Starting Out

[BlowFish]

has anyone got any tips for starting out learning conversational Thai? I looked at the resources pinned at the top and they on the whole look fairly dictionary orientated. I guess some structure is useful. Does the linguaphone aproach work? It sounds a bit old fashioned, teacher says something class repeats it. Actualy just getting the tones might need a heavy duty voice coach!

I noticed a book linked a way back as its a freebie can't hurt to have a look. I recall talking with someone who was telling me that there are a few more 'radical' aproaches to learning languages, he was actually talking about learning second and third European languages with common roots together. If radical might mean easier It's probably worth knowing about.

I guess lessons ae worthwhile but I figure it may be better to use them to polish and develop more sophisticated skills. Some people just seem to have a knack for languages sadly I don't apear to be one of them.

Any thoughts would be welcome,

Cheers.

[mittheimp]

get yourself Thai g/f or b/f from a village in the back of no where - live there 6 months and you will be well on your way. The people I know who speak Thai the best did this!! You will probably pick up Issan too.

Seriously -- the best way to learn is put yourself in situations where you have no option but to speak Thai!

[meadish_sweetball]

The people I know who speak Thai the best have both done formal training and immersion. To really make sense of the system you will need some formal teaching.

It is a good idea focusing strongly on pronunciation in the beginning, as there are a number of sounds you will need to learn to pronounce - not to mention the tones. Nobody I know has been able to distinguish the tones from each other instantly, it is a gradual process and you rely on having a coach that does not let your mistakes slip, but who corrects them straight away as they occur.

The best, most lifelike dialogue I have encountered in a book for beginners, is in 'Teach yourself Thai' by David Smyth. Unfortunately, he uses a transcription system based on RP British English, which can be difficult to follow if you speak another dialect of English or are not from an English speaking country.

[julie_f]

I actually have the book Teach yourself thai I havent been very good at using it but it is good and doesnt just help with conversational thai but also includes reading and writing thai. It even gives you tests!

[BlowFish]

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I was subconciously hoping someone would say here you go try xxx and have some magic bullet. Sadly I know and it'll require a lot of effort and results are likely to be proportional to effort. I'd really like to learn beyond 'menu' Thai but am not sure I'm discipline enough to do whats required.

Meadish you are right just recognising the different sounds/tones is quite hard for a western ear (or so I find) and f course that is neccassary before you have a chance to reproduce them.

I'll check out Smyth being an RP sort maybe I'll get along with it.

Cheers.

[boxig]

BlowFish

Listening to Thai is one of the better ways to learn how to speak Thai. You may want to try "SpokenThai" software which has thousands of audio sentences (and a dictionary).

Here is the web link to read about it:

Spoken Thai

Good luck

[jdinasia]

Personally ... school ... and freinds ....

skip the upcountry thing ... REALLY ... just don't hide in a village ... you'll pick up bad habits that it will be hard to deal with later.

Much better to learn good clear central Thai then add to it later with regional differences.

[BlowFish]

Well my destination is Phuket maybe German or a Scandinavian language might be a better choice. A million miles from the NE anyway.

Has anyone experience of linguaphone? Thats listen and repeat albeit expensive. Movies can be good if there are ones with english subtitles. For $35 bucks the CD from the guys that sponsor this forum seems like a bargain. Anyone used it? Looks to be quite comprehensive just wonder if the layout is good.

Personally ... school ... and freinds ....

skip the upcountry thing ... REALLY ... just don't hide in a village ... you'll pick up bad habits that it will be hard to deal with later.

Much better to learn good clear central Thai then add to it later with regional differences.

[gdhm]

Hello Blowfish,

I too use Spoken Thai. It is cheap, thousands of words and these are all pronounced with a HUMAN voice which is important as an electronic or synthesized voice (not matter how good) cannot help you easily with the correct pitch and tone of the Thai language which is very important.

The author (Granot) is open to suggestions and improvements. It is always good when a software author listens to customers usage needs and problems.

What I ALSO like very much about "Spoken Thai", is that it attempts to help an English learner with written phonetics (as well as the word being spoken in a good quality human voice) by using letters found in the English alphabet as best it can, rather than using the International Phonetic alphabet which most UK citizens are not taught at school or were not in my days.

