Pescator Posted March 2, 2002 Report Share Posted March 2, 2002 How many foreigners have you come across who are actually fluent in thai? And I don`t mean by their own definition My definition of fluency in thai would be something like: Being able to read and understand a thai newspaper (or a handwritten letter) at the same speed you would read a newspaper/letter in your native language. Being able to understand a political debate on the telly. Being able to have a telephone conversation with a thai without him actually noticing you`re a foreigner. Or would you consider an accent inconsistent with fluency? Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamock Chokaprret Posted March 3, 2002 Report Share Posted March 3, 2002 In my original post I said I knew none but a few that were pretty good. I need to amend that statement. My previous employer and his parents might fall into this category. They are Indian by descent. At least the son was born in Thailand, not sure about the parents. All hold Thai citizenship. Father and son, at least are fluent in Thai and English. I know the mother is fluent in Thai (she passed her medical board exams in Thai). Father and son also speak a couple of other languages but I don't know to what degree of fluency. But I'd extend your definition to being able to think in Thai. And being able to read technical journals in whatever your field of expertise is. I read an article a few months back written by a local academician. Farang but working in a Thai university (don't remember which one). The definition he proposed also indicated a necessity of understanding not only Thai history and culture, but also pop culture. His research was directed to achieving fluency in English as a foreign language but I would argue that it probably applies. How else but to navigate through the thorny waters of Thai idioms. [ March 02, 2002: Message edited by: Lamock Chokaprret ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted March 3, 2002 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Khun Sanuk: Hi, My personal goal of fluency will mean being able to go to a Thai cabaret show and understand all the jokes. Right, that would satifisfy me as well. quote: I was there last year, in 2 hours, I got 2 of the jokes. Guess I ain't fluent yet Well, I could modify my definition of fluency a bit and you`d be fluent quote: PS I don't know any farang I consider fluent in Thai. [/QB] Neither do I, although I know a few who are pretty close when speaking thai. But only when talking about common stuff. As soon as the conversation changes to politics, economy, technical matters etc. their shortage of vocabulary quickly becomes evident. Especially what the reading and writing concerns in my experience only very few foreigners master this above primary school level. Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted March 3, 2002 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Lamock Chokaprret: [QB]In my original post I said I knew none but a few that were pretty good. I need to amend that statement. My previous employer and his parents might fall into this category. They are Indian by descent. At least the son was born in Thailand, not sure about the parents. All hold Thai citizenship. Father and son, at least are fluent in Thai and English. I know the mother is fluent in Thai (she passed her medical board exams in Thai). Father and son also speak a couple of other languages but I don't know to what degree of fluency. QB] Hi, Funny that you should mention it. I met a couple of indians in Phuket some years back and they too were fluent in thai. Reading and writing included. However, as it turned out they had lived their entire life in Phuket. Probably it is a whole lot easier for indians to learn thai since the two languages have a common origin. When I wrote my initial post about fluency I realize I wrote "foreigners" and that includes indians of course, Cambodians, Laotians, Burmese as well. There should be plenty among these who master thai at a native level. What I probably should have written was "farang", they were the ones I was talking about. Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 3, 2002 Report Share Posted March 3, 2002 I don't think not having an accent is necessary to be fluent, if even possible for most people. I know lots of foreigners very fluent in English who still have an accent and will always have one. That said though, I met a British monk who has been in Thailand for over 20 years. A Thai woman I was with said his Thai was so good that if she didn't look at him she could not tell he was a farang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 3, 2002 Report Share Posted March 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Hua Nguu: Probably it is a whole lot easier for indians to learn thai since the two languages have a common origin. I'm not a ligustics expert, but I'm pretty sure Thai and Hindi don't have anything in common except their writing systems, which both derived from sansakrit. (The Thai's, when developing their written language, turned to existing systems for guidance.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeng bireley Posted March 4, 2002 Report Share Posted March 4, 2002 I have met some farangs with this level of fluency. But very few. Business people who have worked in Thailand many years, since they were quite young and have studied thai. Farangs who went to school in thailand (international school) And academics. I have not met any farangs who speak thai at this level who go to bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted March 4, 2002 Report Share Posted March 4, 2002 Hi, "I have not met any farangs who speak thai at this level who go to bars." And your point being? Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2002 Report Share Posted March 4, 2002 Maybe he means don't go to bars anymore, but perhaps once went with all the vigour and enthusiam of a newbie sticking their dick into anything that moved. Back to the thread though,..... I have come across a few that speak very good Thai, but I only really know one that, to my dodgy ears, sounds like a Thai. This is the son of a diplomat who has been here since his school days. He never managed to leave some years later when the family packed up and went home 30 years ago. Andrew Biggs is an obvious one who I've seen speak great Thai and discuss politics on TV. Is anyone out there familiar with his background? How long has he lived in Thailand etc? How long and what kind of formal training he had etc? Personally speaking though, learning Thai is one of my biggest priorities and goals for living in this country. I don't see the point in making another country your home without giving attention to the language and being able to comminucate and understand the people. Though, admittedly, sometimes I feel like I don't want to communicate with 70% of the Thai population at all. Still though, often it's just an academic challenge for me, might as well try and be good at something .. Cheers, Dan [ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: Dan ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2002 Report Share Posted March 4, 2002 They're boring cunts????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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