"Roundabout" now equals "dolphin"?

[wpcoe]

This was a new one to me. Yesterday I took a taxi to a condo on Soi Watboon in Jomtien and the driver said "Near dolphin?" And I couldn't figure out what he meant. I've lived in Jomtien for almost ten years and knew of nothing with dolphin in the name, nor any dolphin landmarks like the "Dolphin Roundabout" at the intersection of Pattaya Second Road and Pattaya Nua Road.

Later on, it dawned on me that the driver probably knew that the road structure at Second Rd & Nua had the word dolphin in it, so now calls the roundabout on Jomtien Second Road & Soi Watboon "Dolphin," rather than using the second (correct-in-English) word "Roundabout." Wonder if that's a common for Thai speakers in Pattaya/Jomtien or if it was a quirk of that particular driver.

[MJCM]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Edited December 27, 2015 by MJCM

[balo]

Call it Circus next time.

[lopburi3]

[Michaelaway]

Stayed here when we first came to the Pattaya area; 10 years ago:

http://dolphin-place.bookconfirm.com/

[MJCM]

Stayed here when we first came to the Pattaya area; 10 years ago:

http://dolphin-place.bookconfirm.com/

[LivinLOS]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Yet isnt the point of the OP that there is no dolphin feature on the one in Jomtien.. The dolphin feature is naklua roundabout..

[Brit_Doggie]

Dolphin no circus but reminds me way back of my days at isle of man tt races.

[MJCM]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Yet isnt the point of the OP that there is no dolphin feature on the one in Jomtien.. The dolphin feature is naklua roundabout..

Thank you for pointing that out !!

[Mojomor]

Dolphin roundabout has not been a roundabout for a long time now i.e. we can no longer drive 360 degrees around it.

[SoiBiker]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

[JHolmesJr]

Thais associating meaning with sounds

They don't recognise the word 'friend'…..

They've heard farangs say "Im giving to meet my friend….or Im waiting for my friend.

So they think the word for friend is 'my friend'….myfriend me or my friend you.

Cute but silly.

[berybert]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Are you aware of what shape a circus is ?.. Clue, Its not dolphin shaped.

[tropo]

Call it Circus next time.

That's a very apt description of what "dolphins" are here LOL. Most Thais view them as annoying inconveniences.

[tropo]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

Yes, but isn't a British Circus a rounded open space where several streets converge? IMO nearly all intersections here in Pattaya are circuses. with loads of clowns.

Edited December 27, 2015 by tropo

[MJCM]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

You might have overlooked that I used the word TRANSLATE and THAI to ENGLISH

[doctormann]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

I don't know about the elephants but the clowns are just down the road in the Palace of Westminster!

DM

[Estrada]

Originally the Pattaya Rotary Club fought for a roundabout at the junction near the Dusit Resort and provided a Rotary clock for the centre piece some 30 years ago. Unfortunately the clocks kept stopping so they rebuilt the feature with fountains and dolphins around 20 years or so ago. The dolphin roundabout is one of the most well known landmarks in Pattaya. It is known as the Dolphin Circle (American language), Dolphin roundabout (English language), Kreisel (German) or Rotonde(French) on Google Maps.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Estrada

[biplanebluey]

Dolphin no circus but reminds me way back of my days at isle of man tt races.

Really?fancy that!!

[jesimps]

Dolphin no circus but reminds me way back of my days at isle of man tt races.

Really?fancy that!!

There used to be a Dolphin bar in Jomtien on the left going from Thepraya to Beach Rd.

[1FinickyOne]

Thai can be very quirky - that is part of the fun of being here - many Thai people that I know who speak just a little English very much enjoy using the few words they know, even if not 100% correctly…

Enjoy the quirks.

[LannaGuy]

yes this is the "Dolphin" most of us refer to so if he meant somewhere else it could get tricky

[bangon04]

Call it Circus next time.

Piccadilly Circus is/was one of the most famous roundabouts in London.

Oxford Circus, Holborn Circus, Cambridge Circus, etc etc

Circus is a synonym for a road junction where several roads meet.

[Gsxrnz]

There is a "statue" at the traffic lights where Thappraya Road turns to Jomtien Beach. The locals refer to this as the Dolphin Statue. That will be what your taxi driver was referring to.

See it here https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@12.9012469,100.8699544,3a,75y,196.74h,82.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spET3zwhvMT-E2_Un_9YuiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So no, I don't think Thais have morphed the word "Dolphin" to mean roundabout.

[LannaGuy]

Call it Circus next time.

Piccadilly Circus is/was one of the most famous roundabouts in London.

Oxford Circus, Holborn Circus, Cambridge Circus, etc etc

Circus is a synonym for a road junction where several roads meet.

more accurately it's short for 'circular junction'

[NoshowJones]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

There are certainly clowns, look no further than the MPs at Westminster.

[ResandePohm]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

Yes, but isn't a British Circus a rounded open space where several streets converge? IMO nearly all intersections here in Pattaya are circuses. with loads of clowns.

The same logic can also be applied to the UK. While travelling in the North recently I was lost and had to ask directions. It took me a while to figure out that they called "roundabouts" "islands" up there.Trying to follow the directions was like travelling through some Northern archipelago.

[tropo]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

Yes, but isn't a British Circus a rounded open space where several streets converge? IMO nearly all intersections here in Pattaya are circuses. with loads of clowns.

The same logic can also be applied to the UK. While travelling in the North recently I was lost and had to ask directions. It took me a while to figure out that they called "roundabouts" "islands" up there.Trying to follow the directions was like travelling through some Northern archipelago.

To make it even more interesting, in some countries they are referred to as "traffic circles".

[wpcoe]

There is a "statue" at the traffic lights where Thappraya Road turns to Jomtien Beach. The locals refer to this as the Dolphin Statue. That will be what your taxi driver was referring to.

See it here https://www.google.co.nz/maps/@12.9012469,100.8699544,3a,75y,196.74h,82.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spET3zwhvMT-E2_Un_9YuiA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So no, I don't think Thais have morphed the word "Dolphin" to mean roundabout.

Thais refer to that as "dolphin?" Everybody I know refers to it as the "Hanuman statue." Live and learn!

[SheungWan]

I don't think a lot of Foreigners know the Thai word for Roundabout, which is Wong Wian so the driver just used a distinctive feature which is the dolpin.

Btw: if you type the Thai words for roundabout into Google translate it comes back to English as Circus

Circus is another name for a circular road junction in English. Hence Piccadilly Circus. You didn't think we had elephants and clowns in the middle of London, did you?

Yes. Birthplace of Charlie Chaplin, Elephant and Castle.