Learn Thai and Shut Up

[thailiketoo]

Living in a country for 7 years without learning(or wanting to!) is very illogical.

Funny as I studied pure maths at university many years ago and know about logic.

There is a difference between "learn Thai v shut up " and "learn Thai ^ shut up"

If anyone's interested I could construct a truth table.

Let me try to explain better what I meant. I can speak Thai, I've studied it for years. Yesterday I went to the dentist - I go to the dental college because I'm a grippy Scotsman. I was sitting in the waiting room with about 20 other people. I've never seen any foreigners there. I thought of this thread and never said anything. There was a time when I'd have said something just for the sake of speaking, but why? Perhaps low self-esteem, ignorance, ego, self-importance? I witness some whiteys acting as if they are something special and frankly I feel make a fool of themselves and foreigners in general. Many Thais think 'farang' are clowns because of this behavior. What I was suggesting is to learn the language but there's no need to prove to everyone you meet and in all situations to speak.

Thanks Neeranam. Makes us a kind of kindred spirits. I have studied Physics. Often requires a bit of Maths and logic.

Let me also try to explain better what I meant.

Level 1. No use to learn language and not use it - 'shut up'.

Level 2. When Thais speak - they are awfully verbose and loud. This is due to three reasons:

Lots of vowels in their language plus tonal nature of the language;

Lack of pronounced consonants - kind of 'lazy' articulation (not to be mixed with laziness);

Plain verbosity or non-compact, non-concise language ( compare 1 page of English text with its 2 page Thai version);

On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences.

In other words - no motivation to learn it.

Hope no Thai bashing is suspected.

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up.

If you don't think, "On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences. In other words - no motivation to learn it.", is not Thai bashing you need professional help.

Unless of course you mean you have no culture and the Thai culture so overwhelms anything you have ever been exposed to that you are speechless.

[Seastallion]

Dude, do you really expect anyone to believe you when you say that Thai people ask you about Thai language and how to write? Now that is drivel. I can read and write Thai more than a bit and never have had anyone ask me. My 11 year old daughter overtook my abilities a couple of years ago. A Thai person would NEVER send their children to a farang who can read and write 'a bit' for language related stuff.

There are many locations in Thailand where many people are completely illiterate or can barely read and write.

A motivated adept-language-learning foreigner would within two years of hard study have higher level Thai language skills than 90% of those living in poor upcountry communities where central Thai is the second language, writing only encountered in school (where many attend only sporadically for a few years) and occasionally dealing with officialdom - where someone can usually help out.

Three of the dozen maid/nannies I've gone through over the years couldn't read or write at all.

A lower proportion of my SO's but some were pretty rudimentary, their English reading/writing skills often surpass their Thai within a year, they end up with thousands of higher-level English words that they don't know the equivalent in Thai even speaking much less writing.

This is true but they would never ask that well educated foreigner to help them.

Are your sure Andrew Biggs doesn't get asked?

[Neeranam]

This subject is about logic and you are not displaying any at all. Why do you want to disagree with me? Why do you find it incomprehensible that a Westerner who can speak Thai really well would not be asked by a friend of 27 years, who is a busy and educated business woman with not much time on her hands, to ask me to help her 10 year old son with his homework.

For somebody who has posted more than 10,000 times it seems to me you really have too much to say and I am sure I am not the first that you have criticized. It would be interesting to go back and read some of your postings. Perhaps it would reveal a tendency to be a know-it-all. Perhaps it would reveal a psychological desperation to be smarter than other people on Thai visa.

So I am not going to respond to any more of your postings on this subject and allow you to exhibit your over sized ego at my expense. Besides it is obvious you want to get to 20,000 postings and on the way bore everybody to death. I won't assist in that either.

Maybe you're confusing this topic with another - it isn't about logic. Who cares about number of posts? I certainly don't. Point out how it is obvious I want 20,000.

I'm not criticizing you, just saying I don't believe you. You seem intent on criticizing me for some unknown reason.

