Thai officials to slash number of foreign English teachers

[duanebigsby]

Expat, without looking it up, can you explain the meaning and usage of "yumptu" in Southern American English (that's U.S. south, not English spoken in South America). Can you explain the grammatical nuances of you vs. y'all vs. all y'all?

That matters not at all, because no one is advocating we teach these dialects. Your red herring is flopping around suffocating, so you best put it back where you found it.

All we are saying is that RP is far from the only standard of English to be found in the modern world. Go ahead, teach RP. Best of luck to you, but don't act like a student who successfully learns SAE or other standards, include Duane's Canadian standard, will be unable to understand RP.

Having worked with a number of Americans I am aware of their "odd" use of language !

I have no idea what "yumptu" means and have no desire to know ! `

"Standard " English is the use of language that any English speaker should be able to understand without difficulty.

The use of obscure contractions, distortions, slang and thick regional accents deny understanding

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

[JAG]

FWIW.

Inspired by working with Kevin Spacey, Sir Trevor Nunn has claimed that American accents are "closer" than contemporary English to the accents of those used in the Bard's day.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9143302/H ow-should-Shakespeare-really-sound.html

The Bard was born in 1564 in the county of Warwickshire and is, therefore, more likely to have spoken with a Warwickshire/West Midlands accent.

Sir Trevor was indulging in some fancy academic "kite flying" !

I concur with thee entirely valorous sir

I'm trying to imagine Sir Laurence Olivier doing Henry V speech on the eve of the battle of Agincourt ( "English men abed today. .."), in a Brummie accent!

:)

[Thai at Heart]

Lunacy

Not really, makes sense for once. If you want the Thais to learn English, it is going to have to be a permanent part of their curricula. Other subjects, not just English, need to be taught in English and not just for an hour or two a week. I think teaching the Thai teachers to speak English and then have them teach most subjects in English is a better way to have Thai English competency improve.

However, there will be problems with this approach. Many Thai teachers will not want to take the English courses and many who do will struggle to learn English. The result could be a long time before enough Thai teachers speak English well enough to make a difference. In the meantime, what little English the Thai school children are currently learning will diminish considerably due to the lack of foreign English teachers.

They need to hire more foreign English teachers, and allow the best foreign teachers teach the Thai teachers. However, that would be logical, and you know how logically things operate here.

They need 30 minutes of spoken English per day from the age of 3 to 9. They need to learn to read one Mr. Man book per 2 weeks from the age of 5 to 8.

They need one or two. hour a week of grammar.

They need to take all the movies and cartoons which are dubbed into Thai and instantly ban this practice and move to subtitles.

[Caitrin]

Having worked with a number of Americans I am aware of their "odd" use of language !

I have no idea what "yumptu" means and have no desire to know ! `

"Standard " English is the use of language that any English speaker should be able to understand without difficulty.

The use of obscure contractions, distortions, slang and thick regional accents deny understanding

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

Indeed, the same reason I don't greet my students with a "Howdy all y'all, how's all y'all doin' this mornin'? I reckon we just mightn't start with some voCAByuuuulaRY."

For the curious: 1 person = you, 2-4 people = y'all, 5 or more people = all y'all. A class would be roughly 30 or so, on average, so most definitely all y'all.

[SaamBaht]

Having worked with a number of Americans I am aware of their "odd" use of language !

I have no idea what "yumptu" means and have no desire to know ! `

"Standard " English is the use of language that any English speaker should be able to understand without difficulty.

The use of obscure contractions, distortions, slang and thick regional accents deny understanding

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

Indeed, the same reason I don't greet my students with a "Howdy all y'all, how's all y'all doin' this mornin'? I reckon we just mightn't start with some voCAByuuuulaRY."

For the curious: 1 person = you, 2-4 people = y'all, 5 or more people = all y'all. A class would be roughly 30 or so, on average, so most definitely all y'all.

My god, this expatbrit is stuck so far up his own ass that any accent other than the sound of the expulsion of gas would be difficult for him to comprehend.

Let us all know when you pop that bulbous head out that sagging hole.

[expatbrit]

Having worked with a number of Americans I am aware of their "odd" use of language !

I have no idea what "yumptu" means and have no desire to know ! `

"Standard " English is the use of language that any English speaker should be able to understand without difficulty.

The use of obscure contractions, distortions, slang and thick regional accents deny understanding

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

Indeed, the same reason I don't greet my students with a "Howdy all y'all, how's all y'all doin' this mornin'? I reckon we just mightn't start with some voCAByuuuulaRY."

For the curious: 1 person = you, 2-4 people = y'all, 5 or more people = all y'all. A class would be roughly 30 or so, on average, so most definitely all y'all.

My god, this expatbrit is stuck so far up his own ass that any accent other than the sound of the expulsion of gas would be difficult for him to comprehend.

