I am teaching Thai to my TG - who knows a school?

[iuytrede]

I am teaching Thai to my Thai GF.

Not kidding!

Problem is I don't really know Thai.

She is illiterate (when she was supposed to go to school as a child she helped her mom working on construction sites). She is able to read most Thai letters in isolation (especially the consonants), but she cannot string them together and read whole words. I am quite able to do this (at a speed of about 5 minutes per word), so with my help she was able to read several pages of very simple Thai (and I got to practice my reading skills).

If anybody knows a place where she can learn how to read and write please let me know, we would be happy.

[Guest]

Hi iuytrede,

 

I just posted a reply for you at another thread but I forgot where already. My point is why try to teach her Thai at this stage. Why don't you spend time and teach her English instead. I believe it is more practical for her to learn English, literally from the very beginning. I know that she will be more eager to learn. Best of luck to you two. csm

[Guest]

I would say the answer is very evident. She is Thai living in Thailand and speaks Thai as a native. At the very least this will enable her, if and when she starts learning English, to read a Thai-English dictionary. It will open a new world to her, which may well be a genie that pops out of a bottle.

[ranma500]

I am just learning to read and write at Somchart language school - Sukhumvit Soi 19. It's good and not too expensive.

I see no real reason why it should be very different teaching a Thai person to a farang - all the teachers are Thai, most from Issan, and all very easy going.

ranma

[liberator]

My wife is Thai but had no schooling as a child and her family do not speak Thai. Despite this, she learned to speak Thai mainly from necessity and then only from friends and general life. She taught herself the Thai letters / vowels etc. but could not string words together. I helped her as much as I could but progress was slow.

 

We then discovered that in Thailand they have an education scheme for 'more mature' students who never had a basic education. I have subsequently read other postings about this on this board. I believe every district has at least one school offering this scheme and it is basically free ( only to Thai's ). Most of the work is done at home, but my wife attends school for 4 hours every week. She recently completed her first year exams (grade 1,2,3) and we were both pleased as punch that she passed with flying colours. Now she is studying for grade 4 and 5....

 

Chock dee

[check_bin_krap]

"My point is why try to teach her Thai at this stage. Why don't you spend time and teach her English instead. "

 

I believe its best to have a firm root in Thai language, simply because she is Thai. It shouldn't be too hard as its not very different from Lao-isaan (if that is what she speaks). IMO, to be able to master a foreign language well it is an advantage to command your mother language well in reading/writing.

 

This is also important if you plan to have kids. Whenever I see Thai kids here (Norway), or 1/2 Thai ones I think its a pity if they can't speak or write Thai. They lose a lot of their heritage. Just my opinion..

 

Cheers!

[Guest]

"This is also important if you plan to have kids. Whenever I see Thai kids here (Norway), or 1/2 Thai ones I think its a pity if they can't speak or write Thai. They lose a lot of their heritage. Just my opinion.."

 

Agree.I'll mention again the few Isaan ladies I've seen talking to their kids in broken german...Not the best one could hope from a mother.BTW while they'd obviously spent several years in Germany or Switzerland they still looked very low market.I suspect their husband to look the same way.Have they advised their wife to speak to teir kids in a language they had only a loose grasp on because they supposed it would facilitate their integration??

 

 

[jasmine]

Hi,

 

 

[color:"red"] This is also important if you plan to have kids. Whenever I see Thai kids here (Norway), or 1/2 Thai ones I think its a pity if they can't speak or write Thai. They lose a lot of their heritage. Just my opinion.. [/color]

 

I agree with your opinion. However, I find it very difficult to teach Thai language to my child. She used to understand a few phrases and used them when she was little and then it was more convenient for her to answer me in English. Now she is 27 and has not used the Thai at all, and has probably lost most of it. I think it is a pity.

 

Cheers!

[jasmine]

[color:"red"] the few Isaan ladies I've seen talking to their kids in broken german...Not the best one could hope from a mother. [/color]

 

There are a few in the USA also. Many of them told me that they wanted their children to have good English, that was the purpose why they did not speak Thai to them. As I posted earlier, I had a difficult time teaching my daughter Thai.

 

I also believe that at some certain age, the children know that the language their mothers speak is broken. The problem may arise if they do not switch to good English, German or whatever with other people. I try speak good, proper language (not a show off here ok?) to anyone and it can be quite cute to look at these children's faces for a few of them, due to their innocence, had no idea that other Thais can speak a proper language.

 

I believe, though, that these children know when to change when they get to be some certain age. Their fathers do need to teach them the proper language also.

 

Cheers!

[bibblies]

I thought the way it usually goes with mixed couples was that the father and mother each speak their native language to the child.

 

Re: many Somchart teachers being from Isaan.. You're telling me! One of the teachers there went to the same school as my girlfriend, just a couple of years above her.

 

Jasmine's got a 27-year old daughter, eh? .. Five hundred pairs of ears prick up.. ::