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Why Thai's speak English so poorly


Khun_Kong

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Flashermac said:

 

Have you any idea how HARD it is to master Thai spelling? Even students have to study the exceptions all through school -- silent letters, silent syllables, spellings that make no sense what so ever ...

 

Couldn`t agree more.

I have heard several people claim that "thai spelling is consistent once you familiarize yourself with the tone rules etc." ::

 

The word for "vowel" and a "swimming pool" are both written SRA, but one is SAH-RAH and the other is SAH

 

I was just wondering, would you or anyone else happen to know any more words in thai, like the one you supplied above, that has dual pronounciation and meaning.

This is the only one I am familiar with... So far ::

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

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I think grammar plays a major role. Thai grammar is nothing like English grammar and you see this when you read something in English that has been written by a Thai. Conversely, when Farangs speak Thai ? even when their Thai is considered pretty good ? they mangle the grammar. Hence, Thais often speak pidgin English, and Farangs that can speak Thai, almost always speak pidgin Thai.

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  • 2 weeks later...

[color:"red"] I think grammar plays a major role. Thai grammar is nothing like English grammar and you see this when you read something in English that has been written by a Thai. Conversely, when Farangs speak Thai ? even when their Thai is considered pretty good ? they mangle the grammar. Hence, Thais often speak pidgin English, and Farangs that can speak Thai, almost always speak pidgin Thai.
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I agree with you.

 

What I find interesting is that falangs have a tendency to put Thais down because of the way they speak English, but I wonder how falangs would feel if they were treated the same way falangs treat Thais when they try to speak Thai? [color:"green"] [/color]

 

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[color:"green"]

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It is interesting that you should mention that. My wife wants her son from a previous marriage to learn English.

 

She is concerned because she says she speaks better English than her former teacher. The only reason this happened is because I have helped her. She still has room to improve but she is doing better than I am trying to learn Thai.

 

Unfortunately her son is a different matter all together. I wouldn't no where to begin with him.

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MM,

"What I find interesting is that falangs have a tendency to put Thais down because of the way they speak English"

 

Never noticed such thing.

 

Krml,

"Unfortunately her son is a different matter all together. I wouldn't no where to begin with him. "

 

Buy an English study book his level (from your words above my guess he's very basic) and simply go through it with him..chapter by chapter..give him homework etc. Be his teacher unless he has no motivation nor discipline to get his head around it.

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krml said:

It is interesting that you should mention that. My wife wants her son from a previous marriage to learn English.

 

She is concerned because she says she speaks better English than her former teacher. The only reason this happened is because I have helped her. She still has room to improve but she is doing better than I am trying to learn Thai.

 

Unfortunately her son is a different matter all together. I wouldn't no where to begin with him.

 

You sound very much like me and our family situation.

 

Our son came out to OZ in April..went to school and after three months very little progress...my wife even said she will send him back to BKK.

 

We spoke to the school and got one on one an hour a day with the ELS teacher.

 

Gave us homework and we worked at it hard...even put stickers around the house..chair,table etc etc.

 

I think it was Zaad that told me to make it fun....so we did..and one day he come home from school and ...wow.....he spoke English...it just clicked in.

 

Take time and it will get better.

 

My wifes English is very poor and is trying to learn with her son :p

 

One suggestion...a great book i got from Uni...Beginning Thai by Preecha Juntanamalaga...ISBN0731515285.

Comes with a workbook and my son and i are working with this during the school holidays right now...he learns the English and me the Thai.

 

We insist on English at the dinner table...please pass the salt etc etc.

 

Good luck

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khunsanuk said:

Hi,

 

Like the idea of the stickers. Might give that a shot at home as well.

 

Sanuk!

 

We use the stickers/Post-It Notes at home also.

 

If I lookup a Thai word, I'll write the word, in transliterated Thai and in Thai and also the English word.

 

We do the same thing when she looks up an English word.

 

That way, we can each use the other's Post-It notes and we can reinforce each other.

 

When we no longer need the notes, we just put them in a big pile. From time to time, we'll pull one out and make sure we both still know it.

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