Let us all know when you pop that bulbous head out that sagging hole.

A comment one would expect from an ignorant "english teacher" . The sooner the Thais effect the clear out of these fakes the better.

[SaamBaht]

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

g

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

Indeed, the same reason I don't greet my students with a "Howdy all y'all, how's all y'all doin' this mornin'? I reckon we just mightn't start with some voCAByuuuulaRY."

For the curious: 1 person = you, 2-4 people = y'all, 5 or more people = all y'all. A class would be roughly 30 or so, on average, so most definitely all y'all.

My god, this expatbrit is stuck so far up his own ass that any accent other than the sound of the expulsion of gas would be difficult for him to comprehend.

Let us all know when you pop that bulbous head out that sagging hole.

A comment one would expect from an ignorant "english teacher" . The sooner the Thais effect the clear out of these fakes the better.

Wow, you're rather the dull sort aren't you? It appears from your comment you're in need of an English teacher.

[cumgranosalum]

Having worked with a number of Americans I am aware of their "odd" use of language !

I have no idea what "yumptu" means and have no desire to know ! `

"Standard " English is the use of language that any English speaker should be able to understand without difficulty.

The use of obscure contractions, distortions, slang and thick regional accents deny understanding

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

Indeed, the same reason I don't greet my students with a "Howdy all y'all, how's all y'all doin' this mornin'? I reckon we just mightn't start with some voCAByuuuulaRY."

For the curious: 1 person = you, 2-4 people = y'all, 5 or more people = all y'all. A class would be roughly 30 or so, on average, so most definitely all y'all.

My god, this expatbrit is stuck so far up his own ass that any accent other than the sound of the expulsion of gas would be difficult for him to comprehend.

Let us all know when you pop that bulbous head out that sagging hole.

A comment one would expect from an ignorant "english teacher" . The sooner the Thais effect the clear out of these fakes the better.

Ignorant? Well I'd say this post reveals more about the poster than the postee..and all of it negative.

[cumgranosalum]

Let's face it, the title of this thread is utter nonsense and dies not truely reflect even the story, let alone the reality.

2 out of 10 for webfact...very much a misnomer in this case.

[Sawan Chan 7]

OMG the English teachers have taken over the thread. IN my 30 year experience here they are the most embarrassing group of expats. Not counting the Pattaya dwellers of course(as long as they stay within its walls).

[puukao]

32 pages = many people in Thailand are poor

I am sure this thread would get to 200 pages, if allowed

Most recent thread to 200 pages, "30 baht soup going to 40 baht." and "How I live in Thailand on 900 baht per year."

[cumgranosalum]

Lunacy

Not really, makes sense for once. If you want the Thais to learn English, it is going to have to be a permanent part of their curricula. Other subjects, not just English, need to be taught in English and not just for an hour or two a week. I think teaching the Thai teachers to speak English and then have them teach most subjects in English is a better way to have Thai English competency improve.

However, there will be problems with this approach. Many Thai teachers will not want to take the English courses and many who do will struggle to learn English. The result could be a long time before enough Thai teachers speak English well enough to make a difference. In the meantime, what little English the Thai school children are currently learning will diminish considerably due to the lack of foreign English teachers.

They need to hire more foreign English teachers, and allow the best foreign teachers teach the Thai teachers. However, that would be logical, and you know how logically things operate here.

They need 30 minutes of spoken English per day from the age of 3 to 9. They need to learn to read one Mr. Man book per 2 weeks from the age of 5 to 8.

They need one or two. hour a week of grammar.

They need to take all the movies and cartoons which are dubbed into Thai and instantly ban this practice and move to subtitles.

...and the basis food this recipe is?

[Thai at Heart]

Lunacy

Not really, makes sense for once. If you want the Thais to learn English, it is going to have to be a permanent part of their curricula. Other subjects, not just English, need to be taught in English and not just for an hour or two a week. I think teaching the Thai teachers to speak English and then have them teach most subjects in English is a better way to have Thai English competency improve.

However, there will be problems with this approach. Many Thai teachers will not want to take the English courses and many who do will struggle to learn English. The result could be a long time before enough Thai teachers speak English well enough to make a difference. In the meantime, what little English the Thai school children are currently learning will diminish considerably due to the lack of foreign English teachers.

They need to hire more foreign English teachers, and allow the best foreign teachers teach the Thai teachers. However, that would be logical, and you know how logically things operate here.

They need 30 minutes of spoken English per day from the age of 3 to 9. They need to learn to read one Mr. Man book per 2 weeks from the age of 5 to 8.

They need one or two. hour a week of grammar.

They need to take all the movies and cartoons which are dubbed into Thai and instantly ban this practice and move to subtitles.

...and the basis food this recipe is?

A reasonable minimum.

Anyone on here who studied French in the old days was exposed to something a bit like this. Little and often, regular repetition etc.

