Pale and Exhausted: Accounts of Thai Language Acquisition…

In examining interviews of Thai language learners archived on Women Learn Thai (henceforth referred to as WLT), it is apparent that the experiences they report largely corroborate a number (but perhaps not all) of the theoretical claims in the literature on second language acquisition (SLA) and learning.

In this paper I will examine aspects of the learners’ accounts in relation to a large number of factors traditionally considered to impact on the acquisition of a second language. In order to provide a framework for the assessment of these experiences, I will borrow Sapolsky’s model of second language learning (with the implicit assumption that while not flawless, it serves as a functionally valid model). Thus I will begin by addressing the general ‘social context’ common to most of the learners.

I will move on to discuss factors relating to their attitudes, especially those relating to language learning, both general and specific, and towards Thai culture and acculturation. These attitudes in turn shed light on their various (but often quite similar) motivations for learning Thai.

From there, I will examine the ways in which learners’ attitudes and motivation interact with individual factors such as their age, personality, and previous knowledge (including prior second language knowledge and the role of cross linguistic influence).

Finally, I will consider the types of opportunities learners availed themselves of, as evidenced by their comments on the relative importance of the four skills, the role of formal instruction, preferred methods of study, learning strategies and use of learning resources. (Sapolsky, 1989: 28)

Because learners profiled on WLT were not interviewed with these specific categories in mind, there will be some overlap and redundancy across different ‘factors.’  Nonetheless, I will endeavor to create a comprehensive and cohesive, yet detailed overview of learner profiles as they relate to SLA literature.

Social Context…

The vast majority of learners interviewed have had significant (ten or more years) living experience in Thailand, and many are still living in Thailand at this time. Some were Peace Corp volunteers, while others have had a compelling experience in Thailand which motivated their return, such as Grace Robinson, who says “I felt I had left a piece of my heart in Thailand and had big dreams to live in the country.” (Grace Robinson, WTL). For others, their social context provided an immediate need to learn Thai.

Aaron Handel states “I learned Thai because it was necessary. If I were to ask in English for “fried rice with chicken,” Thai people would show me to the toilet or bring me their baby pictures. This just would not do. I had to learn Thai.” (Aaron Handel, WLT)  Another learner, who works in Thailand and must use Thai in a professional context states: “Helping as a translator at the Local Police Station was the wake up call. There you sink and die if your Thai is not up to speed and the added embarrassment of looking silly in front of a group of tourists and police is enough incentive to study harder.” (Aaron LeBoutillier, WLT)

Attitudes towards language learning…

Learners profiled on WLT had many things to say regarding their attitude towards language learning, especially regarding Thai. Aaron Handel reflects the attitude of many learners regarding the discipline required to learn Thai, especially concerning the mastery of tones, in saying “I firmly believe that to learn a tonal language like Thai, you need a drill sergeant!” (Aaron Handel, WLT) While most learners agreed that learning Thai requires discipline and perseverance, most also felt that a common misconception regarding the learning of Thai is that it is difficult. David Long states: “I believe that the thing that makes it difficult is mostly centered on how we try to do it! It seems to me that if a 2 year old can do it, then so can I and it doesn’t have to be hard!” (David Long, WLT) 

Another key attitude expressed by many learners was one regarding the importance of making mistakes. Jonas Anderson states this clearly in saying: “These 2 methods helped me more than anything else—1. Speaking the language with native Thai speakers as often and as much as possible, and 2. Being willing to make mistakes and not be discouraged by them or daunted by the frequency with which I initially made them.” (Jonas Anderson, WLT) Jonas also comments that he (as did many other learners) actively requested correction from his Thai friends when he did make mistakes in conversation.

This attitude regarding the usefulness of mistakes and feedback fits well with the ‘comprehensible output hypothesis,’ in which “The act of speaking forces us to try out our ideas about how the target grammar [and phonemic system] actually works, and of course gives us the chance of getting some feedback from interlocutors who may fail to understand our efforts.” (Mitchell & Meyers, 1998: 15)

Attitudes towards acculturation…

It has often been noted that more typically successful language learners display an integrative disposition – “a positive interpersonal / affective disposition towards the L2 group and the desire to interact with and even become similar to valued members of that community.” (Dörnyei, 5) In this sense the very act of speaking or learning the language equates to the process of becoming a member of a community, the process of acculturation. 

Nearly every learner interviewed has something to say which weaves together their language learning and acculturation process, thus validating the claim that “social realities are linguistically/discursively constructed”.

Christy Gibson states this well: “Thai Language and Culture go hand in hand. So true. Learning about and being immersed in the culture and understanding has helped me a lot in my usage of the Thai language and my understanding of the things that Thai people say and what they mean when they say it, etc. I think it’s difficult to know how to use the language, at least on a deeper level, if you don’t really understand the culture and/or Thai mentality and way of life.” (Christy Gibson, WLT) Tom Parker also comments: “I believe language is the key to understanding culture and aids integration which is one factor contributing to contented, successful living in Thailand.” (Tom Parker, WLT) Finally, Grace Robinson comments on the integrated aspect of language and culture in saying “Personally, I have benefitted from getting to know the culture at the same time, this is really crucial, as the two cannot be separated. You will find many connections between language and culture and this will really raise interest and pleasure from learning.” (Grace Robinson, WLT)

