Words of wisdom: Teacher trash talks Thais who fake farang accent

[VIPinthailand]

farang staying too long in Thailand say "ouheeey! "

Edited December 12, 2015 by VIPinthailand

[wattaman]

Interesting. I have never heard a "farang" accent.

Nor have I ever heard of a Thai faking a English or American accent, or not able to speak Thai any more.

I know a few kiddies (my own including) that sound a little more American 'cause of the influence of cartoon network.

And of course, I can pin point the area on the map that any Thai that studied in the UK based on the accent they came back with - but only when they speak English.

But fake accents? I think Adam is a bit of a f*ckwit. Fact is - if you send a Thai to London for 2-3 years, they will pick up the accent when they speak English.

I wan thinking about a much harder word to describe this guy

Fact is, I've been living in Turkey for only 2 months when I was younger. It took me at least 1 month to get rid of the 'gipsy accent' - as my friends described it lol

And the accent was present when I was speaking my mother language, mind that I don't know Turkish.

So I guess some people are easier to influence, while some others are not.

I'm curious to know if this guy has a 'farang accent' when speaking Thai, or he forgot about it now.

[smotherb]

While I have not heard a Thai claim they forgot to speak their native language after a period abroad; however, I have heard Filipinas and Vietnamese claim that.

[SOTIRIOS]

....pretense is alive and well in Thailand...and it doesn't begin or stop there...

...but what is the point more than that...now...

..not getting enough attention lately....

....launching a new show and need some exposure...

...going into politics....

...hmmm...I wonder...

...suddenly concerned about people being forthright...

Edited December 12, 2015 by SOTIRIOS

[LannaGuy]

farang staying too long in Thailand say "ouheeey! "

only gay ones

[Mot Dang]

We know if we have met a rolling stone or a well anchored tree with deep roots when their mouths open...

I know what you mean. I get the same impression when forum members pretend they live in Thailand, and in fact they don't, and probably have never been here other than on a 5 day stay over. You usually can pick up straight away that they are BS'íng. Their arguments and comments just don't ring true to anyone who has lived here a long time.

[Toknarok]

I was on a Thai Airways plane travelling from Bangkok to Perth W. Aust. Had a bit of a chat with one of the air hostesses. After a while I asked her "Where did you learn your English?" She replied "In Bangkok University"

I then asked "Was your English teacher Scots by any chance?' This seemed to surprise her and she answered in the affirmative. I said "I thought so, you speak English with a slight Scottish accent"

People are great mimics often doing it unconsciously.

[Mot Dang]

My wife came back here after 5-6 years overseas. All her friends said she no longer spoke Thai properly. A few times, they said they didn't understand her and asked if she was born here or not! LOL

Yes, that happened to my wife, and truthfully she wasn't faking. Some people asked her if she was Filipino.

But then again, some people (particularly Uni students), when I wasn't around, asked where a farm girl like her learnt such good English.

[Ombra]

What really annoys me is when I observe other foreigners here who, for lack of a better term, speak "bar girl English", which is usually also accompanied by a lot of hand gestures and comical miming.

I couldn't agree more. I know a couple of Englishmen who speak in exactly this way. I've been tempted to ask them why they do it, but my wife has told me to just ignore it. It seems very dumb, though.

[AlphMichaels]

Have watched and listened to the guy (speak fluently, both English & Thai) many years now. I'd guess he has a better handle on the topic than most slamming him here.

[Lupatria]

After the Junta’s gag order for the media it must be extremely difficult for some “journalists” to fill the blank pages. Now I’m waiting for an exclusive insider interview with someone growing parsley on his balcony to practice self-sufficiency.

[i claudius]

My son spent years from when he was 5 until he was 13 in the UK and when he speaks English he has a local accent , does that count wa----r ?

[SiSePuede419]

I speak Asian English (to Thais who speak a little English), just so I can be more easily understood.

That's more about simplifying the grammar and reversing the order of the words in the sentence.

555

[SupermarineS6B]

Fake accent ? Anyone knows that if you spend time anywhere with a different language you'll pick up something from that language........ You can almost tell where a westerner's been on his travels after about twenty minutes of conversation, it's either dotted with SE Asian slang, Boom boom, Jiggy Jiggy, same same, etc, etc...... Or it'll be inshallah, bukra , Malaysh...... etc etc........ But to fake an accent....... No......... Got a good Thai girlfriend who spent years in Switzerland and who speaks German, she occaisonally gets tongue tied between Thai, German and English, and it sounds hilarious, but in no way is it fake, or is it designed at a shot at being Hi-so...... just a confusion of experiences...... Can be sexy as well....; )) Words of wisdom ????? Not really.......

Edited December 12, 2015 by SupermarineS6B

[ghworker2010]

what a tosser. Coming to thailand and making presumptions on thai nationals.

[Richard Hall]

Got Adam's point. Live in Thailand 16 years myself and communicate at 90% of my time in Thai language. Neither my German nor English features a Thai accent.

Met some Germans in the USA living there for 25 years plus. Their German was deeply influenced by American pronunciation but this was surely not intended by them. I have my doubts that this will be the case after just 2 or 3 years abroad. Conclusion, as Adam reckoned, there are some people trying to show off which, however, does not up-grade them to HiSo but rather ridiculousness.

[LarryBird]

I think it's cool he called 'em out if it's happening, because no one else would have. I'm sure a lot of Thais appreciate it. I've never come across a Thai that did this, but I also probably wouldn't notice.