I don't claim to be a language expert but I did languages to A level and then as part of degree courses. I picked up speaking passable Thai and Mandarin in Asia over the years.

My kids are established bilingual 3 or 4 years old and are back in the UK using both English and Thai, and taking other languages well.

They have to do away with dubbing particularly for stuff kids will watch. 30 minutes a day of speaking English would be a huge improvement on what they have now, start it young, the younger the better.

Feel free to spice up me recipe however you like but I reckon it would be pretty palatable and practical.

[expatbrit]

Thai at Heart

There is some truth in what you say . My wife and I took care of a young Thai baby ( The reasons for that are not up for discussion or debate)

I spoke to the baby in English and my wife spoke to her using Thai. By the time the child went to school she was comfortably bilingual.

The youngster is now happily reunited with her parents but retains her language skills with the encouragement of an English speaking Thai teacher.

[smotherb]

Having worked with a number of Americans I am aware of their "odd" use of language !

I have no idea what "yumptu" means and have no desire to know ! `

"Standard " English is the use of language that any English speaker should be able to understand without difficulty.

The use of obscure contractions, distortions, slang and thick regional accents deny understanding

Of course! That is why we keep it out of the classrooms.

That's why i don't greet my students with 'g'day, eh, I just bought a skookum new toque"

Indeed, the same reason I don't greet my students with a "Howdy all y'all, how's all y'all doin' this mornin'? I reckon we just mightn't start with some voCAByuuuulaRY."

For the curious: 1 person = you, 2-4 people = y'all, 5 or more people = all y'all. A class would be roughly 30 or so, on average, so most definitely all y'all.

Ain't you fargot all'uns meenin all peoples and some'uns meenin some peoples. If'n yer gonna speech Merrican, best doit propply.

[cumgranosalum]

In reality US english uses far more archaic terms and pronunciations than UK English, there is a perception amongst many uniformed British English speakers that their version is the "original" - In fact they have the wrong end of the stick...UK English has changed quite a lot.

US has developed a large range of vocabulary that UK English has adopted, most people are unaware of these everyday words and simply assume they came from British English.

British English speakers however tend to be beter at understanding other forms of English, especially American as we grew up listening to it on the plethora of TV shows and pop songs that flood the UK media...the reverse is not the case and US speakers tend to grow up in a linguistic "splendid isolation".

[bangmai]

Speaking of archaic, what about the British numbering system? Not even Bloomberg London uses it.

[JAG]

Speaking of archaic, what about the British numbering system? Not even Bloomberg London uses it.

You think so?

It seems pretty simple, and universally used to me. It starts at one, and the numbers follow in sequence pretty well as far as you want to go.

One might say - to coin a phrase - " to infinity and beyond! "

[bangmai]

Speaking of archaic, what about the British numbering system? Not even Bloomberg London uses it.

You think so?

It seems pretty simple, and universally used to me. It starts at one, and the numbers follow in sequence pretty well as far as you want to go.

One might say - to coin a phrase - " to infinity and beyond! "

I'm talking about the confusing ways they use million, billion, trillion, etc..I guess if you're born a "commoner" in England, you have no business learning large numbers.

It appears they officially adopted the US system in 1974, but it still causes confusion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

[JAG]

Well if we adopted the US system then why is there any confusion? It seems simple enough, even to a "commoner" like me.

Incidentally, I think you will find that even "commoners" learn about and deal with large figures in England now. We have rather moved on from the days of Charles Dickens you know, in much the same way as your lot have stopped keeping black people as slaves!

[cumgranosalum]

Speaking of archaic, what about the British numbering system? Not even Bloomberg London uses it.

You think so?

It seems pretty simple, and universally used to me. It starts at one, and the numbers follow in sequence pretty well as far as you want to go.

One might say - to coin a phrase - " to infinity and beyond! "

I'm talking about the confusing ways they use million, billion, trillion, etc..I guess if you're born a "commoner" in England, you have no business learning large numbers.

It appears they officially adopted the US system in 1974, but it still causes confusion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

I don't see what point you are trying to make - the words come from the

french and the meaning has changed a couple of times - i think you need to check the etymology too.

[featography]

Is there a survey?

Who speaks better english:

a. thai english teachers, or

b. thai gogo girls, or

c. thai tourist police, or

d. thai politicians ?

Employees in the airline industry.

[Johnniey]

I was in US Peace Corps in the '70's in Colombia. We had a 3 month intensive Spanish course, mornings and afternoons, took place in Bogota. The teachers were quite good and all native Colombians. Did I feel qualified to teach Spanish to others at the end? Heck no.

This plan (as pointed out) is poor on so many levels. If want intensive 6 week course, it should be held in an English speaking country. Students would have to learn and use the language to survive. Of course have native speakers. Do Thais know enough idioms to "step up to the plate". I doubt they could "knock this one out of the ballpark" when they can't even find "home plate".

