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Thais Speaking About Themselves In The Third Person


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Posted

Not really a language question, but I thought this is the best place to ask.

Sometimes Thais will speak about themselves in the third person, for example someone named Noi saying something like "Noi is very happy now".

What's up with that?

Is that normal, or a sign for a personality disorder?

Posted (edited)

I have noticed that the female actresses in Thai soap dramas on TV do it quite frequently in the dialogues.

Edited by klons
Posted

Everyone does it...

But there is a really annoying foreign guy on Thai TV, he does a show about different places to visit and what to do.

His name is Daniel... And every second sentence he will say Daniel คิดว่า / รู้ว่า / ไป / ซื้อ / ชอบ ...etc etc...

Murf can't watch him because Murf can't stand him saying Daniel all the time!

Anyone else noticed?

  • Like 2
Posted

It is simply the way Thai language is (improperly) translated to English, as this is how they refer to themselves in Thai as well. Every member of my Thai family speaks the same way.

Not really a language question, but I thought this is the best place to ask.

Sometimes Thais will speak about themselves in the third person, for example someone named Noi saying something like "Noi is very happy now".

What's up with that?

Is that normal, or a sign for a personality disorder?

Sent from my HTC ChaCha A810e using Thaivisa Connect App

Posted

Everyone does it...

But there is a really annoying foreign guy on Thai TV, he does a show about different places to visit and what to do.

His name is Daniel... And every second sentence he will say Daniel คิดว่า / รู้ว่า / ไป / ซื้อ / ชอบ ...etc etc...

Murf can't watch him because Murf can't stand him saying Daniel all the time!

Anyone else noticed?

I did notice him do that on the one or two episodes I watched. He also said นั้นเอง alot. The reason

I don't watch it is because I get annoyed that klons can't speak as well as Daniel and have his own TV show.

And why bother watch a farang talking when you can watch real Thais instead.

Posted

It is absolutely normal.

off, I remember when I was a kid I used my language on the same way in third person when referring to myself. It was funny.

Posted

It is simply the way Thai language is (improperly) translated to English, as this is how they refer to themselves in Thai as well. Every member of my Thai family speaks the same way.

Not really a language question, but I thought this is the best place to ask.

Sometimes Thais will speak about themselves in the third person, for example someone named Noi saying something like "Noi is very happy now".

What's up with that?

Is that normal, or a sign for a personality disorder?

Sent from my HTC ChaCha A810e using Thaivisa Connect App

No English was spoken at all, this was told in Thai.

Typed slowly using two fingers on my Keyboard and submitted to ThaiVisa website over the internet

I have heard young children do it, but i've only very rarely heard it used by adults.

Thank you for all the replies so far, it made me guess that very timid persons possibly talk that way?

Posted (edited)

I have heard young children do it, but i've only very rarely heard it used by adults.

Thank you for all the replies so far, it made me guess that very timid persons possibly talk that way?

I know a lady aged 46, in no way timid, only speaks Thai, that does it all the time.

More of a 'I'm a cute girly' thing.

Edited by TommoPhysicist
Posted

hmm...

is it also possible to talk to another person in that way, i.e. asking Noi "How is Noi feeling today?"

Posted

My daughter (pictured in my avatar) refers to herself in the third person (in English and Thai); we will sort this issue out before she starts nursery.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Posted

I have heard young children do it, but i've only very rarely heard it used by adults.

Thank you for all the replies so far, it made me guess that very timid persons possibly talk that way?

I know a lady aged 46, in no way timid, only speaks Thai, that does it all the time.

More of a 'I'm a cute girly' thing.

Just my opinion but I think it is a mistake to imply it's a timid or a cutesy thing. For example a line from

a Thai soap, where there is a serious pushing and shouting match going on.

“แพรไม่ยอมให้คุณไปหามัน...”

แพร will not allow you to find her

แพร is the one speaking and she is a deadly cut throat.