An educated Thai businesswoman asking a 'farang' how to write a Thai letter ? A 10 year old boy, who probably goes to a good school, asking for help with his Thai homework, come on.

If you're so good at writing Thai go to the Thai sub-forum and help people there.

[watcharacters]

I get sick of Thai who can't speak Thai. Klab baan, alloi, tao lai klab, nung loi, loi nung, mai loe klab.

When i speak like that they understand me, if i use the R they don't. They all are to lazy to speak the R instead of the L.

My wife is getting a course about how to do business with farang at work. Now she understands how important everything i taught her is. Also the teacher taught her to never be lazy with english language, like not pronouncing the last letters of a word. I 'm happy she hears it from a Thai teacher this time (who is married with a farang).

Even the Thai on the radio and tv can't speak proper engrit so how should they ever learn it?

Learn to transliterate or transcribe dude.

I wonder what a Thai would think if you told them that you are sick of their Thai language abilities.

.

I think he succeeded in making the point he wanted to make.

[Neeranam]

Are your sure Andrew Biggs doesn't get asked?

No, I'd ask him. I have a friend who is a friend and partner of his and probably knows more about the Thai language and does seminars about it and Thai cultural differences. He told me once that a Thai person would never ask him questions about Thai language/culture.

[FiftyTwo]

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up.

I thought 'sow wow' was 'wan_ker' ?

(Same as 'chak wow' literal translation 'pull down and release')

Edited March 20, 2014 by FiftyTwo

[ABCer]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

[Stupooey]

On a forum website replete with native English speakers who have never mastered the intricacies, never mind the basics, of their own language (greengrocers' apostrophies, its and it's, their, there're and there, then and than, lose and loose and so on), it's pretty rich to come a-criticising others who at least make an effort with language.

Should be "apostrophes". Pot & kettle?

[FiftyTwo]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

Read the post above.

He was calling you a wan_ker.

[thailiketoo]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

Read the post above.

He was calling you a wan_ker.

Oh heck no. I was contributing an important piece of on topic information. Anti Thai BCer said the language was verbose. I gave an example it is not. Sow wow means shut up. This is of course also directly linked to the wording of the topic which is about Thai but is actually about Lao.

[thailiketoo]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up. (Sow wow is shut up in Lao or Issan/Lao) Seems very compact to me.

You wrote, "On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences. In other words - no motivation to learn it."

End of quote

Sorry about the above, upon thinking I assume you mean the Thai culture vis a vis yours.

Edited March 20, 2014 by thailiketoo

[FiftyTwo]

Sow wow means shut up.

you may be right

shut up or wan_ker depending on regional language.

Edited March 20, 2014 by FiftyTwo

[bannork]

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up.

I thought 'sow wow' was 'wan_ker' ?

(Same as 'chak wow' literal translation 'pull down and release')[/qiuote

chak wow is literally fly the kite, the tugging motions give away the sexual activity.

sao wao is not the same at all, sao in Issan means stop, wao means speak, wao lao pen bor- can you speak Lao/Issan?

Sao is mid tone and wao is falling tone so the words sound melodic together, I think the English shut up may often be stronger than sao wao,, I've heard it used with a soft tone, almost like 'shhhh, don't talk about that, it will do no good' but I guess it just depends on circumstance. Sometimes Issan can be very expressive, some speakers, especially women exaggerate the tones leading to phrases ending on soaring tones-ly ly....conversation becomes a work of music, notes flying all over the place.

[ABCer]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up. (Sow wow is shut up in Lao or Issan/Lao) Seems very compact to me.

You wrote, "On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences. In other words - no motivation to learn it."

End of quote

Sorry about the above, upon thinking I assume you mean the Thai culture vis a vis yours.

No, thailiketoo, not in the least.

I would leave my culture out of the argument. Just as yours.

I'm afraid to hurt your feelings but I mean Thai culture linked to Thai language.

If you, being an expert, will point out to me one Thai contribution to world treasury of literature, poetry, science etc. you might convince me being wrong.