These ministers who make decisions suffer from disconnect from reality. They need to "wake up and smell the coffee".

My old pal who worked in the CIA spent 6 months learning Russian and it was fluent enough to go on a mission and not be suspected of not being Russian.

Did he have a watch with a radio transmitter and an abseiling rope hidden inside it?

No but he did show me a card from an ex Vietnamese leader basically saying licenced to kill. Got the 5th order of the white elephant from the king of Thailand. Quite a guy.was also first secretary at us embassy. Wrote an amazing book which I have on file.

[Johnniey]

I was in US Peace Corps in the '70's in Colombia. We had a 3 month intensive Spanish course, mornings and afternoons, took place in Bogota. The teachers were quite good and all native Colombians. Did I feel qualified to teach Spanish to others at the end? Heck no.

This plan (as pointed out) is poor on so many levels. If want intensive 6 week course, it should be held in an English speaking country. Students would have to learn and use the language to survive. Of course have native speakers. Do Thais know enough idioms to "step up to the plate". I doubt they could "knock this one out of the ballpark" when they can't even find "home plate".

These ministers who make decisions suffer from disconnect from reality. They need to "wake up and smell the coffee".

My old pal who worked in the CIA spent 6 months learning Russian and it was fluent enough to go on a mission and not be suspected of not being Russian.

Did he have a watch with a radio transmitter and an abseiling rope hidden inside it?

No but he did show me a card from an ex Vietnamese leader basically saying licenced to kill. Got the 5th order of the white elephant from the king of Thailand. Quite a guy.was also first secretary at us embassy. Wrote an amazing book which I have on file.

[Johnniey]

[quote name="Johnniey"

I was in US Peace Corps in the '70's in Colombia. We had a 3 month intensive Spanish course, mornings and afternoons, took place in Bogota. The teachers were quite good and all native Colombians. Did I feel qualified to teach Spanish to others at the end? Heck no.

This plan (as pointed out) is poor on so many levels. If want intensive 6 week course, it should be held in an English speaking country. Students would have to learn and use the language to survive. Of course have native speakers. Do Thais know enough idioms to "step up to the plate". I doubt they could "knock this one out of the ballpark" when they can't even find "home plate".

These ministers who make decisions suffer from disconnect from reality. They need to "wake up and smell the coffee".

My old pal who worked in the CIA spent 6 months learning Russian and it was fluent enough to go on a mission and not be suspected of not being Russian.

Did he have a watch with a radio transmitter and an abseiling rope hidden inside it?

[Gandtee]

I have never met a Thai person speak near native English and that includes Thai people I knew living in Canada.

This program is one sick joke.

Perhaps you should meet my Thai grandson

[brewsterbudgen]

Is there a survey?

Who speaks better english:

a. thai english teachers, or

b. thai gogo girls, or

c. thai tourist police, or

d. thai politicians ?

Employees in the airline industry.

I'd say teachers, then tourist police, then gogo girls and finally politicians.

[cumgranosalum]

I was in US Peace Corps in the '70's in Colombia. We had a 3 month intensive Spanish course, mornings and afternoons, took place in Bogota. The teachers were quite good and all native Colombians. Did I feel qualified to teach Spanish to others at the end? Heck no.

This plan (as pointed out) is poor on so many levels. If want intensive 6 week course, it should be held in an English speaking country. Students would have to learn and use the language to survive. Of course have native speakers. Do Thais know enough idioms to "step up to the plate". I doubt they could "knock this one out of the ballpark" when they can't even find "home plate".

These ministers who make decisions suffer from disconnect from reality. They need to "wake up and smell the coffee".

My old pal who worked in the CIA spent 6 months learning Russian and it was fluent enough to go on a mission and not be suspected of not being Russian.

Did he have a watch with a radio transmitter and an abseiling rope hidden inside it?

No but he did show me a card from an ex Vietnamese leader basically saying licenced to kill. Got the 5th order of the white elephant from the king of Thailand. Quite a guy.was also first secretary at us embassy. Wrote an amazing book which I have on file.

good grief........... now every Thai has to be a spy?

[Sawan Chan 7]

I have never met a Thai person speak near native English and that includes Thai people I knew living in Canada.

This program is one sick joke.

Perhaps you should meet my Thai grandson

I've met a few Thais that speak better English than me - they were educated in England.

It shows he circles you keep if you've never met a Thai who speaks English like a native.

[cumgranosalum]

I have never met a Thai person speak near native English and that includes Thai people I knew living in Canada.

This program is one sick joke.

Perhaps you should meet my Thai grandson

I've met a few Thais that speak better English than me - they were educated in England.

It shows he circles you keep if you've never met a Thai who speaks English like a native.

it also shows how utterly worthless personal anecdotes are......