fair bit of time in another country or maybe you are half English.

ask a few westerners some basic "international" history questions....without access to the internet...can't say many ,myself included until I got old enough to care and read, would have intelligent answers...

here are a few..lol

From which continent was Hannibal ?

Where is the Bridge on Kwai

Who was the ruling Queen of England when Everest was conquered

What nationality was Columbus ..where did he first land in the Americas

Where is Trafalgar as in battle?

Where is the Hindu Kush why is it so named?

To what event/whom does "Crossing of the Rubicon" refer....?

All very interesting stuff ...but not to many people.. playing on smart phones etc is more fun...each to their own...

how many could you answer??...lol

Hmm, I knew the one about Hannibel because I read The Silence of the Lambs when it first came out.

I wouldn't expect Thai to know about Trafalgar or Columbus, but ask something about a worldwide event, or a geography question that anyone over 15 should know of and it is surprising many don't have a clue.

Hitler, for instance. I am amazed that so many adults do not recognoze who he is or even his photo. Hiroshima. Pearl Harbor. Where is the Vatican or Peru? No clue. This kind of knowledge comes primarily from reading.

By the way, a few years ago, 73% of American 12th graders could not locate Iraq on a map. This was when the war was at its peak. But 96% they could text unimpeded by driving in heavy traffic.

Just keeping it in perspective.

[Trembly]

Must. Not. Bite.

[Trembly]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

Yes, I read Thai children story, they not so bad.

Yes "Thai children story" and the language does not go beyond that in its sophistication. Thai was a verbal language only, then Sanskrit was used as its written format, Thai was (and is) a very basic language evolving in a rural only setting.

English come from a completely different philosopher based background and has evolved over thousands of years. Thais should change over to English, it will be the biggest advancement in Thai history, The Thai language has reached its limits (long ago) and is comical the way its growing with its bastardized and abreviated English adaptions.:jap:

OK I'll bite. I thought this was a troll but it is quite possibly the most knob-jockeyingly ignorant post I've seen on TV so far. I doubt newermonkey can even speak Thai let alone read novels or understand song lyrics.

"English" as we know it is a weave of mainly Engle-Saxon and Norman-French, which were spliced together less than a thousand years ago. It is an analytical language.

Thai is a conceptual language. What it lacks in the ability to systematically categorise and describe the external world it makes up for in emotional and abstract situational intelligence.

Culture is implicit in the language and vice versa. Like the apocryphal "200 words for snow in Eskimo", the direction of sophistication in a language tells you about the things that the culture considers to be important and worth discussing in detail. Thai and English have both assimilated new consciousness by adopting 'foreign' expressions, that is to say, perfect articulations of a thing or situation that another culture has already come up with because it was important for that culture to be able to efficiently communicate about that thing or situation.

Seeing as I've bitten, riddle me this : what is the word for เขิน in English?

Edited July 26, 2011 by Trembly

[bkkjames]

Let's see, there are about 20+ daily / weekly newspapers here, some with circulations upwards of a million a day. Then there are about 400 magazines+websites.

However the most widely read publication comes out just after the 1st and 16th every month

[Berkshire]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

Yes, I read Thai children story, they not so bad.

Yes "Thai children story" and the language does not go beyond that in its sophistication. Thai was a verbal language only, then Sanskrit was used as its written format, Thai was (and is) a very basic language evolving in a rural only setting.

English come from a completely different philosopher based background and has evolved over thousands of years. Thais should change over to English, it will be the biggest advancement in Thai history, The Thai language has reached its limits (long ago) and is comical the way its growing with its bastardized and abreviated English adaptions.:jap:

....quite possibly the most knob-jockeyingly ignorant post I've seen on TV so far.

:lol: :lol:

[happydaze]

My topic has probably run its race now but I just wanted to add that I got exactly what I wanted out of it, some very interesting statistic about south east Asia and facts from some school teachers on Thai students.

It was my wife who actually started me of on this topic so I told her all about the comments & statistics and so on.

Her response was Thai people are just not that enthusiastic about reading or learning more about anything that does not contribute to their daily income, I know she is a middle class women who can’t speak for the whole country. I told her I care about Thailand and the people, and then ask her what will happen in 15-20 years when for example Vietnam move forward and other countries in the region because they are more enthusiastic .. Her response was “not my problem”. That says it all. . I seem to be more concerned about it then she is!

Also I read a lot but had never read a novel until a few years ago. It’s fantastic. I never would have believed 10 -15 years ago I could enjoy reading, it’s not for snobs or dull people it’s just time out and relaxing.

Regards to all.

[endure]

Have you ever tried to read Thai? I am not surprised they don't read, the language is very primitive and is only good for basic verbal communication. Thais should have switched to English when it was offered to them a long time ago.

Can you imagine what will happen when Thailand starts to run nuclear power plants:

Instructions: 1) Insert control rods to reduce nuclear reaction.

Translation: 1) Work of the heating nuclear into rods stop control.

Come on think of some more its fun. :jap:

Where did you get this translation from?

