Now There's A Thing!

[chippie]

Don't suppose this happens everyday. A German man checked into my mates guest house yesterday with his GF/ spouse? . He doesn't speak English but speaks very good Thai, I don't speak German but can speak Thai ok. We comunicated well enough but after, I got to thinking- do I address him the same as a Thai or as a European. I spoke the same as addressing a thai but just wondered what you thought, my GF seems to think it doesn't really matter.

[bannork]

Don't suppose this happens everyday. A German man checked into my mates guest house yesterday with his GF/ spouse? . He doesn't speak English but speaks very good Thai, I don't speak German but can speak Thai ok. We comunicated well enough but after, I got to thinking- do I address him the same as a Thai or as a European. I spoke the same as addressing a thai but just wondered what you thought, my GF seems to think it doesn't really matter.

the same as a Thai พี่

[meadish_sweetball]

Yep. My feeling is Khun creates too much distance, a distance we would not normally use in informal conversations between Westerners. In Thai language discussions involving my farang friends and acquaintances who also speak Thai, I would use 'pii' and 'nawng' or just their name if they are the same age. Feels more natural that way.

[bannork]

Yep. My feeling is Khun creates too much distance, a distance we would not normally use in informal conversations between Westerners. In Thai language discussions involving my farang friends and acquaintances who also speak Thai, I would use 'pii' and 'nawng' or just their name if they are the same age. Feels more natural that way.

Irrelevant to the discussion, but I would just like to express my surprise at Meadish Sweetball's avator, I had always thought of him as a middle-aged man, looking somewhat similar to the soon-to-be-late Swedish English football manager, Swen Erriksson, ie, reasonable, experienced and somewhat vintage. Instead we see a young, dynamic man on the phone, a Swedish equivalent of Khun Aphisit, the leader of the Democrat party. Are the two by any way related? And who is he talking to, Dr Patpong?

[Old Croc]

I thought it was Keanu Reeves.

[meadish_sweetball]

It is indeed Keanu Reeves. And he is talking into a banana.

But I am in actual fact closer to Mr. Reeves than Herr Eriksson in age and appearance... to get even closer, you'd have to subtract 10 kilos of muscle from Keanu and replace them with 10 kilos of fat...

[Dara]

Yep. My feeling is Khun creates too much distance, a distance we would not normally use in informal conversations between Westerners. In Thai language discussions involving my farang friends and acquaintances who also speak Thai, I would use 'pii' and 'nawng' or just their name if they are the same age. Feels more natural that way.

There's a choice somewhere in the middle for this situation, IMHO. If the other person is about your age or younger, just address him/her with just the name. If the person is much older, khun would be appropriate. Khun is generally used in both informal and formal situations.

There are Thais who do not use the Pi or Nong with just anyone - only for close acquaintances or for the people within their own social circles. You may have heard people calling a male service folks such as waiters "noom" instead of "nong" - can't recall what is used for females though....