Why Thais don't or won't speak English.

[Forrest]

As an English teacher, this has been an interesting thread. I have put together a Power Point with audio progam which I want to try - with a little help from farang friends - to get input from.. I guess I can't paste it here, but you can see it on my Face Book page: Forrest Greenwood, I'd appreciate any input.

[Xriz]

This thread...I came here as a non English/American native to discuss about the way Thai people don't speak proper English. I now realise I'm full of myself. My English is horrendous and the way Thai people speak is perfectly fine! I wanted to complain but after seeing all the corrections by English teachers I stand corrected, <deleted> us farrang.

[sunnyjim5]

I'd say that most of the Thai kids I teach at my high school write English just as legibly as what kids did at my NZ primary school.

I say legibly as although I could probably write a lot faster than most of the boys, my writing was about as legible as theirs, while the girls here write in a similar style to the girls at my primary school (I.e. Very neat). These days I write a lot more legibly though, as I mainly write on official documents + while teaching, so have lost my "speed font" lol.

(Although I admittedly don't see the kids from the regular program writing except occasionally on the whiteboard).

"I'd say that most of the Thai kids I teach at my high school write English just as legibly as what kids did at my NZ primary school."

Did they teach Grammar in NZ ?

[Mencken]

I honestly don't think the level of English as that bad. In fact, if it were most farang wouldn't live here bcz no one speaks a bit of Thai.

At the top, there are young people attaining a reasonable fluency. Most EP and Intensdive programs in BKK produce kids with reasonable fluency and skills, less writing. At the bottom, some will make up and learn it later as they take work as tour guides, hotel/rest staff, airlines, hospitality, etc...

Don't expect a forty year old person with no real reason to speak English to learn a language midlife.

The future for most of the world's workers is not at the top, but at the bottom in services. Thailand has proven a great success at this for decades, it will continue. It has more to worry about in an overvalued baht and restrictive tourism polices as well as undemocratic governance.

Thailand will do just fine.

What Thailand really needs is to restore democracy and get rid of the corruption. It doesn't NEED English.

[alex88]

Outside of Bangkok, tourist areas, and places in Isan where farang/Thai relationships are common, most Thais will never have a use for English. What would a Thai in an ordinary non-touristed province need to speak English for? Thais still speak better English than the Japanese though. I had a lot more difficulty communicating in Japan than I do in Thailand.

[eldragon]

Makes me wonder if the Thais in New York ask each other why Americans don't or won't speak Thai

Probably not. Thai is not an international language.

[eldragon]

Outside of Bangkok, tourist areas, and places in Isan where farang/Thai relationships are common, most Thais will never have a use for English. What would a Thai in an ordinary non-touristed province need to speak English for?

And I dont think anyone's complaining about the lack of English or expecting it outside of the areas you described.

[eldragon]

The thing I find most bizarre about this issue is the way Thais seem afraid of English. Many of em give off a vibe like they cant wait to end the conversation or theyre trying to wrap things up at an awkward moment. Almost like theyre embarrassed. This is not the same as the Japanese, btw, who seem more like they cant be bothered. Many times when I speak English with a Thai, they get this look on their face like "who's watching me right now?"

[Rhys]

Let's see how about this one.. you see this type of student and national characteristic... We are Thai, never colonized... We speak Thai because we are Thai QED... 5555