Motivation…

For many, the social context and immediate need stimulated further motivation for study.  For some, this motivation was integrative. David Long states “I moved to Thailand in 1987 and wanted very much to be integrated into Thai society.” (David Long, WLT) Garreth Marshall, in a comment typical of the implicit attitude of many learners profiled on WLT, says “I couldn’t imagine living in a country where I can’t communicate with people or interact with the local culture/lifestyle.” (Gareth Marshall, WLT)  For Paul Garrigan, integrative motivation was more particular: “I have been interested in Buddhist philosophy since my teens and wanted to be able to communicate with monks in Thai and read some of the Buddhist resources that are only available in Thai.” (Paul Garrigan, WLT) 

These accounts, which all come from intermediate and advanced learners, seem to support Nikolov’s propostition that “successful language learners …have very strong integrative motivation to become bona fide residents of the target language society” and “try to feel at home in the culture as well as in the language.” (Nikolov, 2000: 5)

Many of the learners, such as Aaron Le Boutillier and Marcel Barang, as well as those who came to Thailand with the Peace Corps, also have or had a professional reason to learn Thai. In addition to integrative motivation, their reasons for learning Thai were instrumental. Because of this further motivation, achievement of a positive learning outcome became even more certain. As Hinenoya and Gatbonton have stated:  “the higher the learners’ desire … to find employment, seek advancement, and so on (instrumental motivation), the better their performance … and the higher their proficiency levels” (Hinenoya and Gatbonton, 2000: 1)

For others, the motivation stemmed from the challenge and fun of learning. Aaron Handel defines Thai in relation to European languages he had previously studied with little interest “Thai is different. Thai is a tonal language. This makes it fascinating and challenging for a native English speaker.” (Aaron Handel, WLT) Another Thai language learner (not profiled on WLT), Luke Grimes, describes the enjoyment he gets from the challenge of learning Thai as a kind of intellectual pursuit, a puzzle to be solved, like a sudoku, but on a far more gratifying level. This type of gratification may relate motivationally as a sort of converse to Ringbom’s observation that “similarities may obscure for the learner the fact that there is something to learn.” (Gass & Selinker, 2008: 146) Because there are so few similarities between European languages and Thai, it becomes thoroughly evident that there is everything to be learned anew and thus doubly challenging and doubly rewarding.

Many others, such as Chris Pirazzi, commented on the ‘fun’ they had in learning Thai as being a primary motivating factor. It is surprising that in so much of the literature on language acquisition and learning, the word ‘fun’ never comes into use. It would seem that further research into the factor of ‘fun’ and what comprises a fun experience in language learning is long overdue. 

What is common to almost all the learners interviewed is their degree of commitment and the enjoyment they obtain from learning and using Thai. Tom Parker offers a statement typical of the level of commitment seen in learners on WLT:  “In the first year of studying Thai I was absolutely determined to master the language and studied it obsessively, that helped give me a good foundation in Thai which I think still pays off today.” (Tom Parker, WLT) And Aaron Le Boutillier sums up well the level of enjoyment obtained in saying “Absolute passion. I am never happier than when I have learnt a new word in the morning and then use it with ease in the afternoon. Magic!” (Aaron LeBoutillier, WLT)

Age, Personality, and Previous Knowledge…

With regards to age, Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson comment that “Younger learners acquire second languages automatically from mere exposure, while older learners have to make conscious and labored efforts.” (Hyltenstam & Abrahamsson, 2000: 152, in Singleton 2003: 10) This seems to be reflected in comments by learners on WLT who began their learning as adults (referred to above) on the necessity for discipline and perseverance in the learning of Thai. Nonetheless, the discipline and perseverance do pay off, and most of the learners profiled have achieved a high level of proficiency. Thus, Nikolov’s observation that “it has been shown that the strong version of CHP cannot be maintained” (Nikolov, M.) holds true. 

One of the few individuals who started his Thai learning as a child comments “I think that the reason Thais compliment my Thai pronunciation … is that I am fortunate to have arrived in Thailand when quite young so picking up the Thai accent was easier than if I had moved here as an adult.”  (Jonas Anderson, WLT)

One feature that stands out as essential for nearly all learners is the importance of mastering Thai tones and the importance of doing this early on. This is generally expressed (and also personally corroborated by this author) as a very difficult pursuit for an adult learner. Here, the literature on language acquisition seems to provide a solid understanding of the underlying reasons for this. Bavin states that “the ability to discriminate the earlier sounds weakens if these sounds are not part of the language being acquired.” (Bavin, 1995: 3) Also, “children acquire the system they are exposed to. Children encode notions only if they are categorized in their language” (Bavin, 1995:  10)

So, adults learning Thai for the first time arrive at their pursuit with an encoded system which does not include a large number of notions which are critical to comprehension and production of correct Thai. Furthermore, our capacity for discriminating such sounds (notions) has been impoverished by an L1 acquisition process which did not make use of them. This phenomenon can also be seen through the stance of connectionism, in which “links become stronger as these associations keep recurring, and they also become part of larger networks as connections between elements become more numerous.” (Mitchell & Meyers, 1998: 79) Adult learners of Thai arrive at their pursuit with a paucity of neural connections necessary for determining tones and short and long vowels. However, through discipline and perseverance those connections are created.

