waerth Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Speaking Thai will help you connect with many people. And as soon as someone complains at your efforts you know a few things: *They are probably rude people, it is not done to comment on your ability to speak Thai ... make jokes about it yes ... but telling you not to speak it, no. *They are probably in to get something from you. Most Thais love it that I speak Thai. Only the ones whom would want something from me tell me I should speak English. At which I usually retort that I am not an Englishman so why should I speak it? Waerth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 I found speaking Lao with them usually breaks the ice really quickly. Of course they'll suspect i had/have an isan GF, but generally they like being able to speak their own language with me. Main trouble is they think I'm fluid, and will start rattling away with their life story so fast I miss more then half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 waow lao dai bor? frankly speaking i would feel rather strange not to speak thai to them! pretending not to speak for some minutes was fun some years ago, but repetition does not improve the joke! helps also to keep the unwanted ragtag away! nowadays i speak english only with thais having a university degrees from the states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 They think you are "fluid"? I can't see that being a problem, as long as they can have some whiskey and ice with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 I actually like to joke about other farangs that do not speak Thai with Thais. They usually love it. Especially joking about foreigners whom have been here a long time bit still do not speak the lingo. Waerth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck6660 Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 I have an interesting story regarding this subject. An acquaintance of mine is a US Special Forces Sergeant. While on Okinawa his team had Thailand as an area of operation. He had scored high on the language aptitude test and was given the opportunity to learn Thai. How did the Army train him to speak Thai...by enrolling him in a 3 month langauage class at Khon Kaen University! He assumed he would be attending with several other US military personnel; however there was no one at the airport to greet him upon his arrival on Friday night. Being a good military man he referred to his travel orders for further instructions, they stated that he was to report to JUSMAG-Thai on Monday. What to do now? Well he was on the government roll so he checked into the Banyon Tree and preceeded to "pick up" a little of the Thai language on Sukhumvit Rd. Monday afternoon he reported to JUSAMAG-Thai, received a briefing, a bus ticket and was on his way to Khon Kaen...alone. At KKU he was totally immersed in Thai culture and language, he rented a small apartment and studied Isaan Thai for 7 weeks, no other US personnel arrived. After his studies were completed he returned to BKK and JUSAMAG-Thai to out-process, then it was a weeks leave and much fun until his flight out. Imagine being a 26 y.o. Special Forces guy speaking Isaan Thai running amok on Soi Cowboy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 In the late 1970s, there was a Peace Corps vol who worked in rural development in Sakhorn Nakhorn for 3 years. He hardly ever spoke English in all that time. When he finally left PC, he was given the standard language placement exam on termination. This consists of being interviewed by a certified native speaker examiner in a private room for a full hour. The interview is taped and you get a certificate stating your prociency level (0-1-2-3-4). 0 is nothing and 1 is basic fluency. I've never known anyone to get above a 3, not after just a few years of PC service anyway. Most vols score around a 2, which is more than enough to handle almost any situation you'd find yourself in. However, this guy scored only a 1. The examiner knew something had to be wrong, which he understood as soon as the PCV told him where he'd served. The examiner had the PCV come back a couple of days later for an exam in Laotian! The guy scored a good solid 3 on his test. He was fluent in Lao, even though his Thai was crap. p.s. I was running amuk here in my late 20s and speaking fairly fluent Thai. It was fun back in those days. Sigh ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 They think you are "fluid"? I can't see that being a problem, as long as they can have some whiskey and ice with you. The Thai expression is "Poot Bpen Nahm". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Thankyou for the explanation....but I was attempting some humour... Must try harder it appears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted August 21, 2008 Report Share Posted August 21, 2008 Errr, so was Flash. Humour, that is. The serious answer would be à ¸?à ¸°à ¸?à ¸²à ¸? (cha-chaan). Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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