Should We Learn The Language?

[thaicbr]

I'll agree with K. Naam on this one: Whether you order the food in Thai language yourself, point at a picture on the wall or at someone else's plate, or have your Thai companion order for you, the food is still the same.

Yes, the food is the same, but your ability to relate to the world around you is severely diminished.

tears are rolling down my cheeks...

And the food was still the same.

Yesterday I went shopping for some groceries, chatted with the staff at the fitness club, had a visitor, had a few conversations on the mobile telephone, went out again to buy some things, and there was not one one conversation out of the dozen plus that was not in Thai language. So much for my diminished world.

Yesterday I went to work. Went to the local restaurant. Spoke to several staff at work. Had a few text messages from friends. Called one back for a chat. And there was not one conversation out of the half dozen or so that weren't in English. So much for diminished world. Your point is?

By the way I agree it is good to try learning Thai. For all those on here saying how easy it is. Maybe give some tips on how you did learn. Rather than keep saying how much it has enlarged your world. Thanks

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

[SteeleJoe]

By the way I agree it is good to try learning Thai. For all those on here saying how easy it is. Maybe give some tips on how you did learn. Rather than keep saying how much it has enlarged your world. Thanks

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

I have never said it was or wasn't easy so despite saying how much it has enlarged my world, I guess I'm exempt from that request...

[JLCrab]

That sounds like an exciting day in your diminished world. What country were you in?

[eeeya]

Apart from a few, I get the feeling that the majority of foreigners who have learned Thai fluently and go about their daily lives in thailand integrating the best they can can't be bothered with ThaiVisa

[nontabury]

Of course you have to learn to speak Thai when you live in Thailand.

Reasons enough, integration in Thai society, respect, common sense.

We are all guests here and need to adapt, not the other way around, no matter how good or bad the Thais speak English.

That doesn't even matter.

Most immigrants, or should I say expats, living in Thailand, frown upon immigrants in their home countries, not speaking their languages.

Then they come here and do not even try to learn to speak Thai.

Or even worse, they complain about the level of spoken English, of the Thais.

In a perfect world we should all be able to learn Thai, in order to converse with the locals, but for some of us it's not possible, I for one have tried and as I've said previously I can still only speak a few sentences. Yes it does make common sense to try and integrate into Thai society, but don't fool yourself that this in itself will gain you any respect from the Thai's.

[dao16]

A some quick questions to those that have learnt Thai. If you could answer all. Thanks.

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks. Your answers MAY give inspiration to others.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

[JLCrab]

It certainly is not necessary to speak Thai to have an enjoyable and useful extended stay in Thailand as many people seem to do just that. It is desirable but there is no reason to mock those who tried to learn Thai and gave up or those that never even bothered to try at all.

That said, I could bore you all to tears (if I haven't already) with stories in Thailand and in other countries that only came about because I could speak with locals who spoke no English and in many cases had never even met a foreigner.

[roamer]

One thing that really, and I mean really does set my teeth on edge, is the Thai application of English words.

I had to top up the credit on my mobile phone tonight, went to one of the local phone shops and asked for "one two call, sam loi baht"

Blank stare, got the mobile phone out of my pocket and pointed at it......

"Oh, one tooo call sam loi baht"

btw, it's a computer, not a Com Pew TER.

I am trying to learn their language, can they do me a favour and at least not ride roughshod over mine.

Do you mean like

Its not Coke but Colaaa

Not Honda but Hondaaa

Not FREE but Fleee

Currently loan words are taught in Thai using Thai grammar rules, this accounts for the pronunciation.. There are moves to change how this is done:

" The Royal Institute has come up with new spellings of 176 words borrowed from English in order to better reflect how they are pronounced in Thai.

Tone marks - wanayuk in Thai - will be added to those words when they appear in the new edition of the institute's official dictionary.

They include words such as computer, quota, calorie and radar - all spelt without tone marks.

Chinnapat Bhumirat, chief of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, said the Royal Institute's plan was a good start. He suggested that the change shouldn't only ensure that written words are closer to the English pronunciation - it should also cover the syllable stress and the emphasis on long or short sounds in a word.

