Why wont they help??

[sidsanuk]

I think you hit the nail on the head. It is about competency to teach and motivation to teach (fun). I was a a teacher myself for a while a few years ago. It is a hard job and hard to keep motivated if your students are not making progress, or are plain dumb.

 

My fiance would love me to speak better Thai, but is really not that keen on teaching me. We just always seem to have better more interesting, more fun things to do :-)

 

On the competency angle, my fiance learnt a bit of English at school and uni. After we met and decided she should come to Australia, she studied English in BKK full time for a further 6 months. She then studied English here in Oz for 9 months full time. My point? She would ask me to help her with her homework.....and I found it very hard. My English was not good enough! My grasp of the rules of grammer etc were just not up to it. She got really pissed off a few times at my apparent lack of knowledge of my own language.

 

On the other hand, when I first started learning Thai, I went through the stages of books, Tapes etc and then finally a waitress from my local Thai restuarant here in OZ LOL. She was fantastic...as a teacher. Masters student here in Oz, about 38 years old. Very smart. had never taught before but was a natural. And a tough teacher too. Made me do my homework. and she was motivated...by $20 (500 baht) per hour.

 

Agree also with the teaching a spouse angle. Who would want to teach their wife/GF to drive !

 

That is why I'll start going to formal classes to improve my Thai. No hassle for my fiance, more fun/productive for me. And she gets the benefit too, as I am able to talk better with her family etc and give her a big face for having such a smart and jai dee hubby :-)

 

Sid

[jitagawn]

In general it is a control issue and they surely do not want you to be able to converse with the other ladies.

I am told I speak Thai very very well although sometimes it is still quite difficult to understand if slang is used that I am not familiar. In addition I often find that there is a level of distrust that arises from women who assume you have a Thai wife otherwise how could you possibly speak Thai so well? YOU HAVE THAI WIFE?

The funny thing is that I like to tell the truth "no I don't have a Thai wife "after which point they assume you are lying ...Thishas happened perhaps several HUNDRED times over the past decade-

(its my 6th language but surely the hardest)

[Pom_Jao_Choo]

Does he understand Thai and just not wish to speak ?

Maybe after more years of listening and understanding what you are saying he will be more comfortable to speak?

[Torneyboy]

Hi.

 

Yes she will speak in thai but when i ask a question she only explains some of the words.

 

So i either try to remember or write them down and check them out later.

A slow process.

school is a better option IMO.

[Torneyboy]

controll

---

 

I think you are correct in this.

Thanks

[jasmine]

Hi,

 

[color:"red"] Does he understand Thai and just not wish to speak ?

Maybe after more years of listening and understanding what you are saying he will be more comfortable to speak? [/color]

 

No he does not.

 

A little background, my husband and I met here in the States. We both have MS (in Computer Science), we met at work at NASA. We are working in the same company in IT managment, he have worked together from time to time, normally in a management team.

 

As far as he is concern, I am not really a Thai, just was born in Thailand and still have a Thai family. We have no need to communicate in anything else but English.

 

I want him to learn just to expand his horizon.

 

Cheers! :D

[Guest]

Hi Jasmine,

 

It may be that he just does not see a need. I think you had mentioned before that he seldom travels with you on your return visits back home. It's quite difficult to learn a new language, and takes much time and effort. He may just see as a waste of time, as it is something he will almost never use. He obviously can communicate with you just fine, so there is certainly not a need there.

 

If he does not know how to speak any other languages, it can seem quite hard. It seems that those that already know a 2nd language, have a much easier time picking up others. It's learning that first foriegn language, especially when you're older, that is the hardest, IMO.

 

HT

[jasmine]

Hi,

 

He goes to Thailand in every other trip and he complains HT, that he could not carry on conversation with anyone excepts me!!!

 

[color:"red"] It's learning that first foriegn language, especially when you're older, that is the hardest, IMO. [/color]

 

I agree, but I just taught a new trick to our 14 yrs. old dog!!!!

 

Cheers! :angel:

[Guest]

:: :: :: ::

 

Yea.....but your husband is a lot older than 14 yrs. old. I rest my case. ::

 

HT

[jasmine]

[color:"red"] but your husband is a lot older than 14 yrs. old. [/color]

 

The dog is older if you multiply 14 by 7. :angel:

 

He does not have much talent on languages, that is for sure.

 

Cheers!