Why Do Thais Get Angry When Corrected On Their English?

[Jayroo]

The same reason why they wouldn't correct your Thai, nobody wants to look stupid.

I love it when they correct my Thai, even when they laugh at it, how else is one supposed to learn?

[Jayroo]

The way you described your conversation with this women, sounds as if you are being patronizing.

Near where I live, there is this shop owner, and one day when I was in his shop, the guy had the same attitude with me when I was trying my very best to converse with him in my basic Thai. I actually appreciate when Thai people try to teach me Thai words and meanings, but this guy was just completely condescending and after a few minutes the urge to smack him in the face was becoming overwhelming.

I always make allowances for Thai people that speak extremely basic or bad English and hope for vice versa when I converse in my basic Thai.

Why not try and converse in Thai instead? After all, we are in Thailand.

Ok, firstly, have you ever attempted to correct a Thai on their Thai? how stupid would that look? hence why maybe I was a little patronizing, I don't think I was, but when she tried to correct me on how I should pronounce iron, that's when I decided to teach her.

[daftpunker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDFogjXdIVc&feature=related

I taught this lady English.

tHANK YOU FOR THIS.

[Jayroo]

Thai's have a difficult time with that one, and I don't blame them. spelled the way it is. English is such an f-ed up language.Then on top of that they have you pronouncing it EYE-EN, and the next American coming along pronouncing it EYE-yurn, which is how all the Thai's in my English class learned how to say it just last week. You: MIRA. American: MIR-er, and so on.

I didn't understand much of your post. What's the "dolly" bit about?

You didn't understand "most" of my post, or just one word?

[Jayroo]

You corrected her in front of her people?

Might be shes only few among them who capable in English spoken at that time?

Think you might made her "losing face"

Dunno, but i don't mind being corrected, I prefer actually.

Btw, the word "Island", Thai people many say "ICE-LANDD",

and I say "EYE-LANN" (too) <---- will correct, I promise

No she was alone, but when she tried to correct me, she was doing it loud enough for the people having breakfast downstairs to hear her.. But when I spoke to her I made sure I did at a level only she could hear..

[Jayroo]

no sorry, this one (pointing at the iron), is pronounced, EYE-EN, do not say the R",

Actually if she said i-urn she is closer than you .............

No, maybe go back and read the post before pasting youtube videos here..

[h90]

Reminds when American uses German and Dutch words and insists to speak it like English words.......

Could you be more specific? Is it just Americans or all English speakers??

From my sample of people, it is more the Americans. The British know about other languages.

Latest example I remember was an Austrian artist that went to USA 30-40 years ago and was upset that noone recognize Van Gogh when speaking it like it would be an English word. And than even going into arguments how to speak it.....

Usually only Americans can be so ignorant, but I recall this case as it was an Austrian-American who can speak German and should be well aware where Van Gogh comes from and how to speak it....

Edit: Of course I don't mean all Americans, just the percentage is higher than in European countries.

Edited July 8, 2012 by h90

[flying]

No, maybe go back and read the post before pasting youtube videos here..

Ah....There it is.....That is the Attitude that probably got you in trouble with her.

It is not your simplistic post that is hard to understand but instead it is hard for you to accept

the possibility that Thai was not wrong.... that in fact there are two pronunciations of Iron

English & American......ai-en & ai-ern...... She used one you used the other

Neither is wrong but.......your making a case out of it is condescending

Or... or is saving face that much of an issue for them you?

Edited July 8, 2012 by flying

[BuddhistVirus]

No, maybe go back and read the post before pasting youtube videos here..

Ah....There it is.....That is the Attitude that probably got you in trouble with her.

Eggjackly

[nkg]

Well, you got the smile right. I would have followed it up with "yes, the iron. Island and iron not same same", perhaps shaking my head and pretending to be confused. She was trying to be light-hearted and jokey, so keeping things on the same level might have helped.

When I hear a Thai friend badly mangle an English word, I'll usually find an excuse to say the same word when I reply, always with a smile and with the correct pronunciation.

I don't remember anyone ever being offended by me correcting their English pronunciation.