This would help Thai students pronounce English words correctly."

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/New-Thai-spellings-for-176-loan-words-30191505.html

[thaicbr]

A some quick questions to those that have learnt Thai. If you could answer all. Thanks.

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks. Your answers MAY give inspiration to others.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks for that.. OK. Another request. What sources did/are you finding useful to learn Thai? If you go to school. What's that been like?

Thanks again.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

[transam]

A some quick questions to those that have learnt Thai. If you could answer all. Thanks.

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks. Your answers MAY give inspiration to others.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks for that.. OK. Another request. What sources did/are you finding useful to learn Thai? If you go to school. What's that been like?

Thanks again.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

The locals told me to forget it, they would rather try to learn English to communicate with me.

[StreetCowboy]

A some quick questions to those that have learnt Thai. If you could answer all. Thanks.

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks. Your answers MAY give inspiration to others.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

1. How long did it take to learn?

mmmm....to just speak and say some stuff to people? about a year or so I could do that. To get into more complicated conversations, about 2 more years.

2. What level do you consider yourself. Learner.

Proficient. Fluent.

I like to say "conversationally fluent", meaning that in everyday situations, I am not thinking about the words really..they just come out on their own. However, if I am in new situations that I haven't dealt with, I will have to dig up vocab, possibly look it up or ask someone and also be ready for words I don't know coming from the other person.

3. Did you learn at a school or by yourselves?

All by myself...but I am also not shy about asking Thais for help, either. If you sit down in a place where there are people around, they will almost always want to know what you are reading...when they see it is elementary Thai, they just go crazy and want to help (in my experience). Then you can ask them whatever you want.

4. Were you in full time employment when learning?

Yes and no. Most of the time, yes, but I did make a lot of progress when I took 3 months off and was just in Thailand with a thai book and hanging out speaking thai all day. That was helpful, but the majority was when I was fully employed...you just need an hour a night or at lunch time or whenever.

Good luck!

Thanks for that.. OK. Another request. What sources did/are you finding useful to learn Thai? If you go to school. What's that been like?

Thanks again.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

The locals told me to forget it, they would rather try to learn English to communicate with me.

WhitabootpuirPigeonJake, eh?

Embdykenwhit haupndtae him?

He's probably still trying to buy a train ticket home from Glasgow Queen Street, after his interpreter did a runner* to CM

* "runner" might be a bit of an exaggeration....

[JLCrab]

ThaiCBR -- This is without-a-doubt the best dictionary available. Out of print with used copies going online for over $US 200 -- If you can't find a copy send me a PM

[muythai2013]

Which Thai language will you learn?

Southern, Issan, Central or Lanna?

City or village or Hill-tribe?

Chances of your loved one or her family speaking Central Thai as a first language are practically zero.

Speaking some backwoods dialect will do you no good at all in any city or other area of the country.

You end up learning central Thai, and all her relatives chat away with each other in another dialect that you still can't speak or understand.

you forgot the Bar Thai language

[OldChinaHam]

Yes, and you forgot the Dialect of Materialism.

And, I don't mean dialectical materialism, either.

[lemoncake]

Yes, and you forgot the Dialect of Materialism.

And, I don't mean dialectical materialism, either.

you mean tipping?

[lemoncake]

I think one should also learn the Thaiglish, because knowing Thai even fluently, may not help some times.

Went to buy Isuzu and was offered "eksilly" Struggled for a while to identify what "eksilly" was and eventually gave up.

Returned few days later and again was offered "eksilly", the headache was back but still no luck in decoding the message.

On third and final visit, decoding machine was used and "eksilly" turned out to be "X Series"

[SteeleJoe]

I think one should also learn the Thaiglish, because knowing Thai even fluently, may not help some times.

Went to buy Isuzu and was offered "eksilly" Struggled for a while to identify what "eksilly" was and eventually gave up.

Returned few days later and again was offered "eksilly", the headache was back but still no luck in decoding the message.