[trainman34014]

It's all useless crap really and no different to people in their own countries moving from one region to another and taking on local accent's. In 1988 i moved from Kent to Somerset for 18 years and every time i went 'back home' my family and friends told me i was speaking with ' Zomerzet speak' , and i expect that was true. Was i bovvered ?...Not in the least.

According to my Thai wife a lot of Thai's cannot speak their own language properly anyway, at any time, including people the ilk of Yingluck and other so called 'High So's '.

[dru2]

Have watched and listened to the guy (speak fluently, both English & Thai) many years now. I'd guess he has a better handle on the topic than most slamming him here.

Anyone who uses the generic term 'Farang" or 'Westerner" to describe an accent is an idiot.

A Portuguese is a Farang, as is a Georgian, a Swede and a German.

There is no such thing as a "Farang" accent, and for a Westerner to use the term is about as bright as a Thai talking about 'speaking Farang".

[SiSePuede419]

"lot of Thai's cannot speak their own language properly anyway, at any time, including people the ilk of Yingluck"

Hard to believe. What is "properly"?

I suspect she is using less formal language?

Or is it her Kentucky accent?

555

[Shiver]

farang staying too long in Thailand say "ouheeey! "

Lol, there's hope for me yet then.

I must admit that I'm guilty of, when talking to Thais in English I do change the words to match their version of English. Using present tense rather than past tense is a particular failure of mine. I also speak at about half speed (and they often do the same in return when speaking Thai, to give me a chance). I always swore I'd never do that bastardised English, so that if they wanted to learn from me they could get it something like correct, but being immersed in that Tinglit style of speaking for so long, and simply wanting to be understood, after a while standards slip.

I always presumed it was because they were doing word for word translation of their own language structure, but they have a lot of trouble with the language (as do we with theirs). My favourite lately was "chan chii" ("I" rather than "E" sound) - I asked if it was a bus company or something as I was perplexed. Turns out it was English for "sunshine" (interchangeable U's and A's, dropping the end of the word etc).

Even my GF of 5 years cannot say my name yet because it ends in an "L". It's not only BG's that talk like this. I suspect it's how they learn at school (I have no proof of that). There are just a few that have either lived or been educated abroad that can get it right (or kids that have a farang parent over here and learned from day 1).

[bbbbooboo]

....yawn

[DrTuner]

Finally, a bona fide "this happens in other countries too". I myself haven't spoken my native language except with my elderly mother on telephone for nearly a decade, but there's still no accent, just antiquated phrases. I guess by now I could paint my face brown and go be all hi-so and <deleted> back there.

[atyclb]

Anyone know how or where Adam learned Thai, because he really is fluent

force yourself to learn the alphabet, read and write, type every day. dont live in the farang ghetto. lots of online stuff and applications for android, ios mac and pc

[MockingJay]

I like the introduction, "Minor local celebrity Adam Bradshaw...", because it says so much using just a few words. Since he's here long enough to learn the local language, it appears that he forgot to learn when it is time to better shut up. Don't think this stunt will do him any good, nor will it boost his "minor celeb" career...

[cyberfarang]

Seems the Falang is a Thai wannabe. Think he should mind his P-lees and Q-lues and stlay out of Thai bluissiness.

[realenglish1]

Actually my wife as made a concerted effort to learn the English speaking accent and why not That is what learning English is about

[gawaterman]

My wife has been living with me for 35 years here in Australia, and while I cant tell of any changes in her Thai speaking, when we go on holiday back to Thailand a lot of the Thais think she was born over seas and learnt Thai there.

And I can assure you she isn't trying to sound hi-so, she would never do that.

[LarryBird]

Anyone know how or where Adam learned Thai, because he really is fluent

force yourself to learn the alphabet, read and write, type every day. dont live in the farang ghetto. lots of online stuff and applications for android, ios mac and pc

Yes, and then people will say "oh my god, you can read and write Thai!" Because that really is the biggest benefit. Of course anyone serious about learning Thai at a HIGH LEVEL will put in the time of becoming literate in the language, but that's what becoming an expert in anything entails... Filling in the gaps and attention to detail. But to attain an intermediate speaking level really isn't a requirement. This is coming from someone who did learn to read and write.

[Tony125]

Adam may be an English teacher but I don't think he is a linquistics major. Normally up to the age of 13 if you speak a language and then learn another you will speak the other with an accent but not always. I lived in Boston, Mass USA , we have a strong accent when speaking English that anyone living elsewhere in the USA will know where we are from when we talk. However when I speak Thai here ( nid noi ) the people say I pronounce the words exactly just like a Thai while my friends from USA are told they speak Thai with an accent. Probably because I have Spanish, Portugese and French friends who I tried to speak with and learned to listen to the differences in tone and prononciations with words.

In the US people from the South speak with a drawl that many people assocoiate with being stupid so many TV news, sports, weather ect people take lessons to lose the drawl so as not to seem uneducated.

I have a Thai friend who spent 2--3 years in NYC and 5 years in Boston both going to school and teaching. Her English is perfect as far as sentence structure and prononciation abit with a slight Boston accent .Her Thai friends who also speak English but with Thai accent say she sometimes misprononces Thai words. I sometime mix up pronounciation of words between Portugese and Spanish because even if some words are spelled the same they are pronounced differently

So Adam may be correct that SOME Thai are trying to show they have been overseas by speaking Thai with an accent it is also fairly easy to have happen.