manarak Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieP Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 As far as I know it's fairly normal but I believe females tend to do it more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) I have noticed that the female actresses in Thai soap dramas on TV do it quite frequently in the dialogues. Edited May 17, 2012 by klons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murf Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 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? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osten Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 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 reasonI 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrya Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucidLucifer Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I have heard young children do it, but i've only very rarely heard it used by adults. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manarak Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommoPhysicist Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 (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 May 17, 2012 by TommoPhysicist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manarak Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 hmm... is it also possible to talk to another person in that way, i.e. asking Noi "How is Noi feeling today?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brit1984 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murf Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 แพร is the one speaking and she is a deadly cut throat. Does she often talk to herself, whilst looking out of the window? 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... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackArtemis Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I speak in third person when talking to females and use "I" with males. I learned this way via friends and girlfriends, I do it without thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbk Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manarak Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 Manarak is thankful for the comments ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klons Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 แพร is the one speaking and she is a deadly cut throat. Does she often talk to herself, whilst looking out of the window? 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 postedbefore 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murf Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbk Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattayaParent Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onionluke Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 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 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manarak Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payboy Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Thais Speaking About Themselves In The Third Person Always good to have a threesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poanoi Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 I know why: It is considered cute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdecas Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orientalist Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 (edited) Boxers still do it. For example: "No-one can beat Mike Tyson!" Thai females sometimes use the word เขา for "I" too. Edited May 20, 2012 by orientalist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onionluke Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommoPhysicist Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 In England one would never do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilau Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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