[MrBrad]

A few random thoughts and generalizations:

• Reading is a solitary activity. Thais in general are much more group-oriented than most western cultures. To be seeking out time and a place away from others is not regarded as normal, if one can even find a place.
• Schools (other than private schools) do not emphasize reading early on--or ever, for that matter. The love of reading is not valued. Book-reading competitions don't exist. Book reports are not required. Research papers, such as they are, are written with the teacher's telling the students the exact book, page and paragraph to copy. No thought or research expected.
• As for Thai language being "primitive," as was mentioned earlier: this is dubious. It is certainly complete and adequate for Thai people, just as every language is valid for its speakers all across the 6,000+ world of languages. The Thai language is not the source of inadequacies in thinking or appreciating reading. The superstructures in Bangkok and throughout the country were constructed using Thai, not another language. The language works for Thai people.
• And, perhaps even the hierarchical system that is in the culture contributes to the poor education and lack of reading among the masses. It is a long-established fact that the less the people know, the less power they have. Or: keeping the people ignorant will enable the powerful to remain in power. Additionally, one is not encouraged (or most of the time, not even allowed) to question authority, be they teachers or other government employees.

[DanR]

Do Thais read? A boring answer: Some do, some don't. Nothing very surprising there. At the moment, my wife - a Thai national - is about halfway through Saturday by Ian McEwan.

[DanR]

Yes "Thai children story" and the language does not go beyond that in its sophistication. Thai was a verbal language only, then Sanskrit was used as its written format, Thai was (and is) a very basic language evolving in a rural only setting.

English come from a completely different philosopher based background and has evolved over thousands of years. Thais should change over to English, it will be the biggest advancement in Thai history, The Thai language has reached its limits (long ago) and is comical the way its growing with its bastardized and abreviated English adaptions.:jap:

I guess, in keeping with the general tone of this forum, you're just making a half-arsed troll but you're wrong in multiple ways. You will find almost any introductory text in linguistics very enlightening - perhaps there's a 'Linguistics for Dummies' you can get hold of. You ought to, you know, because at least then you won't stagger about with the internet-equivalent of piss down the front of your trousers.

[outofoz]

My Thai GF loves to read! Well, she is always asking when i will send the next book to her , with the 1000 baht notes tucked inside...

Seriously though... I have found the Thai women i know all read..when they can afford the book

[doji]

I don't know about the whole Thailand, but have read somewhere the thais do read at the average of 5-7 pages a day. No they don't normally read when commuting, however many do read when vacationing, on the weekends at home, and before going to bed. That's why you're not seeing them.

I'm a Thai, do read fair amount, but can't say I'm a bookworm, and very picky in what I'm reading into. I do have a few hundred books in my own library and all of them are in the English language. However over the years I have found out that many western books are quite worthless and waste of time and money. The westerners are very good writing just about everything and everyone else, no matter if it may be a piece of junk of not…as long as you'r e good in promoting it.

So now I'm cutting my spending on the western book, and if I want to learn or curious about something, I just google it or watch it on YOUtube. My latest craze is WWI, WWII on YOUtube, and the rise and fall of the US stockmarket. I do enjoy watching them very much,…and if I have to read about them, I don't think I can make it pass a few pages because I will be bored to death!

Edited July 31, 2011 by doji

[tailspin]

can anyone post a list of 10 renowned Thai authors....

[waldpyk]

Normally my wife wont read but when we went to Holland we bought 2 Thai books at the airport. She finished both of them quite quickly. To this day i still wonder if Holland was that boring or the books that good.

In general i don't see her reading that much, she reads a lot on the internet when planning trips for clients. But these were the only 2 novels i have ever seen her read.

I think in general Thais read less then foreigners. I also don't read as much anymore unless im on a holiday. Not counting of course all the articles and books i normally read to keep my knowledge in my field of work up to date. I prefer to read novels on holidays at other times i have enough other nice things to do.

So it might just be that they have a lot of other things to do.

like what

[Atmos]

can anyone post a list of 10 renowned Thai authors....

At a guess, most foreigners here could not name 10 authors, renowned or not.

Reading a beer label would be the limit for many.

or you could learn to read Thai yourself, go to one of the many thousands of bookshops in the country, read some and review them for us.

Siamese Memoirs - The Life and Times of Pimsai Svasti, By Pimsai Svasti and Ping Amranand has been published in Thai and English, and been well-reviewed.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Atmos

[tailspin]

you sound knowledgeable can you name 8 more? Trink doesn't count.. Are other ones translated into English as well?

can anyone post a list of 10 renowned Thai authors....

At a guess, most foreigners here could not name 10 authors, renowned or not.

Reading a beer label would be the limit for many.

or you could learn to read Thai yourself, go to one of the many thousands of bookshops in the country, read some and review them for us.

Siamese Memoirs - The Life and Times of Pimsai Svasti, By Pimsai Svasti and Ping Amranand has been published in Thai and English, and been well-reviewed.

Edited August 1, 2011 by tailspin