Concerning personality, I venture to extrapolate on the notion that “The classroom culture is constrained by ethnolinguistic norms of society at large.” (Leather & Van Dam, 2002:17) If this can be taken as true, it may also be apparent that an individual’s learning culture at large is both positively and negatively defined by the norms of their society in general. Thus, we can explain (somewhat ethnocentrically) the preponderance of British and American learners not by those societies’ typical lack of polyglots, but by their purported tendency to produce individuals who thrive in going against the grain and in the face of challenge. Having said that, it should not go unnoticed that a far greater number of Thai and other Asian nationals have persevered and strived beyond the constraints of their particular classroom situations to achieve sufficiently high levels of English proficiency as to study at Master’s and Doctorate level coursework.

With regards to previous knowledge, in particular, knowledge of other languages, it is striking that most learners profiled had little or no previous successful language learning experience or interest. Tom Parker states “I had no interest in French and German at school and as far as I was concerned learning a second language (especially Thai) was beyond me. Luckily my tutors encouraged me to take the plunge and I’ve never looked back. … “ (Tom Parker, WLT) Aaron Handel’s experience also reflects this state of affairs: “I was never particularly good at learning languages in school. I was a ‘C’ student in German. Frankly, I did not have much interest in learning.” (Aaron Handel, WLT) These findings would seem to fly in the face of those of Klein, as reviewed in Gass and Selinker (2008), “that multilinguals out-performed monolinguals in both [lexical and syntactic] types of learning.” (Gass and Selinker, 2008: 153) However, those who did have other successful (and mostly subsequent) language learning experiences, did so with similar languages – Issan Thai, Lao, or for a few Vietnamese or Mandarin.  This seems to fit well with Gass and Selinker’s observation that “Similarities[between previously learned languages and the TL], both cross-linguistic and interlinguistic, function as pegs on which the learner can hang new information by making use of already existing knowledge, thereby facilitating learning.” (Gass and Selinker, 2008: 137) 

Some comments regarding the role of cross-linguistic influence are interesting, and corroborate both this author’s experience as well as the SLA literature. Chris Pirazzi says “I used to know French but if I try to speak French now, Thai words and grammar come out.”  (Chris Pirazzi, WLT)  Grace Robinson comments “I learnt Spanish at school although was never really in to it. I feel like the language learning part of my brain is like a sponge, which will only soak up one language at a time, when I try to remember Spanish now Thai just comes out!” (Grace Robinson, WLT) Mitchell and Meyers explain the action of cross-linguistic interference in connectionism in a way which makes sense of these comments: “L2 learners come to the task with some pre-existing pattern of connectivity which interferes with the task in hand.” (Mitchell & Meyers, 1998: 83) In this case, it is the more recently acquired, and therefore more active L2 which interferes with the task of producing a previously learned L2.

Learning Opportunities…

Finally, as a result of all of the abovementioned factors, learners availed themselves of a number of different learning opportunities:  these are reflected in their comments on the relative importance of the four skills, the role of formal instruction, preferred methods of study, learning strategies and use of learning resources, including textbooks, web resources, or informal use of their environment.

Many of the learners profiled on WLT are largely self-taught, and describe themselves as not being ‘classroom learners.’ However, most began their learning in a classroom situation, and almost every one of them stresses the importance of the drilling of Thai sounds. This word, drilling, comes up so frequently in regards to the sounds of Thai language that it could almost be considered mandatory from a unanimous perspective. Perhaps, again, this can best be seen from a connectionist framework, as explained above. Additionally, almost all learners stress the importance of learning to read Thai script, not only for the sake of reading, but also for the achievement of correct pronunciation and overall learning. Grace Robinson states “Being able to read and write with the Thai alphabet system is key to getting the correct pronunciation.” (Grace Robinson, WLT)  Most learners claim that they did not find learning to read difficult, but one of the few who did also claims “In my view learning to read Thai is the principal factor contributing to successful Thai language learning.” (Tom Parker, WLT)

One of the few keen classroom learners states: “At school I had studied French and German to university entrance standard in an atmosphere of fear and trepidation, where mistakes were regarded as evidence of laziness, stupidity or moral turpitude. To then find teachers who were patient, encouraging and eager to share their knowledge was a radically new experience; I shall always feel grateful to them.” (David Smyth, WLT) This resonates clearly with Dörnyei’s contention that “the classroom environment – and, more generally, the contextual surroundings of action” have a strong motivational influence. (Dörnyei, 11)

So, in regards to learning of the four skills, it can be said that overall learners place a strong emphasis on the importance of reading and the mastery of correct pronunciation in speech. The part played by listening in pronunciation also should not be overlooked. RiKker Dockum states: “ I’d say a strength of mine is that I have a good ear for mimicry. One “secret” to my success has been to carefully observe and internalize how and what native speakers say. This includes tones, stress patterns, vocabulary, idioms. And then reproduce what I hear.” (Rikker Dockum, WLT) Another learner, David Long, emphasizes the importance of listening in saying “I would advise students to spend as much time looking and listening, and as little time speaking as possible. It makes sense to me that the more we’re talking, the less we’re able to hear, and if we want to understand Thai, we need to be listening to Thais as much as we can.” (David Long, WLT)