Oh, and try to do this without 'shut up' or '<deleted>' words. I admitted above that I do not speak your language, Issan, Thai or Lao.

Please do not make English into another language barrier between us.

[thailiketoo]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up. (Sow wow is shut up in Lao or Issan/Lao) Seems very compact to me.

You wrote, "On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences. In other words - no motivation to learn it."

End of quote

Sorry about the above, upon thinking I assume you mean the Thai culture vis a vis yours.

No, thailiketoo, not in the least.

I would leave my culture out of the argument. Just as yours.

I'm afraid to hurt your feelings but I mean Thai culture linked to Thai language.

If you, being an expert, will point out to me one Thai contribution to world treasury of literature, poetry, science etc. you might convince me being wrong.

Oh, and try to do this without 'shut up' or '<deleted>' words. I admitted above that I do not speak your language, Issan, Thai or Lao.

Please do not make English into another language barrier between us.

You wrote, "

Level 1. No use to learn language and not use it - 'shut up'.

Level 2. When Thais speak - they are awfully verbose and loud. This is due to three reasons:

Lots of vowels in their language plus tonal nature of the language;

Lack of pronounced consonants - kind of 'lazy' articulation (not to be mixed with laziness);

Plain verbosity or non-compact, non-concise language ( compare 1 page of English text with its 2 page"

To refute your statement I suggested Sow Wow which is a short, not verbose word meaning "stop speaking" in Lao.

May I add that not speaking Thai, Lao/Issan you are the last person one should ask questions about Thai language.

Sunthorn Phu

Phu's career as a royal poet began in the reign of King Rama II, and when the king died, he resigned from the role and became a monk. Twenty years later, in the reign of King Rama III, he returned to court as a royal scribe, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Phu was especially renowned for composing verse, and his conventions in epic poetry are popular in Thailand to the present day. His canonical works include Nirat Phukaothong (a collection of poems depicting his journey to the Golden Mountain), Nirat Suphan (depicting his journey to Suphanburi Province), and the Phra Aphai Mani saga.

Thailand's Shakespeare Sunthorn Phu

Though he was nominally a monk for 18 years, he came from a broken family, had a poet's unstable temperament, and was, according to one critic, "a drunk, a vagrant, and a womanizer." He also did a lot of jail time.

"We may be drunk,

But we are also intoxicated by love.

I cannot resist my heart.

And though we are drunk,

Tomorrow the sun will shine,

And that drunkenness will have passed.

But when night falls, the intoxication of love will return

http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2441

[Acharn]

Funny the words used by farang that are obviously learned from a bar girl. My GF is quite fastidious in what I should and should not learn. Occasionally I use a word I've picked up here on TV and she is usually shocked. we've got an understanding too...whenever she says a word that I don't know and it has an "L" or and "R" sound, I ask "Ror rua or lor ling?" She doesn't want me saying things like "aloi" it has to be "aroi" with a fair amount of rolling the "r".

Is she Chinese Thai? In many situations Thais don't recognize words that are pronounced with a rolling 'raw rua'. Not all people from Isarn are prostitutes btw.

I was wondering if she might be from one of the Cambodian border provinces, Buri Ram or Surin or maybe Roi Et. The Khmer language has that rolling /r/ sound, and lots of people from those provinces either speak Khmer as their first language or learn it to get along with their neighbors.

Thanks for making the second point. I should probably do so more often.

[lovelomsak]

I think first a guy should get to know the difference between Thai and Loas. "sep ee lee" is Loas for delicious not thai but is uised in Thailand by isaan people and others in northeren thailand. Why would someone speak loas and then tell someone to else to learn to speak thai?

Loas???? I presume you mean Laos.....

"Sep ee lee" is Isaan dialect and Isaan dialect is similar to laotian language but by no means totally the same. In Laos they would say "sep lai lai" or "sep lai doeh" and absolutely not "sep ee lee".

And "sep ee lee" is NOT used by Northern thais - in Northern Thailand they will use the expression "lam tee tee"......when talking about delicious food.