On third and final visit, decoding machine was used and "eksilly" turned out to be "X Series"

Don't want to get all serious and analytical about a joke but there is not only truth in that, I am convinced that some of the same skills, methods and inclinations are involved in learning Thaiglish: real listening and observing and making connections....I've noticed that a lot of guys who've been here a long time and can't speak Thai aren't very good at reproducing the way Thais commonly speak English.

I'm very good at it, if I do say so myself.

[Trembly]

To integrate into the community you need to be Thai. Learning the language is not relevant to that concept.

Learning Thai has other advantages when outside the main tourist areas, but it also has many disadvantages.

It won't stop them calling you the "f" word either.

What are the disadvantages?

[MacGuffin]

I think one should also learn the Thaiglish, because knowing Thai even fluently, may not help some times.

Went to buy Isuzu and was offered "eksilly" Struggled for a while to identify what "eksilly" was and eventually gave up.

Returned few days later and again was offered "eksilly", the headache was back but still no luck in decoding the message.

On third and final visit, decoding machine was used and "eksilly" turned out to be "X Series"

Don't want to get all serious and analytical about a joke but there is not only truth in that, I am convinced that some of the same skills, methods and inclinations are involved in learning Thaiglish: real listening and observing and making connections....I've noticed that a lot of guys who've been here a long time and can't speak Thai aren't very good at reproducing the way Thais commonly speak English.

I'm very good at it, if I do say so myself.

One can daleem .

[SteeleJoe]

To integrate into the community you need to be Thai. Learning the language is not relevant to that concept.

Learning Thai has other advantages when outside the main tourist areas, but it also has many disadvantages.

It won't stop them calling you the "f" word either.

What are the disadvantages?

I asked that several pages ago T. Someone asked asked after me.

Still keen to learn about this heretofore unknown to me fact(s)...

[Trembly]

Which Thai language will you learn?

Southern, Issan, Central or Lanna?

City or village or Hill-tribe?

Chances of your loved one or her family speaking Central Thai as a first language are practically zero.

Speaking some backwoods dialect will do you no good at all in any city or other area of the country.

You end up learning central Thai, and all her relatives chat away with each other in another dialect that you still can't speak or understand.

It is true that there exist in Isan people whose command of central Thai is a bit rusty because Isan is a big enough place that you can go from the cradle to the grave without ever needing to speak Thai to anyone. This is not so true of the north or the south.

However, I would contend that those who genuinely can't make themselves understood to a Thai speaker are of a vanishingly small number, and those who can't understand Thai at all are even fewer, given that all television programming is in Central Thai.

Central Thai also happens to be the language of instruction at all levels of the education system, as well as being the official language of government and thus all legal and commercial documentation.

The most versatile local language to know in Thailand is, surprisingly enough, Thai.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Trembly

[Trembly]

During my stint of teaching English I was often obliged to say 'that's the way it is' I must admit that Thai is the most difficult language that I have come up against. I'll be content if I understand what is being discussed, I know where to go when I tank up the car, know enough to go to the male toilets,

Apart from that, everybody speaks Lao here. I don't feel capable of learning two languages in parallel at my age.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

This really part of the problem. I have a friend in the Si Sa Ket, Surin, general area. She is a teacher with a master's degree and can read and write English well. She attempts to teach English but she really doesn't know how the words sound or how to say them well. She's getting better.

They have never had a native English teacher in their school, or at her university, and she knows of none in Si Sa Ket. (Doesn't mean there aren't some.)

So we have this conversation about Thai:

She: "We have children in our school from two villages. One village speaks Lao and the other speaks Khmer."

Me. "Wow! You know 4 languages - Khmer, Lao, Thai and English?"

She: "No. Khmer and Lao spoken here isn't same in Cambodia or Laos. Is a different."

Me: So you call it Khmer and Lao but it isn't really?

She: "Yes it is. Same. Is different. I would not be able to talk in Cambodia or Laos."

Me: (Scratches head.) "Do you understand the Thai that's used in Bangkok?"