Obviously some Thai words (as with many languages) do not exactly translate into phonetics using the English alphabet but Spoken Thai does its best to get as close as possible.

You also need to bear in mind (as in the UK) different parts of Thailand pronounce words differently. FARANG I have been told (and found) is pronounced by most as FALANG but as FARANG in some areas. KRAP is usually pronounced with the R indistinguishable to the human ear (KAP) but in some areas you can detect the presence of the R.

Regards

Dave

[warriors]

AUA School. They speak to you in Thai (no english spoken) but they repeat the words and actions. Slowly over time it starts to make sense. Classers from beginners to top class. Like all things in life it takes time. If you truely want to learn then you must put the effort in

[No beleeeeve!]

What worked for me was using a variety of learning methods. I got a textbook to learn pronounciation and sentence structure. The smallest basics and then built up from there. I always wrote out what I learned too to further cement it in my memory. Flashcards are great too. I took them everywhere and poured over them whenever I had 5 minutes or more to kill. I would listen in public how people spoke and that helped me speak more naturally.

I used some vocabulary books next. Then when ever I went out to do a certain task, say food shopping, I would learn a few new words and sentences pertaining to that little trip and practice when I got there with the shopkeepers or whoever.

I used this to learn about getting around by taxi, ordering food in the street, clothing shopping, negotiating at the markets...you name it.

It will take a lot of effort though. Plus, I went at it daily. I later bought some tapes too.

I did go to one formal group lesson but I didn't like it. The teacher was great but we were all at different levels of what we knew so I either felt lost or bored.

While doing all this...yes, having a Thai girlfriend is great to help too.

[meadish_sweetball]

Great post No beleeeve. Some things in there deserve being underlined:

1. Use a variety of learning methods.

2. Listen to how people speak and try to emulate.

3. Consistent, daily practice.

4. A faen can be a great help, especially if you persist in trying to speak Thai from the start. If you start your relationship in English, it will feel strange to change it later on.

[In the Rai!]

Spot on No beleeeve and Meadish,

That is exactly what I have done for years and still do. I dont do the whole farang -Thai text book thing though. From the moment I arrived I learnt the Thai alphabet and sara's and learnt to read the language.

That was my first step!

2nd I bought a grade 1 text book (literally called grade 1 text book)

rian nungsu pasa Thai. They are fantastic. Little kid stories about elephants and cats etc but I found the only way to learn for me. The books that Thai students use in school. (NO ENGLISH AT ALL).

Then the same as no beleeeve every word I learnt I learnt to put it into a few different sentences.

It is very hard at first but if you find someone who can help you, maybe a girl at your favourite watering hole or someone you work with or ideally your GF, they can help you with the stories.

To give you an idea, There are 2 books to grade 1 and it took me around 10 Months to get through the first book working through it everyday. the firtst chapter is the worst as you really are in the deep end but by doing it this way you dont think in English first you think in Thai when making sentences. (not always) but most of the time.

The second book I got through in 4 months. Grade 2 book 1 and book 2 in 6 months for both and so on. So it takes time but gets easier.

In The Rai!

Edited August 23, 2006 by In the Rai!

[steveromagnino]

Decide right at the beginning how important this is, and how much effort you are willing to put in. Be honest with yourself.

If you intend to live here, I see that to be an effective member of society, you should be able to speak Thai reasonably well.

This being the case, setting aside 6 months of semi full time study time is a small investment.

- AUA classes are good (I actually could speak already, and for elocution AUA was most helpful as I have a Chinese mum who filled me with bad habits)

- really try to nail the tones as fast as possible, do all 5 tones again and again and eventually you start to see the very real difference between them...ditto for the harder 'farang' sounds to master, ngor ngoo, dtor dtao vs. dor dek, bpor bplar vs. bor baimai

- learn to read and write simultaneously; otherwise as soon as you get a half decent vocab, you'll start to forget words (another form of reptition and assocation), also you can understand why the tones are what they are; there are only a few exceptions to tonal written rules

- watch Thai TV, especially simple soap operas or movies; I actually find voiced over films to be the best as they tend to be clearer soundtrack

- listen to some Thai music

I would avoid spending time in the NE or any village for that matter just to learn Thai; often their pronounciation is not good; lots of slang and you will have a fairly skewed vocab.