(and in Southern Thailand "aroy djang hoo"....)

Not to belay the point but in Northern Thailand where I live is where I learnt this word . I amnot in Isaan by the way. My wife and friends use it often. And they all confirm it is Laos.and sorry about the sloppy spelling.

[duanebigsby]

Neeranam

Your original post seems to say, learn the language and then don't brag about it. Just use it. Your statement is a little ambiguous but that's the meaning I took from it. I applaud you guys who've been here for years and learned a language which is difficult to master. My original criticism was that you and others were ridiculing those of us who've been here short term and our attempts to learn Thai. How else do we learn except throwing our best attempts out there? As a new learner of Thai, I need to try it and then screw up, but you long termers seem to be contemptuous of that. The reason I used the "and/or" quote was it seemed you were suggesting, "if your Thai isn't perfect, don't bother." Please, give us a chance and time to try and learn Thai without the patronizing and arrogance.

[duanebigsby]

Learning Thai is hard, especially with all the dialects and completely alien alphabet.

But Neeranam, your OP, in almost incoherent English, is hypocritical of the headline "Learn Thai or shut up"

The headline isn't "Learn Thai or shut up".

Seems he can't understand the difference between and / or. No wonder he didn't understand your first post.

I think Duane is a Welsh name so it's understandable if he can't read English like a native.

Duane is a Welsh name therefore I'm Welsh.

Never been to Wales but had a couple welsh friends who spoke English. I'm Canadian.

[FiftyTwo]

I think first a guy should get to know the difference between Thai and Loas. "sep ee lee" is Loas for delicious not thai but is uised in Thailand by isaan people and others in northeren thailand. Why would someone speak loas and then tell someone to else to learn to speak thai?

(and in Southern Thailand "aroy djang hoo"....)

"Aroy kan hoo", surely not!

[duanebigsby]

Learning Thai is hard, especially with all the dialects and completely alien alphabet.

But Neeranam, your OP, in almost incoherent English, is hypocritical of the headline "Learn Thai or shut up"

The headline isn't "Learn Thai or shut up".

Seems he can't understand the difference between and / or. No wonder he didn't understand your first post.

Understood the first post fine even though not concisely written....speak perfect Thai or not bother at all. Which is why I questioned the and/or.

[duanebigsby]

Learning Thai is hard, especially with all the dialects and completely alien alphabet.

But Neeranam, your OP, in almost incoherent English, is hypocritical of the headline "Learn Thai or shut up"

The headline isn't "Learn Thai or shut up".

and/or in that sentence conveys the same meaning.

Now I know you're not a native speaker.

Jump to conclusions much....Canadian native born. Hope you read some later posts of mine. I actually agree with you on some points, just not on others. do I sound like a "native speaker" now, as if that makes one superior.

[ABCer]

Thailiketoo,

Thanks, but no, thank you.

BTW, if you could kindly explain what you mean by " Thai/Lao, Issan, sow-wow, shut up" ????? Sound like a new riddle to me. But it isn't urgent...

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up. (Sow wow is shut up in Lao or Issan/Lao) Seems very compact to me.

You wrote, "On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences. In other words - no motivation to learn it."

End of quote

Sorry about the above, upon thinking I assume you mean the Thai culture vis a vis yours.

No, thailiketoo, not in the least.

I would leave my culture out of the argument. Just as yours.

I'm afraid to hurt your feelings but I mean Thai culture linked to Thai language.

If you, being an expert, will point out to me one Thai contribution to world treasury of literature, poetry, science etc. you might convince me being wrong.

Oh, and try to do this without 'shut up' or '<deleted>' words. I admitted above that I do not speak your language, Issan, Thai or Lao.

Please do not make English into another language barrier between us.

You wrote, "

Level 1. No use to learn language and not use it - 'shut up'.