Strategies…

Despite some of the above mentioned consistencies, one learner says “Each person learns in his or her own way so there is really no one method that stands out above any others.” (Hugh Leong, WTL) The variety of preferences with regard to learning methods and strategies seen across the interviews seems to support this. Aaron Handel’s first strategy was to travel around Thailand with a tape recorder and record “various Thai speakers as they read from a text book.” (Aaron Handel, WLT) He later used these recordings to drill pronunciation. Interestingly, he states: “Initially, I was not really learning Thai, but learning how to learn. I was collecting information,” and “I find it difficult to separate the idea of ‘learning how to learn’ from actually learning to speak Thai. (Aaron Handel, WLT) This bridging of learning and communication strategies seems to support observations made by Griffiths that “learners may have a dual motivation to both learn and communicate …learners may learn language even when the basic motivation was to communicate.”  (Griffiths, 2004: 3)

Learners also assessed their strengths and weaknesses in ways which can be related to strategies.  David Long says “My strength in Thai is being able to use it without forethought- I simply use it like I do English. My weakness is in translation. When someone asks me what a phrase or word means, it’s often the case that I’ve never thought about what it might mean in any other language, so it’s very difficult sometimes.” (David Long, WLT) Jonas Anderson states: “After a certain amount of exposure to the language it is good to go back and try to put labels on some of the things you have learned through language books and courses and then you can progress a lot more quickly, but if you start out trying to dissect the language with theory and terminology it could be much more frustrating.” (Jonas Anderson, WLT) These comments reflect both the cognitive and metacognitive elements of language learning and use strategies.  (Cohen, 1996: 4) 

Many of the social aspects of strategies are reflected in some quotes from the above sections on acculturation and motivation. The affective element of the learning process can be seen in comments such as “Thais are so complimentary about even the most elementary efforts to speak Thai, so it can be hard to assess oneself properly.” (Jonas Anderson, WLT) While this would point towards interference with valid self-assessment, such experiences, frequently reported, are no doubt affectively motivating.

In regards to learning resources, interviewees mention a number of different texts, the use of flash cards, recordings and other devices (including Facebook and Twitter), and of course, as detailed above, the resources provided by the immersion experience itself. Furthermore, many learners have gone on to create resources for others, in the form of books or websites. It should be noted that there is a great learning value in teaching others, and this is something that can be brought into use in the classroom by the L2 teacher. But the one account which stood out most and which again illustrates the degree of sheer effort and perseverance required comes from Aaron Handel. 

“I had the Thai tapes that Nók and I had made. And I had motivation. I was inspired by the friendliness and generosity of Thai people. I was intrigued by the language and the culture. I told myself, “I’m going to try this. I’m going to learn to speak Thai.” I locked myself in the room for 30 days, going out only for food and water. I drilled the tapes as I read the text. Drill! Say it again. No, that’s not right. Do it again! Drill again, with better pronunciation. Focus on the tone. Even if it is only one syllable, drill that tone again and again… After 30 days, I emerged from my room, pale and exhausted. Had I learned anything? Yes. Although I didn’t realize it yet, I had broken the tonal barrier. I learned most of the Thai that I now speak, during those 30 days.” (Aaron Handel, WLT)
               

Concluding remarks…

As can be seen through so many of the above mentioned accounts, the learning patterns detailed here, with very few exceptions, support the validity of the body of literature on second language learning and acquisition. There are two factors evident in learners’ accounts, yet conspicuously absent from SLA literature: one is that of the role of rote learning, hard work, and intense dedication to the learning process; the other is the importance of fun.

Sources:

• Bavin, E. L. (1995). Language Acquisition in Cross linguistic Perspective. Annual Review of Anthropology, 24, 373-396.
• Churchill, Eton. A Case Study of a JSL Learner and a Word: A Dynamic Systems Account of the Path from Ecology to Form-relations. To appear in: Applied Linguistics.
• Cohen, A. (1996). Second Language Learning and Use Strategies: Clarifying the Issues.  Minneapolis: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.
• Dörnyei, Z. (no date). Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations in Language Learning: Advances in Theory, Research, and Applications. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.
• Gass, S. & Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (3rd edition). New York: Routledge.
• Griffiths, C. (2004). Language Learning Strategies: Theory and Research. Auckland: School of Foundation Studies.
• Hinenoya, K. & Gatbonton, E. (2000). ‘Ethnocentrism, Cultural Traits, Beliefs, and Proficiency: A Japanese Sample.’ The Modern Language Journal 84 no2, 225 – 40.
• Leather, J. and Van Dam, J. (2002). Ecology of Language Acquisition. The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Mitchell, R. and Myles, F. (1998). Second Language Learning Theories. London: Arnold.
• Nikolov, M. (2000). ‘The Critical Period Hypothesis Reconsidered: Successful adult learners of Hungarian and English’ IRAL 38 (2), 109 – 24.
• Women Learn Thai: Tidy Archives
• University of Hawaii: Discursive Practice: Specialization

Note 1: in every case, WTL refers to files archived at: Tidy Archives

Christopher Stern,
tesolstudentonline

Kaewmala’s Thinglish Slang…

In my pet project, the Top 100 Thai Words series, to extend the usefulness of the mini course I’ve decided to add English loanwords. My reasoning is that loanwords are easily recognised, and with minor tweaks to pronunciation, won’t need to be learned. Is it cheating? Depends.

This week Kaewmala (Thai Women Talks) came out with a post discussing the subject: A Taste of Thinglish Slang.