[NomadJoe]

Thai's have a difficult time with that one, and I don't blame them. spelled the way it is. English is such an f-ed up language.Then on top of that they have you pronouncing it EYE-EN, and the next American coming along pronouncing it EYE-yurn, which is how all the Thai's in my English class learned how to say it just last week. You: MIRA. American: MIR-er, and so on.

I didn't understand much of your post. What's the "dolly" bit about?

You didn't understand "most" of my post, or just one word?

I understood most (I said much, not most). The island part wasn't clear to meat first but now I understand she thought you said Island instead of iron. So what is dolly?

[flying]

The island part wasn't clear to me at first but now I understand she thought you said Island instead of iron. So what is dolly?

My guess is he is trying to pronounce dtao-riit or iron in Thai

Sounds slightly like dolly.....seems pronunciation knife cuts both ways

Edited July 8, 2012 by flying

[overherebc]

No, maybe go back and read the post before pasting youtube videos here..

Ah....There it is.....That is the Attitude that probably got you in trouble with her.

It is not your simplistic post that is hard to understand but instead it is hard for you to accept

the possibility that Thai was not wrong.... that in fact there are two pronunciations of Iron

English & American......ai-en & ai-ern...... She used one you used the other

Neither is wrong but.......your making a case out of it is condescending

Or... or is saving face that much of an issue for them you?

How the hell do you get ai-en from iron

How the hell do you get ai-ern from it as well.

I suppose you also use No-tir Daim

[flying]

How the hell do you get ai-en from iron

How the hell do you get ai-ern from it as well.

Here ya go

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/iron_2

[Geekfreaklover]

When you get corrected by a Thai ordering a burger in macdonalds.

- Aow Cheesburger set kwrap.

Blank stare and then - Burgaa chee set!

Great stuff.

[overherebc]

I'll just keep using British english, thanks.

I will also continue to "soul-der" wires together and not "sodder" them

[NomadJoe]

No, maybe go back and read the post before pasting youtube videos here..

Ah....There it is.....That is the Attitude that probably got you in trouble with her.

It is not your simplistic post that is hard to understand but instead it is hard for you to accept

the possibility that Thai was not wrong.... that in fact there are two pronunciations of Iron

English & American......ai-en & ai-ern...... She used one you used the other

Neither is wrong but.......your making a case out of it is condescending

Or... or is saving face that much of an issue for them you?

I think he is saying that she pronounced it "eye-ron" which is how my both my ex's pronounced it and how my Thai students pronounced it when it came up in class last week.

[overherebc]

TANJOOBERRYMUTTS.doc Ready for China yet

[NomadJoe]

No, maybe go back and read the post before pasting youtube videos here..

Ah....There it is.....That is the Attitude that probably got you in trouble with her.

It is not your simplistic post that is hard to understand but instead it is hard for you to accept

the possibility that Thai was not wrong.... that in fact there are two pronunciations of Iron

English & American......ai-en & ai-ern...... She used one you used the other

Neither is wrong but.......your making a case out of it is condescending

Or... or is saving face that much of an issue for them you?

How the hell do you get ai-en from iron

How the hell do you get ai-ern from it as well.

Let me get this straight, you she said eye-ron and you said eye-en.

Which one of you is Thai?

Personally I pronounce the word as it is spelled, I have never been corrected.

The first is from dictionary.com, the second from thefreedictionary.com, both US, the third from the British Macmillan.com.

http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/16901565/iron?rn=u7cvvqcxo2yo

[partington]

Just a thought--how do posters here react when people correct their English?

Isn't it usually followed by a tirade of abuse followed by a mod's pious statement that English may not be their first language so don't try to correct it?

?

Edited July 8, 2012 by partington

[somtampet]

Never heard that one before,the opposite i would say

[Kilgore Trout]

The same reason why they wouldn't correct your Thai, nobody wants to look stupid.

No, they don't correct you; they just say things like "falang pood Thai mai chart" or "sieng meun dek leu khon mai mee samong," and have a good laugh with their friends at the silly "falang" trying to speak Thai. They can be very condescending.

But when they speak English, even when they have absolutely no knowledge of the language whatsoever, they expect you to understand them, and I have even seen people get upset over a look of confusion, much less an attempt to help or correct them. some (not everyone) seem to be angry at you for just not understanding them.