Level 2. When Thais speak - they are awfully verbose and loud. This is due to three reasons:

Lots of vowels in their language plus tonal nature of the language;

Lack of pronounced consonants - kind of 'lazy' articulation (not to be mixed with laziness);

Plain verbosity or non-compact, non-concise language ( compare 1 page of English text with its 2 page"

To refute your statement I suggested Sow Wow which is a short, not verbose word meaning "stop speaking" in Lao.

May I add that not speaking Thai, Lao/Issan you are the last person one should ask questions about Thai language.

Sunthorn Phu

Phu's career as a royal poet began in the reign of King Rama II, and when the king died, he resigned from the role and became a monk. Twenty years later, in the reign of King Rama III, he returned to court as a royal scribe, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Phu was especially renowned for composing verse, and his conventions in epic poetry are popular in Thailand to the present day. His canonical works include Nirat Phukaothong (a collection of poems depicting his journey to the Golden Mountain), Nirat Suphan (depicting his journey to Suphanburi Province), and the Phra Aphai Mani saga.

Thailand's Shakespeare Sunthorn Phu

Though he was nominally a monk for 18 years, he came from a broken family, had a poet's unstable temperament, and was, according to one critic, "a drunk, a vagrant, and a womanizer." He also did a lot of jail time.

"We may be drunk,

But we are also intoxicated by love.

I cannot resist my heart.

And though we are drunk,

Tomorrow the sun will shine,

And that drunkenness will have passed.

But when night falls, the intoxication of love will return

http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2441

My condo is 10 km from the statue and shrine built to commemorate Sunthorn Phu. The only reason I know about him.

Thai have perfect right to call him Thailand's Shakespeare. Nobody calls Shakespeare English Phu.

Not knowing Thai language doesn't bother anybody. There are hundreds of people in my shoes.

It is my declared unwillingness to learn it that makes an occasional bull see red.

The brilliant poem you quoted did not impress me. Maybe it's my bad taste. Had it been better I could have read it in English.

Let us agree on disagreement here. It is getting really boring.

Cheers.

[thailiketoo]

Speaking of non compact, Thai/Lao or Issan. Sow wow. Shut up. (Sow wow is shut up in Lao or Issan/Lao) Seems very compact to me.

You wrote, "On a more personal note, given a perfect Thai language I would be hard pressed to converse with Thais due to cultural differences. In other words - no motivation to learn it."

End of quote

Sorry about the above, upon thinking I assume you mean the Thai culture vis a vis yours.

No, thailiketoo, not in the least.

I would leave my culture out of the argument. Just as yours.

I'm afraid to hurt your feelings but I mean Thai culture linked to Thai language.

If you, being an expert, will point out to me one Thai contribution to world treasury of literature, poetry, science etc. you might convince me being wrong.

Oh, and try to do this without 'shut up' or '<deleted>' words. I admitted above that I do not speak your language, Issan, Thai or Lao.

Please do not make English into another language barrier between us.

You wrote, "

Level 1. No use to learn language and not use it - 'shut up'.

Level 2. When Thais speak - they are awfully verbose and loud. This is due to three reasons:

Lots of vowels in their language plus tonal nature of the language;

Lack of pronounced consonants - kind of 'lazy' articulation (not to be mixed with laziness);

Plain verbosity or non-compact, non-concise language ( compare 1 page of English text with its 2 page"

To refute your statement I suggested Sow Wow which is a short, not verbose word meaning "stop speaking" in Lao.

May I add that not speaking Thai, Lao/Issan you are the last person one should ask questions about Thai language.

Sunthorn Phu

Phu's career as a royal poet began in the reign of King Rama II, and when the king died, he resigned from the role and became a monk. Twenty years later, in the reign of King Rama III, he returned to court as a royal scribe, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Phu was especially renowned for composing verse, and his conventions in epic poetry are popular in Thailand to the present day. His canonical works include Nirat Phukaothong (a collection of poems depicting his journey to the Golden Mountain), Nirat Suphan (depicting his journey to Suphanburi Province), and the Phra Aphai Mani saga.