Soon after my return [to Thailand] in the early 2000s, I kept hearing one of my girlfriends comment on something as “O” – โอ /oh/- a lot. At first I had no idea what she meant. What could it be? I wondered. “O” as in something is round, or has a hole in it like a donut? Or maybe it’s a code? Surely not “O” in “overdosed”? I was baffled. So I asked, “What the heck do you mean by ‘O’?” She replied, “OK, of course.” Dumbfounded I was. “You mean you actually shorten ‘OK’ to ‘O’? Why? Isn’t OK short enough?” She laughed.

And if Kaewmala was confused at loanword usage, just imagine how it is for the rest of us! And really, that’s the beauty of Kaewmala’s post. It’s not just a barebones list (like I have at the moment). She’s included common usage.

After spending months collectiing loanwords I assumed I would have most on Kaewmala’s list but turns out we only have six in common: โอ /oh/ (O), โอเวอร์ /oh-wer/ (over the top, too much, very, way), and เม้นท์ /máyn/ (Facebook comment), ฟิน/fin/ (finale, climax). For ‘copy’, I have the long version: ก๊อบปี้ /góp-bpêe/, while Kaewmala has the shorter, more modern version: ก๊อป /góp/. And with ‘confirm’, she includes both: คอนเฟิร์ม /kon-ferm/ and เฟิร์ม /ferm/.

Here are the Thinglish slang (loan words) I didn’t have (ta Kaewmala):

artist, artistic: ติสต์ /tist/
chill out, take it easy, to not be so serious: ชิวชิว /chiew-chiew/ or ชิลชิล /chill-chill/
creative: ครีเอท /kree-àyt/
fake, faking it, phony, pretentious, insincere [v or n]: เฟค /fak/
in the mood, deeply moved, captivated, focused: อิน /in/
in tune, on the same wave length: จูน /juun/
out of fashion: เอาท์ /ao/
paranoid, annoyed, be in a bad mood: นอยด์ /noid/ or นอย /noi/
so darned hot!: ร้อนเว่อร์ /rón wêr/
trendy (in fashion): อินเทรน /in trend/

That’s all for now, folks. There are plenty more. If I’m up to it, I might write more in the future on Thinglish slang. I hope you’ve got a taste, for those of you not so familiar with current Thai slang. Feel free to share more in your comments. Oh, I also tweet contemporary Thai and Thinglish slang words and idiomatic expressions: @thai_idioms.

More please, oh yes :-)

Oh, and if you don’t know already, Kaewmala is the author of Sex Talk: In Search of Love and Romance. She tweets at: @Thai_Talk (on Thai language, culture & politics) and @thai_idioms (Thai idiom a day) and @lanna_talk (Northern Thai vocabulary)

Kaewmala’s interview on WLT: Thais Learning Thai: Kaewmala from Thai Talk: Part 1 and Part 2

More English loanwords in Thai…

Besides Kaewmala’s post, below are the resources I used to create my loanword (ทับศัพท์ /táp-sàp/) list.

William J. Klausner: Borrowed English Words: Danger or Opportunity

Posts on WLT:
Hugh Leong: Thai Language Thai Culture: Perfectly Good Thai Words
Rikker Dockum: Thai 101 Learners Series: Thanks for the Loan, We’ll Keep Our Word

Rikker Dockum’s Thai 101:
Loanwords 1: English
Loanwords 2: Mouth, menu, mem
Loanwords 3: copy, xerox, pump
Loanwords 4: English loanwords in 1892
Loanwords 5: Chameleon English and loanword spelling
Loanwords 6: In the car
Improve Your Accent: How to speak English like a Thai (1)
Improve Your Accent: How to speak English like a Thai (2)

thai-language.com:
English Loanwords
Royal Institute: Dictionary of New Words

transparent.com:
Computer Terminology in Thai, for Beginners
Computer Terminology in Thai, Intermediate Level

e-book: 700 Thai Words Taken From English

Pfd downloads (they go straight to download):
Tone Rules for English Spoken in Thai
A Study of English Loanwords Used in Thai Historical Novels
Issues in Loanword Adaptation: a Case Study from Thai
A Note on English Loanwords in Thai
Sound Systems of English

NEW: Stephen Cleary: Learn 300 Words of Thai in 5 Minutes!!
Note: I’ll add Stephen’s loanwords after I source the Thai script.

NEW: Thai Royal Institute Loanwords Dictonary
Note: Still to be added.

NEW: รายชื่อศัพท์ต่างประเทศที่ใช้คำไทยแทนได้

My list of English loanwords in Thai (so far)…

If you know any commonly used English loanwords in Thai not on this list, please do share. And if you feel that some of the loanwords below are not used often, let me know that too.