She: "Yes, I attend university in Bangkok. Before, I don't understand."

Me: "Is your Thai Lao-Thai or Khmer-Thai or another Thai?"

She: "It is Thai."

I speak Lao with a Khon Kaen accent and I've never had any problems having mutually intelligible conversations with Lao-speaking folk from southern Isan or from north of the river. It's just a difference in accent, not a difference in dialect (notwithstanding the odd word change here and there). The differential in Lao accents is probably no greater than the differential in the accents of the English speaking world.

The Loei accent is another matter altogether. You can tell that it is built upon a Lao frame but it doesn't sound like anything else in any direction.

Maybe something was lost in translation, or maybe your lady friend just isn't cut out for languages.

[BradinAsia]

"Yesterday I went to work. Went to the local restaurant. Spoke to several staff at work. Had a few text messages from friends. Called one back for a chat. And there was not one conversation out of the half dozen or so that weren't in English. So much for diminished world. Your point is?"

The point is -- only about 5-10 percent of the population is conversant in English.

Surely you don't expect to win any debate points using an example of a half dozen

folks you happened to communicate with one morning. Minuscule sample size...

[BradinAsia]

One thing that really, and I mean really does set my teeth on edge, is the Thai application of English words.

I had to top up the credit on my mobile phone tonight, went to one of the local phone shops and asked for "one two call, sam loi baht"

Blank stare, got the mobile phone out of my pocket and pointed at it......

"Oh, one tooo call sam loi baht"

btw, it's a computer, not a Com Pew TER.

I am trying to learn their language, can they do me a favour and at least not ride roughshod over mine.

Do you grieve over really petty things much?

All over the world, folks speak English with their own distinctive peculiarities.

How about English speaking folks who cannot pronounce a final "R". Like

John Kennedy, could not pronounce a final "R" except when talking about

Fidel Castro's "Cuber."

Does that bother you too?

[MacGuffin]

I , with limited Thai language skills , try to use a basic introduction in Thai from the start of the communication . Sawat dee k .... , sabai dee b ..... and then with recognition stumble through my lines .

[Trembly]

I never reply to these things, but something should be cleared up (some posters have, but here I go again): most Thais, like 99% of them can speak and understand standard Thai. Even the long neck ladies out in the boonies in the North can. I have been to all the regions and never once run into someone who just didn't speak Thai (unless they were actually immigrants from another country) and I have definitely been to out-of-the-way places in all the regions. Never learned any of the Northern or Southern dialects. Just spoke Thai to them.

As for staying longer, you can just use standard Thai and people will slowly point out the local variants to you. Of course, they can and will code switch, so you just have to get used to that. But if someone really wants to talk to you, they can easily just switch back to Thai.

I cannot imagine how it would be to live here without learning Thai. It changes the way people see you and interact with you. Several times, somewhere in the countryside, I have had the same experience: sit down for a coke or a beer. Order in Thai. The shopkeeper, who had been kind of apprehensive about my presence, suddenly would do a 180 and just be so happy to talk to us. Neighbors get called over. Then, invariably, after they finish freaking out about me speaking Thai, they start in about the Falang in the area, no matter where he is from, who has been there for 10-15 years or whatever and can't speak a word of Thai. It irks them. They don't say they hate the guy, but the resentment is clear.

But for me, beyond how others see me, it is just about enjoying being here. I can't imagine not being able to make small talk in a store, get things I want without a babysitter, etc. Granted, sometimes I turn out to be that babysitter for recent arrivals, but I don't mind. I just wouldn't want to do that here for years. Many of the negative reactions to foreigners just disappear when you can have basic conversations.

That leads to another point. A lot of posters are saying it is too difficult. Well, it all depends on what you want to do. It would probably take me several more years to ever even dream about taking a university class in Thai, but I don't want to. On the other hand, I can sit down with a beer/whiskey/meal and have a group conversation and get along understanding most of what it said and I can even contribute to the conversation. Most conversations here are not about rocket science--they are about people and things happening now.