Thailand's Shakespeare Sunthorn Phu

Though he was nominally a monk for 18 years, he came from a broken family, had a poet's unstable temperament, and was, according to one critic, "a drunk, a vagrant, and a womanizer." He also did a lot of jail time.

"We may be drunk,

But we are also intoxicated by love.

I cannot resist my heart.

And though we are drunk,

Tomorrow the sun will shine,

And that drunkenness will have passed.

But when night falls, the intoxication of love will return

http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2441

My condo is 10 km from the statue and shrine built to commemorate Sunthorn Phu. The only reason I know about him.

Thai have perfect right to call him Thailand's Shakespeare. Nobody calls Shakespeare English Phu.

Not knowing Thai language doesn't bother anybody. There are hundreds of people in my shoes.

It is my declared unwillingness to learn it that makes an occasional bull see red.

The brilliant poem you quoted did not impress me. Maybe it's my bad taste. Had it been better I could have read it in English.

Let us agree on disagreement here. It is getting really boring.

Cheers.

In 1986, the bicentennial of his birth, UNESCO officially recognized his eminence. Critics have likened him to Shakespeare and Chaucer in the range, quality, and national importance of his works. (Of course you know more and are more experienced and educated.)

His premise “Maxim for the Conduct of Ladies” has been passed on from Mother to Daughter and taught to girls in Thai schools since the days of Rama V (the great King of Thailand in the 19th century that brought Siam into the modern world). All Thai women, whether they are an uneducated bar girl, a teacher, a lawyer or even the Prime Minister of Thailand continue to practice some of these maxims in their everyday life.

I have no doubt that he is one of the reasons I enjoy Thailand so much and have such a high opinion of Thai women.

We do agree that there are, "hundreds of people in your shoes." One can read them complain about everything Thai every day here.

So don't read the books considered the pinnacle of Thai literature. Don't learn how to speak Thai. You can keep coming here and telling people how awful Thailand is. Now at least everyone knows why that is true for you.

And speaking of Red Bull that was also invented in Thailand.

[Neeranam]

I think first a guy should get to know the difference between Thai and Loas. "sep ee lee" is Loas for delicious not thai but is uised in Thailand by isaan people and others in northeren thailand. Why would someone speak loas and then tell someone to else to learn to speak thai?

Loas???? I presume you mean Laos.....

"Sep ee lee" is Isaan dialect and Isaan dialect is similar to laotian language but by no means totally the same. In Laos they would say "sep lai lai" or "sep lai doeh" and absolutely not "sep ee lee".

And "sep ee lee" is NOT used by Northern thais - in Northern Thailand they will use the expression "lam tee tee"......when talking about delicious food.

(and in Southern Thailand "aroy djang hoo"....)

Not to belay the point but in Northern Thailand where I live is where I learnt this word . I amnot in Isaan by the way. My wife and friends use it often. And they all confirm it is Laos.and sorry about the sloppy spelling.

Roy jung hoooooo!

[Neeranam]

Neeranam

Your original post seems to say, learn the language and then don't brag about it. Just use it. Your statement is a little ambiguous but that's the meaning I took from it. I applaud you guys who've been here for years and learned a language which is difficult to master. My original criticism was that you and others were ridiculing those of us who've been here short term and our attempts to learn Thai. How else do we learn except throwing our best attempts out there? As a new learner of Thai, I need to try it and then screw up, but you long termers seem to be contemptuous of that. The reason I used the "and/or" quote was it seemed you were suggesting, "if your Thai isn't perfect, don't bother." Please, give us a chance and time to try and learn Thai without the patronizing and arrogance.

No I wasn't ridiculing you for learning Thai.

It is the way to learn. Try going to the Thai subforum and participating in some threads.

Perseverance will get you there. Good luck.

[puukao]

Maybe I am the only one on here who is a little "strange", but I took 4-5 Thai courses to make Thais laugh when I speak. I do try to speak proper thai, but I do over-emphasize the tones at times. It is a great conversation opener, and I can't tell you how many laugh (at me, fine). It just my daily comedy.