abnormal: แอ็บ /àep/
accident: แอ๊คซิเด็นท /áeksíden/
air hostess: แอร์ /ae/
air-conditioner, air-conditioning: แอร์ /ae/
album: อาละบั้ม /aa-lá-bâm/
alcohol: แอลกอฮอล /aen-gor-hon/
American share (going Dutch): อะเมริกันแชร์ /a-may-rí-gan-chae/
American: อะเมริกัน /a-may-rí-gan/
apartment: อพาร์ทเม้นต์ /a-pâat-máyn/
apple: แอปเปิ้ล /àep-bpêrn/
artist, artistic: ติสต์ /tist/
aspirin: แอสไพริน /áet-pai-rin/
assign: อะไซน /a-sain/
ATM: เอทีเอ็ม /ay-tee-em/
Australian: ออสเตรเลีย /òt-dtray-lia/
automatic: อัตโนมัติ /àt-noh-mát/
baby: เบบี้ /bay-bêe/
background, ancestors (root): รูท /rôot/
bacon: เบคอน /bay-kon/
bakery: เบเกอรี่ /bay-ger-rêe/
balance: แบลเลินซ /bae-len/
ban: แบน /baen/
bank: แบงค์ /baeng/
bar: บาร์ /baa/
barbecue: บาร์บีคิว /baa-bee-kiw/
battery: แบตเตอรี่ /bàet-dter-rêe/ or แบต /bàet/
beer: เบียร์ /bia/
bill: บิล /bin/
blackmail: แบล็คเมล์ /baelk-may/
blueberry: บลูเบอร์รี่ /bloo-ber-rêe/
bluff: บลั๊ฟ /bláf/
blur (mental blurring, confusion, fogginess): เบลอร์ /bler/
bonus: โบนัส /boh-nát/
boom boom (make love – bar girl talk): บูมๆ /bom-bom/
boy: บ๋อย /bŏi/
brake: เบรก /bràyk/
brandy: แบรั่นดี /bae-rân-dee/
broccoli: บร๊อคโคลี /bròk-koh-lee/
buffet: บุฟเฟ่ต์ /bùf-fây/
by heart (impromptu talk): บายฮาร์ท /baai hâat/
bye-bye: บ๊าย บาย /báai-baai/
café, supper club: คาเฟ่ /kaa-fây/
caffeine: คาเฟอีน /kaa-fay-een/
cake: เค้ก /káyk/
calorie: แคลลอรี /kaen-lor-ree/
cantaloupe: แคนตาลูป /kaen-dtaa-lôop/
capsule: แค้ปซูล /káep-soon/
capuccino: คาร์ปูชิโน /kaa-bpoo-chí-noh/
carbohydrate: คาร์โบไฮเดรต /kaa-boh-hai-dràyt/
card: การ์ด /gàat/
care: แคร์ /kae/
carrot: แครอท /kae-rôt/
cartoons: คาร์ทูน /kaa-toon/
cashier: แคชเชียร์ /kâet-chia/
catalogues: แค้ทตาล้อก /kâet-tá-lôk/
centimetre: เซนติเมตร /sayn-dtì-máyt/
champ (champion): แชมเปญ /chaem-bpayn/ and แชมป์ /chaem/
check, inspect, examine: เช็ค /chék/
check/bill: เช็คบิล /chék-bin/
checkin: เช็กอิน /chék-en/
checkout: เช็กเอ๊า /chék-áo/
cheer, support, boost, promote, encourage: เชียร์ /chia/
chill out, take it easy, to not be so serious: ชิวชิว /chiew-chiew/ or ชิลชิล /chill-chill/
chitchat, gossip (mouth): เมาท์ [เม้า] /mao/
chocolate: ช็อคโกแล็ต /chók-goh-láet/
Christmas: คริสต์เมิส /kríst-mast/
classic, classical: คลาสสิก /klâat-sìk/
clinic: คลินิก /klí-nìk/
club, nightclub: คลับ /kláp/
cocoa: โกโก้ /goh-gôh/
coffee: กาแฟ /gaa-fae/
coke: โค้ก /kóhk/
Colegate: คอลเกต /kol-gàte/
comment: คอมเม้นท์ /kom-máyn/ or เม้นท์ /máyn/
computer: คอมพิวเตอร์ /kom-piw-dtêr/ or คอมฯ /kom/
concert: คอนเสิร์ต /kon-sèrt/
condo: คอนโด /kon-doh/
confirm: คอนเฟิร์ม /kon-ferm/ or เฟิร์ม /ferm/
control: คอนโทล /kon-ton/
cook: กุ๊ก /gúk/
cookie: คุกกี้ /kúk-gêe/
copy: ก๊อบปี้ /góp-bpêe/ or ก๊อป /góp/
correct: คะเรคทฺ /ká-rak/
corruption: คะรัพเชิน /ká-ráp-chern/
coupon: คูปอง /koo-bpong/
cow, ox, bull: โค /koh/
cream: ครีม /kreem/
creative: ครีเอท /kree-àyt/
credit card: เครดิต การ์ด /kray-dìt-gàat/
credit, trust, belief, confidence, reliance, faith: เครดิต /kray-dìt/
credit: เครดดิท /kay-rót-dìt/
curry: กะหรี่ /gà-rèe/
dance: แดนซ์ /daen/
delivery: ดิลิบเวอรี่ /dì-líp-wer-rêe/
dictionary: ดิ๊ก /dík/
diesel: ดีเซล /dee-sayn/
digital: ดิจิตอล /dì-jì-dton/
Dim sum (Chinese loan word): ดิ่มซำ่ /dìm-sum/