ชมพูแพร is her actual name, but I noticed some names they drop a syllable or 2 when using them.

Posted

แพร is the one speaking and she is a deadly cut throat.

Does she often talk to herself, whilst looking out of the window? laugh.png

I don't know how anyone can watch the crap that is Thai soaps...

Refering to oneself in the 3rd person is normal... Don't read into it too much... It doesn't attribute to any kind of personality traits...

  • Like 1
Posted

Its almost entirely women, rarely if ever do I hear men doing it. Its not cutesie, its not age related. Its just the done thing, no idea why but it is extremely common so if you haven't heard it then I don't know why. I do it myself, but I wouldn't really recommend a man to do it, its a woman thing.

Posted

แพร is the one speaking and she is a deadly cut throat.

Does she often talk to herself, whilst looking out of the window? laugh.png

I don't know how anyone can watch the crap that is Thai soaps...

Refering to oneself in the 3rd person is normal... Don't read into it too much... It doesn't attribute to any kind of personality traits...

Maybe there is something wrong with me that I like watching crap. Anyway, I’ve posted

before that I think they are a great language learning tool. From watching them I did

deduce that women use their own name frequently, men very rarely and no demeanors

or traits should be read into it. Here is an audio clip นมล using her own name 4 times in a brief rant.

???.mp3

“พี่ภาสดูถูกนมลเกินไปแล้ว นมลไม่ได้เหยาะแหยะทำอะไรไม่เป็น งานหนักแค่ไหนนมลก็ทำไหว พี่ภาสต้องให้นมลพิสูจน์ตัวเอง”

Since I started with the soaps I’m getting pretty good at compehending spoken Thai.

It’s just a method that works for me.

  • Like 1
Posted

I suppose they are good as a tool to learn Thai, but the stories and characters are just too 'much' for me to be able to sit and watch...

Posted

I suppose they are good as a tool to learn Thai, but the stories and characters are just too 'much' for me to be able to sit and watch...

Its the shrieking that gets to me

  • Like 1
Posted

Its almost entirely women, rarely if ever do I hear men doing it. Its not cutesie, its not age related. Its just the done thing, no idea why but it is extremely common so if you haven't heard it then I don't know why. I do it myself, but I wouldn't really recommend a man to do it, its a woman thing.

Also in written messages as well as speaking.

Posted

My daughter (pictured in my avatar) refers to herself in the third person (in English and Thai); we will sort this issue out before she starts nursery.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

My son refered to himself as " the boy " until three years of age .

Posted

My daughter (pictured in my avatar) refers to herself in the third person (in English and Thai); we will sort this issue out before she starts nursery.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

My son refered to himself as " the boy " until three years of age .

LOL

Posted

It used to be perfectly normal, though very formal, to use the third person when speaking about oneself in English. There, one has just done it.

Posted (edited)

Boxers still do it. For example: "No-one can beat Mike Tyson!"

Thai females sometimes use the word เขา for "I" too.

Edited by orientalist
Posted

To great affect onionluke, in his drunken misery, will start a sentence in the 3rd person and then when I sober up I will finish it in the 1st person . To be fair though , onionluke has poor recolection skills and that is why I am still a 55 pound a day labourer and so is onionluke.

  • Like 1
Posted

Hi everyone, it's nice to join this community - my name is Pilau

I volunteered in Thailand and one of the things I did was teach at a school in Nonghan (up in Issan, not far from Udon). I stayed at the vice principal's house and worked with him throughout my time at Nonghan Wittaya school.

He is quite a character, very inspiring individual - puts his students, staff and school on top of everything else in his life same goes for his wife - she's also a senior teacher at another school outside of Udon.

What made him really eccentric in mine and my friend's eyes, was not only that he was referring to himself in third person, but it wasn't even with his own name - he was referring to himself as "paa" (daddy) - and all his staff were calling him by this name as well!

It was really odd for us but we got on with it pretty quickly :)

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