How to describe each other

[Bulldozer Dawn]

I took the time to learn the phrase "I don't speak English in Russian".

 

I already speak fluent Bahasa Indonesian.

 

And my Thai is pretty good.

 

Whenever I am approached by an English speaking foreigner here I answer them in Russian.

 

Whenever I am approached by a Thai I answer in Indonesian.

 

Whenever I approach a cute Thai girl I use my best Thai.

 

Works a treat.

[AhFarangJa]

Doesn't worry me, look at my username........

[speckio]

why are you bitching about it on a message board? take it up with the person or people who are causing this pet peeve of yours.

[dentonian]

12 hours ago, grollies said:

I think the term farang refers to any white person of European origin so Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, etc all fit the definition.

 

12 hours ago, BKKBodhisattva said:

Not all Westerners are white.

Farang (Thai: ฝรั่ง [faràŋ], colloquially [falàŋ]) is a generic Thai word for someone of European ancestry, no matter where they may come from. The Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, the official dictionary of Thai words, defines the word as "a person of white race".

 

farang dam (Thai: ฝรั่งดำ; 'black farang')

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

 

Although the g/f tells me most Thais use the word 'negro' to describe a black foreigner.

[khunbillmex]

14 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

What single English word could replace "farang"?

Serious question, I can't think of one.

 

 

 

 

Ugh, not exactly English but how about Gringo?  

Drove me up the wall during 20 years in Mexico hearing gringos refer to themselves as gringos.

[sawadee1947]

14 hours ago, Gonefortea said:

I did state in my origional post I feel slightly disrespected when another forigner calls me a Falang. If Thais call it me I have no truck with it. Personaly I would never address a fellow forigner as a falang. What others call each other has no real bearing on my post as it specifically relates to a Thai word.

me too I'm feeling not comfortable when called farang by other Westerners. And it is disrespectful for me. Even I try o explain to Thai people. My wife she knows God sake and explains in case to her friends.

[ianwheldale]

I mean there's people who are precious and then there's the OP who takes it to a new level. 

[brianj1964]

12 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

No, but all white Westerners are Farang. Thais have other terms for people who are not white.

usually the word chocolate, no disrespect

Edited February 20, 2017 by brianj1964

[MyFriend You]

1 hour ago, steve73 said:

Thais use negro or "similar" when referring to blacks (African or otherwise) - never meant as offensive, but often considered so by PC farangs.

 

Caucasian is probably the best definition of Farang.

I've not heard of that one before from a Thai, maybe BG's - Kuhn Dum is more likely ..........  for me, I find it easier to spell it like it is pronounced by the majority,  Fahlung, FarRang is waay of base.  Don't mind it very much at all, though I refer "He's Amedican" to Fah Lung anyday.  

What irks me more is all the expats referring their wives to  "My Thai Wife"  do they have other wives, if they have a wife from their native country, do they refer them to their American wife, German wife , British wife??  Boggles the mind, I'll get another cup of coffee now........

[sanukjim]

OK, Would "Very sensitive feelings boy" be better. Or how about just Axxhole.

[ResandePohm]

14 hours ago, Gonefortea said:

Well maybe if your conversing Purley in Thai with another Thai speaker then ok it can be appropriate. But when I hear it it's English to English and suddenly it's dropped in, which is not really appropriate. There are enough words in the English language to use between English speakers without resorting to Falang in the middle of a sentence. 

British English has been appropriating foreign words into it own vocabulary for generations i.e bungalow, khaki, chit, chutney, avatar etc etc.Why do you want it to stop now? After all it how the English languages has developed.

 

Do you get offended when another farang calls a one story house a bungalow.

 

How stupid

[MANFROMBOCA]

its not disrespectful unless its use with another word such as scumbag farang,,   ( a little thin skinned arent we)

[elgordo38]

Does not bother me one way or another but I know people that it does bother. 

[elgordo38]

6 minutes ago, MANFROMBOCA said:

its not disrespectful unless its use with another word such as scumbag farang,,   ( a little thin skinned arent we)

Yes  your right. If you want to have friends in this world you must be somewhat tolerant of their views. I have friends who think on different planes of thought and accept that. 

[dentonian]

1 minute ago, elgordo38 said:

Yes  your right. If you want to have friends in this world you must be somewhat tolerant of their views. I have friends who think on different planes of thought and accept that. 

I think your friends, Thai or any other nationality, you would expect them to call you by name.

In those situations I would find the term 'Farang' disrespectful.

[elgordo38]

1 minute ago, dentonian said:

I think your friends, Thai or any other nationality, you would expect them to call you by name.

In those situations I would find the term 'Farang' disrespectful.

Again you seem like a nice opinionated fellow and I respect your views. What I expect in life and what I get are often 2 different things. Go with the flow. Its a minor issue and being blown way out of proportion. 

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

I'd love to see the non-stop ranting and raving coming from the "Donald" if he was called a Farang, 555

Seriously doubt it....

[elgordo38]

4 minutes ago, dentonian said:

I think your friends, Thai or any other nationality, you would expect them to call you by name.

In those situations I would find the term 'Farang' disrespectful.

Same answer I gave MANFROMBOCA and they do call me by name they do not say to me "Hey Farang how are you today" rather ridiculous. When out and about and when I hear the word Farang I presume they might be talking about me and well that is fine to. I have other more important things that occupy my time like sitting here at the keyboard explaining this my opinion to you which I gladly do and share. See are we friends now??