Ridiculous double standard; I had one person tell me once that Thais can learn English because it is an international language, but Thai is for Thai people only. and westerners should not attempt to speak it.

I find the opposite to be true. I was at the The Expo in Phuket town the other day and had a conversation with a young girl at one of the stalls. "May I have a Lipton Ice Tea?...How much is it? 20 baht?....Yes,can... I don't want a straw, thank you." all in Thai. The girl turned to her mother smiling, "Farang phood Thai geng mak." I was very pleased with myself, but glad she didn't start asking questions as I usually am immediately lost.

Would I get praise from you if, at an expo in New York where I was selling something; a Thai ordered and bought something and I turned to the person working with me, and said in front of the asian customer; "the oriental speaks English so good."

Or would you think I was an idiot?

Again, double standards, and not just from the Thais apparently

[Kilgore Trout]

Reminds when American uses German and Dutch words and insists to speak it like English words.......

Could you be more specific? Is it just Americans or all English speakers??

From my sample of people, it is more the Americans. The British know about other languages.

Latest example I remember was an Austrian artist that went to USA 30-40 years ago and was upset that noone recognize Van Gogh when speaking it like it would be an English word. And than even going into arguments how to speak it.....

Usually only Americans can be so ignorant, but I recall this case as it was an Austrian-American who can speak German and should be well aware where Van Gogh comes from and how to speak it....

Edit: Of course I don't mean all Americans, just the percentage is higher than in European countries.

That's a pretty poor example as "Van Gogh" is a name, not a word. Also, the "gh" sound is one that doesn't exist in English, so I don't think omitting it is a problem.

If you want to complain, how about the Germans and Dutch not being able to pronounce "th;" not the aspirated nor non-aspirated, they always pronounce it like a "t" or a "d."

Should I complain when a foreigner says "tee-adore Roosevelt" when the correct pronounciation is "Theadore Roosevelt?"

I think you just have something against Americans.

[hookedondhamma]

Wictory monument? Wery goose? I enjoy hearing differences in the way words are said. I feel as though my ear has become more sensitized in its use. It's going to be interesting when I get back to America, lol.

[canuckamuck]

I believe the Brits have forgotten that r's sound like 'er' not like 'ah'. hence all the strange transliterations where r sounds show up in the middle of Thai words that were never there originally. For example larb, which is a spicy meat dish pronounced lahb.

[NomadJoe]

The same reason why they wouldn't correct your Thai, nobody wants to look stupid.

No, they don't correct you; they just say things like "falang pood Thai mai chart" or "sieng meun dek leu khon mai mee samong," and have a good laugh with their friends at the silly "falang" trying to speak Thai. They can be very condescending.

But when they speak English, even when they have absolutely no knowledge of the language whatsoever, they expect you to understand them, and I have even seen people get upset over a look of confusion, much less an attempt to help or correct them. some (not everyone) seem to be angry at you for just not understanding them.

Ridiculous double standard; I had one person tell me once that Thais can learn English because it is an international language, but Thai is for Thai people only. and westerners should not attempt to speak it.

I find the opposite to be true. I was at the The Expo in Phuket town the other day and had a conversation with a young girl at one of the stalls. "May I have a Lipton Ice Tea?...How much is it? 20 baht?....Yes,can... I don't want a straw, thank you." all in Thai. The girl turned to her mother smiling, "Farang phood Thai geng mak." I was very pleased with myself, but glad she didn't start asking questions as I usually am immediately lost.

Would I get praise from you if, at an expo in New York where I was selling something; a Thai ordered and bought something and I turned to the person working with me, and said in front of the asian customer; "the oriental speaks English so good."

Or would you think I was an idiot?

Again, double standards, and not just from the Thais apparently

Rubbish post. English is the most widely used language in the world, and America is an immigrant country. It's an official language in 52 countries spoken by 2 billion people. Thai has just 70 million people.

Also, "oriental" [sic] refers to things, not people and it is an offensive term when used to describe Asians. "Farang" is not offensive in the least. And it's "speaks English so well." So I think you've got the answer to your second question right there.