ding-dong (crazy, not very bright): ติงต๊อง /dting-dtóng/
ding-dong (make love): ดิงดอง /dìng-dong/
discotheque: เทค /tâyk/
doesn’t care: ไม่แคร์ /mai kae/
doesn’t work: ไม่เวิ้ก /mâi wérk/
dollar: ดอลลาร์ /don-lâa/
don’t understand (doesn’t get it): ไม่เก็ท /mâi gèt/
don’t mind: ไม่มายด์ /mâi maai/
doughnut: โดนัท /doh-nát/
down: ดาวน์ /daao/
dynamo: ไดนาโม /dai-naa-moh/
email: อีเมล์ /ee-may/
exercise: เอ็กเซอร์ไซส์ /èk-sêr-sai/
expresso: เอ็คเปรสโซ่ /èk-bpay-rót-sôh/
expressway: เอ็กเปร็สเวย์ /èk-bprèt-way/
Facebook: เฟซบุ๊ก /fâyt-búk/
fair: แฟร์ /fae/
fake, faking it, phony, pretentious, insincere [v or n]: เฟค /fak/
fashion: แฟชั่น /fae-chân/
fast food: ฟาส์ตฟูด /fâat-fôot/
film: ฟิล์ม /fim/
finish, finale: ฟิน /fin/
fit (fits too tight – skintight, being in good shape): ฟิต /fít/
focus (camera): โฟคัส /foh-kát/
football: ฟุตบอล /fút-bon/
footpath: ฟุตปาต /fút-bpàat/
foremost: ฟอร์โมสท /for-moh/
free: ฟรี /free/
freestyle (freesize): ฟรีสไตล์ /free sà-dtai/
friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, supporter, fan: แฟน /faen/
furniture: เฟอร์นิเจอร์ /fer-ní-jer/
fuse (blowing one’s ‘fuse’): ฟิวซ์ /fiw/
gang: แก็งค์ /gaeng/
garage: การ์ราจ /gaa-râat/
gas: แก๊ส /gáet/
gay: เกย์ /gay/
gel: เยล /yen/
get (understand): เก็ท /gèt/
gift (baby born in-vitro): กิ๊ฟ /gíf/
gin: จิน /jin/
golf: กอล์ฟ /góf/
gram: กรัม /gram/
guarantee: การันตี /gaa-ran-dtee/
guard: ก๊าร์ด /gáat/
guitar: กีตาร์ /gee-dtâa/
ham: แฮม /haem/
hamburger: แฮมเบอร์เกอร์ /haem-ber-gêr/
hard headed, delinquent, difficult to control: ฮาร์ด /hâat/
have sexual relations, guest appearance (featuring): ฟิเจอรืง /fí-jer-reung/
hello: ฮัลโล /han-loh/
hey!: เฮ้ /háy/
hey!: เฮ้ย /hóie/
hifi: ไฮไฟ /hai-fai/
high society: ไฮโซ /hai-soh/
highway: ไฮเวย์ /hai-way/
hotdog: ฮ้อทด็อก /hót-dòk/
hotel: โฮเต็ล /hoh-dten/
hysteria (nymphomania): ฮิสทีเรีย /hít-tee-ria/
ice cream: ไอศครีม /ai-sà-kreem/
imagine: จิ้น (note: no in common usage) /jîn/
in the mood, deeply moved, captivated, focused: อิน /in/
in tune, on the same wave length: จูน /juun/
internet: อินเทอร์เน็ต /in-têr-nét/
iPad: ไอแพค /ai-pâek/
iPhone: ไอโฟน /ai-fohn/
is that fair?: แฟร์มั้ย /fae máai/
it went okay: ก็โอ /gôr oh/
jacket: แจ๊กเก็ต /jáek-gèt/
jam: แยม /yaem/
jazz: แจซ /jazz/
jean(s): ยีน /yeen/, ยีนส์ /yeens/
jelly: เยลลี่ /yel-​lêe/
joke: โจ๊ก /jóhk/
karaoke: คาราโอเกะ /kaa-raa-oh-ge/
kilometres: กิโล /gì-loh/
kleenex: คลีเน็กซ์ /klee-nék/
lane: เลน /layn/
latte: ลาเต้ /laa-dtây/
leave: ลีฟ /lêef/
lift: ลิฟต์ /líf/
like: ไลค์ (pronounced ไล้ค์) from Facebook /lái/
lock, latch, bolt: ล็อค /lók/
lotion: โลชั่น /loh-chân/
lottery: ลอตเตอรี่ /lôt-dter-rêe
love: เลิฟ /lêrf/
low season (scarcity of available dates): โลซีซั่น /loh-see-sân/
luxury: ลัคซ์ /lák/
Mac (apple computer): แม็คฯ /máek/
macaroni: แมคคะโรนี /mâek-ká-roh-nee/
madame: แมดเดิม /mâet-derm/
mafia: มาเฟีย /maa-fia/
magazine: แม็กกาซีน /máek-gaa-seen/
maid: เมด /mâyt/
malaria: มาลาเรีย /maa-laa-ria/
man (manly, butch): แมน /maen/
mascot: ม้าสคอต /máa-sà-kôt/
mayonaise: มายองเนส /maa-yong-nâyt/
melon: เมล่อน /may-lôn/
memory (computer): เมม /maym/
menu: เมนู /may-noo/
meter: เมตร /máyt/
microphone, mike: ไมค์ /mai/
