Guest Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 khunsanuk said:Hi, One thing that I have noticed with a lot of farangs who learn in schools mainly, is that while their vocabulary is great the words just don't flow right. Take Stickman for instance (sorry, Stick, don't mean anything with this, just using you as an example). His vocabulary is substantially larger than mine, and I am sure that his pronounciation is quite good as well. However, when he speaks the words don't flow right, kinda like there is no life in them. I have noticed the same with some of the farang actors on TV, and I can instantly hear that the person speaking is not a native speaker, eventhough all the words, grammar and tones are correct. Not sure why this is... Sanuk! my personal guess is that thai language, like every language, is a lot more than just verbal communication. here you have also all the funny sounds showing surprise/anger/joy/whatever making it alive. i am one of those who have reached a certain amount of fluency without ever having learned thai. this way i am forced when i do not know a word to instinctively find some other way to express myself. when i speak thai i do think in thai - if i don't know a word i do think in thai of a different expression. my thai has improved considerably since the last three or four years years when i started having some closer frienships with thai blokes, hanging out with them several times a week. none of them do speak any english. i know of course that my skills will most likely never reach any sort of perfection. due to the sort of friends i prefer to have, in polite society my thai will always sound ruogh and course (and i have to be careful not to slip into some street expressions... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 >>>I guess it's just difficult to capture the nasal whiny back-of-the-throat essence of the Thai language if you weren't raised here. <<< that is just polite thai. on the street you don't speak sounding like that. there you bark an gnarl like a dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 an thinking again about it: in schools they will teach you proper thai, no slang, none of the great swearwords. perfect for proper society which uses proper thai. but in environs which use slang, impolite language and such one's polite thai will make him stick out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hi, "in schools they will teach you proper thai, no slang, none of the great swearwords" Yes, I think you are correct about this, and about those small sounds as well. I have a feeling we learned Thai pretty much in the same manner, and while I too am far from fluent, I do think that 'our' way is better than learning the language in the sterile environment of schools. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted February 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hi KS, I started out by learning thai through the Linguaphone course abroad and immediately upon my arrival to Thailand I went upcountry. And it sure was a great source of confusion to me that virtually nobody that I met used the polite vocabulary I learnt through that course. Although I could make myself understood, the other way around was initially a constant challenge. Needless to say it didn`t do much good either that I stayed in Isarn and somehow the wife "forgot" to mention that the local dialects in this general area are somewhat different from that of the central thai one .... to say the least :: Especially old folks - like my inlaws - in the small mubaans are very reluctant to speak central thai. Sure had a hard time trying to figure out what they were saying. I would say one thing though. Having initially learnt "proper" thai in terms of politeness gives you an awareness of what is polite and what is not so polite. Learning thai from multiple sources - like many layers of thai society - may cause some confusion as to what is polite or not IME. Or I am totally off track here? Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 I think you've got more than the grasp of it. Same in most countries, street talk, 'hood talk, young, old, all speak different. But with the polite stuff at least you can listen to the news. :: (most of the time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted February 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hi Rasputin, Mostly it's farang dudes speaking broken Thai with some Issarn slangs Mayby you would like to elaborate on this statement and supply some examples? I mean if you are able to recognize "issarn slang" it probably shouldn`t be too hard to provide some examples? :: Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 >>>I have a feeling we learned Thai pretty much in the same manner, and while I too am far from fluent, I do think that 'our' way is better than learning the language in the sterile environment of schools.<<< and as an added advantage for a lazy cunt like me it does not require much effort. well, other than talking with people, and as i am notoriously talkative... i guess a combination of both might be the best in the end, but i just can't be arsed to going to a frigging school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 >>>I would say one thing though. Having initially learnt "proper" thai in terms of politeness gives you an awareness of what is polite and what is not so polite.<<< ah, no problem. after a few serious blunders, and the following ice age you get to know rather fast what is polite and what you better shouldn't say again. :: but i believe you are right, and that your way of combining both will in the end lead to complete fluency while i will get stuck at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brink15 Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 The hardest part for me is adjusting from words I use all the time to their more polite counterparts. As an example I have always used "gin" for eat but my wife's wealthy cousin and her business partner here only use "tan." Everyone else I have dealt with in the past 10 years has used gin and therefore so do I. But every time I use gin around my wife's partner I cringe realizing it is not really polite enough. My reaction is to sometimes use the overly polite rappatan just for giggles or even savoy which is reserved for royalty. Usually draws laughs. Unfortunately I have been put on a Thai prohibition by my wife as it is hindering her bettering her English skills. As a result I'm slowly losing my Thai. It's weird know because there are basic phrases that I say all the time that I pretty much nail on tone and as a result I'll receive the ubiquitous "poot thai chaht." To which I now respond "kortort na krup, poot thai mai dai, mai rue rueng." Which again draws laughs. I'd laugh with them if it wasn't becoming more and more true each day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.