Of course, it is difficult at the beginning, but, having learned other Asian languages, I remember starting out and mispronouncing words so badly that people couldn't understand me. Now, I can't even remember how I mispronounced them. It's a matter of time, practice and persistence.

Learn what you need to learn to enjoy living here more.

Good post. That is one side of things.

The other side might be me. I don't get any enjoyment at all from making small talk to people (in any language). The world is bleak. Life is largely arbitrary and short. There is no god or afterlife. People, for the most part, care only about themselves and will not think much of you when you are no longer here.

So, against that backdrop, I really don't want any small talk. I like to have 'more meaningful' (what is meaningful to me) conversations with people. However, even in Western countries, among rather educated populace, most people don't want to have deeper conversations. It's more comfortable to just gossip or to find other ways of creating likeness and forming and nurturing human bonds. Nothing wrong with that. I just don't really need much of it. When I want that feeling of connectedness, I can just do as I'm sure many do and find a young thing to spend some short time with.

Thailand is a place that is particularly hard to find a deeper conversation. You will not find many Thais who wish to discuss (in Thai or English and with Thais or non-Thais) any serious issues such as cultural, economy, politics, violence, religion. Even the most elite are mostly interested in talking about the 'new' Som Tam place and other, innocent current events. That's also beautiful in itself -- to be so simple, but some of us just don't enjoy that I'm gathering. I don't. I can have similar conversations with young children...

EDIT

And, I'm fine just like this. And, would have been just fine if I'd not learned.

But I wasn't complete honest in my earlier post, or, rather just forgot to mention something. One of the things that does make being able to read Thai useful is being able to read (for the most part) food-related stuff that is not apparent from simply looking at a dish/item. Of course, the labels often don't mention half the stuff in the food anyway!

How would you know?

The sample of Thais that you interact with in Thai, and therefore the cross-section, criss-cross and criss-cross-criss-criss-cross section of society that you are likely to have exchanges with must be very small if :

1. You choose not to venture much deeper than the epidermis of Thai society.

2. You don't speak enough Thai to allow serendipity (in human connection) to surprise you . . . without having to make the deliberate effort to bust open a 'deep conversation'.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Trembly

[Trembly]

So true,,,,when you stop and think about it 90% of most of our interactions are trivial, in any language. Not trivial in meaning a waste of time, but trivial I the sense of , for example going to a meeting at work and asking the colleague, report or boss, how are they, how's the wife, kids, good round of golf last weekend, did you see the fish I caught. To be able to do this in the language of the country one resides would be wonderful and make life richer and more fulfilling...in my opinion.

In agreeing with me you actually point out something I missed and I'm glad you did as it leaves me feeling a bit warm and fuzzy: aside from the fact that I think you can learn a lot about a country and it's people e based on just what sort of trivia is discussed and how (and that applies to any western country as well), but also it often makes your day just a bit nicer...I think of the millions (?) of little moments of pleasant interaction I've had with people over the years and how diminished my life would be without any of them (in my own country as well....gotta go but I want to elaborate later)...

Culture is implicit in the language and vice versa.

Or, to zoom out even further, everything is a function of everything else. Language is also one of those things. To understand it is to (be able to) understand an enormous part of the context.

[SteeleJoe]

How would you know?

The sample of Thais that you interact with in Thai, and therefore the cross-section, criss-cross and criss-cross-criss-criss-cross section of society that you are likely to must be very small if :

1. You choose not to venture much deeper than the epidermis of Thai culture.

2. You don't speak enough Thai to allow serendipity (in human connection) to surprise you without having to make the deliberate effort to bust open a 'deep conversation'

Brilliant. So insightful and so very true.

[SteeleJoe]

Culture is implicit in the language and vice versa.

Or, to zoom out even further, everything is a function of everything else. Language is also one of those things. To understand it is to (be able to) understand an enormous part of the context.

And THAT, my friend, is something I've been preaching to foreigners in Thailand - AND Thais - since you were a wee lad!

[GooEng]

I wuz wondering if Trembles would weigh in with some bilateral insight. Good points and well made.

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