[nocturn]

i would say they get angry because you are being a pedant.

why you would feel the need to correct a random receptionist is beyond me. I would probably tell you to piss off if you started in with me while i was at work

friends and family generally appreciate it if the correction is offered in the right spirit.

besides, you should have taken the island getaway.

[kerryk]

No, they don't correct you; they just say things like "falang pood Thai mai chart" or "sieng meun dek leu khon mai mee samong," and have a good laugh with their friends at the silly "falang" trying to speak Thai. They can be very condescending.

But when they speak English, even when they have absolutely no knowledge of the language whatsoever, they expect you to understand them, and I have even seen people get upset over a look of confusion, much less an attempt to help or correct them. some (not everyone) seem to be angry at you for just not understanding them.

Ridiculous double standard; I had one person tell me once that Thais can learn English because it is an international language, but Thai is for Thai people only. and westerners should not attempt to speak it.

I find the opposite to be true. I was at the The Expo in Phuket town the other day and had a conversation with a young girl at one of the stalls. "May I have a Lipton Ice Tea?...How much is it? 20 baht?....Yes,can... I don't want a straw, thank you." all in Thai. The girl turned to her mother smiling, "Farang phood Thai geng mak." I was very pleased with myself, but glad she didn't start asking questions as I usually am immediately lost.

Would I get praise from you if, at an expo in New York where I was selling something; a Thai ordered and bought something and I turned to the person working with me, and said in front of the asian customer; "the oriental speaks English so good."

Or would you think I was an idiot?

Again, double standards, and not just from the Thais apparently

Rubbish post. English is the most widely used language in the world, and America is an immigrant country. It's an official language in 52 countries spoken by 2 billion people. Thai has just 70 million people.

Also, "oriental" [sic] refers to things, not people and it is an offensive term when used to describe Asians. "Farang" is not offensive in the least. And it's "speaks English so well." So I think you've got the answer to your second question right there.

I would say rubbish too except I don't say rubbish. I googled "oriental" and got the enclosed photo. I don't think oriental is offensive. I don't know anyone or any dictionary who thinks it is. Maybe it is a bit old fashioned and has been replaced by the work Asian. Me thinks you are a dumb kid. No, that's bad. I mean sheltered from knowledge young person.

[hookedondhamma]

The same reason why they wouldn't correct your Thai, nobody wants to look stupid.

No, they don't correct you; they just say things like "falang pood Thai mai chart" or "sieng meun dek leu khon mai mee samong," and have a good laugh with their friends at the silly "falang" trying to speak Thai. They can be very condescending.

But when they speak English, even when they have absolutely no knowledge of the language whatsoever, they expect you to understand them, and I have even seen people get upset over a look of confusion, much less an attempt to help or correct them. some (not everyone) seem to be angry at you for just not understanding them.

Ridiculous double standard; I had one person tell me once that Thais can learn English because it is an international language, but Thai is for Thai people only. and westerners should not attempt to speak it.

I find the opposite to be true. I was at the The Expo in Phuket town the other day and had a conversation with a young girl at one of the stalls. "May I have a Lipton Ice Tea?...How much is it? 20 baht?....Yes,can... I don't want a straw, thank you." all in Thai. The girl turned to her mother smiling, "Farang phood Thai geng mak." I was very pleased with myself, but glad she didn't start asking questions as I usually am immediately lost.

Would I get praise from you if, at an expo in New York where I was selling something; a Thai ordered and bought something and I turned to the person working with me, and said in front of the asian customer; "the oriental speaks English so good."

I think that's a great question. In the end it would have to do with America being far more diverse than Thailand (as well as exponentially bigger in landmass), so more than likely an American wouldn't make the distinction. It's just another person, another American. In Thailand it's a different story.

[hookedondhamma]

I believe the Brits have forgotten that r's sound like 'er' not like 'ah'. hence all the strange transliterations where r sounds show up in the middle of Thai words that were never there originally. For example larb, which is a spicy meat dish pronounced lahb.

That's interesting; I never knew the language shift of the initial 'r' sound.

'Though I will agree on the 'strange traliterations where r sounds show up in the middle ... ' If I didn't know how to read Thai I'd be in there as well saying 'larb', 'nakorn', etc.