[KBsinter]

Many Thais mean it as "Western oriental gentleman"...............lol

[smotherb]

15 hours ago, Gonefortea said:

I did state in my origional post I feel slightly disrespected when another forigner calls me a Falang. If Thais call it me I have no truck with it. Personaly I would never address a fellow forigner as a falang. What others call each other has no real bearing on my post as it specifically relates to a Thai word.

I suggest you quit being so overly-sensitive.---it will make your time here less stressful. This is Thailand, and in Thai a Western foreigner is farang. You are in Thailand and you are a Western foreigner. If a farang calls you a farang; where is the disrespect? There simply may be no need to say you are from old blighty.

[ResandePohm]

Just now, smotherb said:

I suggest you quit being so overly-sensitive.---it will make your time here less stressful. This is Thailand, and in Thai a Western foreigner is farang. You are in Thailand and you are a Western foreigner. If a farang calls you a farang; where is the disrespect? There simply may be no need to say you are from old blighty.

Maybe he prefers to be called a Pom or a Limey

 

[georgemandm]

I brought this topic up some years ago and here it is again.

To me it is a  racist word use by Thais but Thais don't get  taught  not to be racist by there  peas . 

When I hear western use it and write it , makes me think how racist those people are .

I have told my thai partner how I don't like that word from the first day I meet her and  

 Exploited to her why I don't like it and she said ok and never uses that word with me .

It is a made up word by Thais who can't say  French man  and now they say that word f????? .

like the word w?g just a racist word .

used by lots of westerners who are racist.

I don't blame thai people because most of them are not  educated it the  racism that go's on in the world.

just my say and how I feel about it , we live in a  racist world now and have always live in one , hop it changes but I sure it will not .

I am lucky my country dose not let people be  racists in public . 

But we have lots of  racist people .

 

 

[georgemandm]

19 minutes ago, smotherb said:

I suggest you quit being so overly-sensitive.---it will make your time here less stressful. This is Thailand, and in Thai a Western foreigner is farang. You are in Thailand and you are a Western foreigner. If a farang calls you a farang; where is the disrespect? There simply may be no need to say you are from old blighty.

Have you heard of the word w?g  racist word same as the word f????g .

but Thais have no idea about  racism in there country because are not  taught not to be  racists .

you will not get a well  educated thai use that word at all , would use the thai word 

chaao-dtàang-châat witch is the right word .

[ResandePohm]

9 minutes ago, georgemandm said:

Have you heard of the word w?g  racist word same as the word f????g .

but Thais have no idea about  racism in there country because are not  taught not to be  racists .

you will not get a well  educated thai use that word at all , would use the thai word 

chaao-dtàang-châat witch is the right word .

Sounds like something a Frog would say

[dentonian]

31 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

Same answer I gave MANFROMBOCA and they do call me by name they do not say to me "Hey Farang how are you today" rather ridiculous. When out and about and when I hear the word Farang I presume they might be talking about me and well that is fine to. I have other more important things that occupy my time like sitting here at the keyboard explaining this my opinion to you which I gladly do and share. See are we friends now??

We have the same opinion, I expect friends to call me by name.

If someone I don't know refers to me as a Farang, it's not an issue, if Thai, I refer to them as a Thai, not knowing their name.

 

A lot of Thais find foreign names tounge  twisters, so easier to use the term 'Farang' sometimes.

God knows I find some Thai names impossible to pronounce.

[Foexie]

19 hours ago, Gonefortea said:

The word itself means no disrespect from Thai's but I must admit to feeling a little disrespected when called it by another western person. 

Yes you are right.

 

But i even don't like when they call me farang. If they talk with me in English i Always correct them to say i am a foreigner.

 

When i hear the word" farang" i connected it with those, uhm, real man who only come to Thailand to visit those cultural high standing places as the beach road in Pattaya  or the worship places as soi cowboy in Bkk.

[transam]

Think some folk have their head up their ass.........

 

In Ubon on 11th hour of the 11th month every year Ubon town puts on a "Service" to commemorate the sacrifices we all paid in some way during and after wars. A big ceremony with brass bands and the flags of many nations involved. Totally funded by Ubon. When allied prisoners of war were released from the Jap clutches the Ubon folk took care of many to get them fit enough to go home....

 

Ubon provides many wreaths to represent different folk affected and for those paying their respects. One year I had the honour of placing a wreath representing westerners living in Ubon. The words on that wreath were..

 

"Farangs of Ubon".............

 

So who thinks the word is disrespectful...?

 

 

 

[Bulldozer Dawn]

8 minutes ago, transam said:

Think some folk have their head up their ass.........

 

In Ubon on 11th hour of the 11th month every year Ubon town puts on a "Service" to commemorate the sacrifices we all paid in some way during and after wars. A big ceremony with brass bands and the flags of many nations involved. Totally funded by Ubon. When allied prisoners of war were released from the Jap clutches the Ubon folk took care of many to get them fit enough to go home....

 

Ubon provides many wreaths to represent different folk affected and for those paying their respects. One year I had the honour of placing a wreath representing westerners living in Ubon. The words on that wreath were..

 

"Farangs of Ubon".............

 

So who thinks the word is disrespectful...?

 

 

 

And the best you could do was show up in cargo pants and an old polo?

[transam]

1 minute ago, Bulldozer Dawn said:

And the best you could do was show up in cargo pants and an old polo?

Actually that is my uniform given to me by the Ubon Police Department....

 

Anything else you want to pick holes in....?

[Bulldozer Dawn]

4 minutes ago, transam said:

Actually that is my uniform given to me by the Ubon Police Department....

 

Anything else you want to pick holes in....?

 

You're looking rather old...

Edited February 20, 2017 by Bulldozer Dawn