Thai's addressing farangs by their name?

[waerth]

I don't know either, everyone calls him Ajarn Doo and by extension everyone in the group gets called ajarn, even me. Everyone seems to respect him a lot because he is an "ajarn".

 

I think it is the style of comedy he does in which he likes to show instruments and teach people things. But like I said in the above post, more often than not he teaches falsehoods .... . Little things like we play on the Saraburi side of the Dongrek mountains in a flooded area. And he says on stage that it is the water from Khorat (impossible is there is a mountain range between Khorat and there) I correct him afterwards and get the .... but people say I am an Ajarn bullshit .... very frustrating as geography and history are two things I pride myself on as being knowledgeable in.

 

He even claims his English is better than mine while he can utter maybe 100 words yet he still criticizes me that my English is incomprehensible and that no native English speaker would understand me.

 

He does feel that my Thai is better than my English though .... should I see this as a complement? As I feel personally my Thai is far from good.

[MooNoi]

Bar girls that I don't even know will walk up to me and say "Sawasdee Ka, P'Moo Noi"

 

Most Thais I know (bar and non-bar) will call an older person "P" before their nickname, but very rarely use "Nong" for a younger person - not much at any rate. They just use their nickname.

 

So, an older person called Noi will be "P'Noi" and a younger person just "Noi".

 

In my experience, Thais will ask each other some questions upon meeting to establish status and who is the "P" and who is the "Nong".

 

Look at a Thai's phone contact list and there will be so many listings under "P"

 

P'Dao

P'Da

P'Bee

P'Nit

P'Sek

P'Noi

P'Nee

P'Bpoo

P'Kay

 

etc etc etc

 

I think you get the idea :thumbup:

 

(Nong) Moo Noi (compared to most of the members of this board, anyway! :smirk:

[waerth]

Actually I use "Nong" when I am pissed with someone and want to rub it in that they are lower than me on the social ladder .... (when that is previously established with them calling me P)

 

These "social" words and the way people wai you are very good indicators as to where Thai people feel you stand in their society.

 

W

[Nervous God]

If angry at a slow moving kid, I say Eeee Booom, always gets them moving

[waerth]

The Eeee I understand but Boom?? Is that the English Boom, as in bumping into something?

 

When driving in the van if we see a car that has had an accident we always joke that he must be from Choon buri ...

 

W

[Flashermac]

I thought a P'Noi was from the Philippines.

[Mentors]

i always adressed by my first name too.

Or sometimes "Lung"

[waerth]

Lung is usually a very nice way of being addressed!