I say hello, how are you. what is your name, where are you from, do you like chiang mai, what do you do for fun, have you been to america, and then i say how it's not expensive, tasty, and it will help me ride my bike to (wherever). i ask them if they have many farang friends, etc..... and it's just straight comedy for both of us.

now, in 7-11, if nobody is behind me, i ask about going somewhere and for directions. they are always laughing at me. but i am smiling, so it's all good.

I use common sense and only do this when i feel it's appropriate. in immigration, airport, no. if i get a bad vibe, no. if they are in a hurry, no.

Edited March 20, 2014 by puukao

[Neeranam]

Maybe I am the only one on here who is a little "strange", but I took 4-5 Thai courses to make Thais laugh when I speak. I do try to speak proper thai, but I do over-emphasize the tones at times. It is a great conversation opener, and I can't tell you how many laugh (at me, fine). It just my daily comedy.

I say hello, how are you. what is your name, where are you from, do you like chiang mai, what do you do for fun, have you been to america, and then i say how it's not expensive, tasty, and it will help me ride my bike to (wherever). i ask them if they have many farang friends, etc..... and it's just straight comedy for both of us.

now, in 7-11, if nobody is behind me, i ask about going somewhere and for directions. they are always laughing at me. but i am smiling, so it's all good.

I use common sense and only do this when i feel it's appropriate. in immigration, airport, no. if i get a bad vibe, no. if they are in a hurry, no.

Why not wear a red nose and change your name to Coco

[geronimo]

If you want to really know the culture, there is no other way!

[ABCer]

His premise “Maxim for the Conduct of Ladies” has been passed on from Mother to Daughter and taught to girls in Thai schools since the days of Rama V (the great King of Thailand in the 19th century that brought Siam into the modern world). All Thai women, whether they are an uneducated bar girl, a teacher, a lawyer or even the Prime Minister of Thailand continue to practice some of these maxims in their everyday life.

I have no doubt that he is one of the reasons I enjoy Thailand so much and have such a high opinion of Thai women.

We do agree that there are, "hundreds of people in your shoes." One can read them complain about everything Thai every day here.

So don't read the books considered the pinnacle of Thai literature. Don't learn how to speak Thai. You can keep coming here and telling people how awful Thailand is. Now at least everyone knows why that is true for you.

And speaking of Red Bull that was also invented in Thailand.

Are you completely insane or deliberately trying to provoke me? Or maybe you can't read plain English? Or you are permanently under influence?

First. Where did you see me 'telling people how awful Thailand is'? Appealing to 'anti-thai-bashing' brigade for help?

Second. Where from did you bring in your beer brand Red Bull? I was talking about occasional bull seeing red. Now we can talk about mad stupid bull seeing red.

Third. In your post # 130 you had a very clumsy attempt to allude to my name ABCer by writing Anti Thai BCer. This is extremely bad taste. I noticed this but decided to go easy on you.

It was a mistake because you immediately attacked my culture level knowing nothing about me. I suggest you look into 'thailiketoo'. It may be fun putting various meanings into it. I can help.

Fourth. I do not have to know Thai to see that 1 page of English is translated into minimum 2 pages of Thai text. This is verbosity.

Fifth. If you think Siam is in modern world you are delusional.

Sixth. Wherever you have come from there is probably more culture than wherever you are right now. Pity you didn't learn to appreciate it as much as 'Maxim for the Conduct of Ladies'.

I'm sure as a man you have benefited from studying it.

Seventh. Check your posts. Your one and only smile shows when you talk of 'Red Bull'. Does it help you to live? or to write this crap on TV as well?

Going over seven points above I cannot decide whether you are a provocateur (?) a proverbial bull (?) a rude tasteless ignorant man (?) suffering delusions (?) a chronic alcoholic or a Thai lady(?).

I offered to you a peace branch by agreeing on disagreement. But you insist on coming back for more.

Your style, your rudeness, your vocabulary indicate you being an uneducated man living in the sticks in Thailand because at home you were, are and always be nothing much.