microwave: ไมโครเวฟ /mai-​kroh-​wáyp/
mile: ไมล์ /mai/
mob (peaceful protests, sit-in-demonstrations ): ม็อบ /móp/
mobile: โมบาย /moh-baai/
modern: โมเดิร์น /moh-dern/
motor: มอเตอร์ /mor-dtêr/
motorcycle: มอร์เตอร์ไซ /mor-dtêr-sai/
motorway: มอเตอร์เวย์ /mor-dtêr way/
moving house: มุฟ /múf/
mustard: มัสตาร์ด /mát-dtàat/
name: นาม /naam/
nightclub: ไนท์คลับ /nai-kláp/
no longer in the mood: หมดมู้ด /mòt móot/
not fair: ไม่แฟร์ /mâi fae/
not in the mood: ไม่มีมู้ด /mâi mee móot/
not OK: ไม่โอ /mâi oh/
not over the top: ไม่เวอร์ /mâi wer/
note: โน้ต /nóht/
number: เบอร์ /ber/
office: อ๊อฟฟิต /óf-fít/
offside (overstepped boundaries, stealing the limelight): ออฟไซด์ฺ /???/
Oh my god!: โอ้มายก้อด /ôh maai gòt/
Oh my god!: โอ้วว์หม่ายก๊อดดด /ôh maai gòttt/
okay, acceptable, overtime work: โอ /oh/
okay: โอเค /oh-kay/
omelete: ออมเล็ท /om-lét/
oneway: วันเวย์ /wan-way/
order: ออเดอร์ /or-dêr/
out of fashion: เอาท์ /ao/
Ovaltine โอวัลติน /oh-wan-dtin/
over the top, extreme: โอเวอร์ /oh-wer/ or เวอร์ [เว่อ] /wer/
overtime: โอเวอร์ไทม /oh-wer-tym/
paranoid, annoyed, be in a bad mood: นอยด์ /noid/ or นอย /noi/
party: ปาร์ตี้ /bpaa-dtêe/
passport: พาสปอร์ท /paa-sà-bpòt/
PC: พีซี /pee-see/
Pepsi: เป็บซี่ /bpèp-sêe/
percent: เปอร์เซ็นต์ /bper-sen/
piano: เปียโน /bpia-noh/
pickup: ปิคอัพ /bpìk-àp/
pie: พาย /paai/
ping pong: ปิงปอง /bping-bpong/
pizza: พิซซ่า /pít-sâa/
plan: แปลน /bplaen/
plaster: พลาสเตอร์ /pláat-dtêr/
plastic: พลาสติค /pláat-dtìk/
pollution: พอลูชั่น /por-loo-chân/
popular: ปอปปูล่า /bpòp-bpoo-lâa/
process: โพรเซส /poh-rá-sâyt/
project: โปรเจ็คต์ /bproh-jèk/
promotion (items in a sale): โปรโมชั่น /bproh-moh-chân/
pub: ผับ /pàp/
queue: คิว /kiw/
race, racing (drive fast): ซิ่ง /sîng/
remote: รีโมท /ree-môht/
result: รีซอลท์ /ree-son/
retire: รีไทร์ /ree-tai/
romantic: โรแมนติก /oh-maen-dtìk/
salad: สลัด /sà-làt/
salmon: ซัลม่อน /san-môn/
same: เซม /saym/
sandwich: แซนด์วิช /saen-wít/
sardine: ซาร์ดีน /saa-deen/
sauce: ซอส /sót/
screw driver: สกรูไร /sà-groo-rai/
seafood: ซีฟูด /see-fôot/
second-hand: เซ็คคั่นแฮน /sék-kân-haen/
self-service: เซ้ล์ฟเซอวิส /sáyf-ser-wít/
serious: ซีเรียส /see-rîat/
serve: เสิร์ฟ /​sèrp/
sex: เซ็กส์ /sék/
sexy: เซ็กส์ซี่ /sék-sêe/
shampoo: แชมพู /chaem-poo/
share: แซร์ /sae/
shirt: เชิ้ต /chért/
show: โชว์ /choh/
size: ไซด์ /sai/
slang: สแลง /sà-lăeng/
slice (of bread): สไลซ์ /sà-lăI/
smart (fashionable): สม้าท /sà-mâat/
so darned hot!: ร้อนเว่อร์ /rón wêr/
soda: โซดา /soh-daa/
sofa: โซฟา /soh-faa/
soup: ซุป /súp/
spaghetti: สปาเก็ตตี้ /sà-bpaa-gèt-dtêe/
spray: สเปรย์ /sà-bpray/
staff: สต้าฟ /sà-dtâaf/
steak: สเต็ก /sà-dtìk/
stereo: สเตรีโอ /sà-dtay-ree-oh/
stop: สต็อป /sà-dtòp/
strawberry: สะตอเบอรี่ /sà-dtor-ber-rêe/
strike (work related): สไตรค์ /sà-dtrai/
style: สไตล์ /sà-dtai/
suit: สูท /sòot/
supermarket: ซูเปอร์มาร์เก็ต /soo-bper-maa-gèt/ or ซุปเปอร์ /súp-bper/
superstar: ซูเปอร์สตาร์ /soo-bper sà-dtâa/
sure: ชัวร์ /chua/
surprise: เซอร์ไพล้ส /sêr-prais/
switch: สวิทซ์ /sà-wìt/
take out: เทกเอาท์ /tay-gà-ao/
tape: เทป /tâyp/
taxi: แท็กซี่ /táek-sêe/
technique: เทคนิค /ték-nìk/
tennis: เทนนิส /tay-ná-nít/
test (try out): เทสต์ /tâyt/
tissue: ทิชชู่ /tít-chôo/
tofu: เต้าฟู่ /dtâo-fôo/
tour: ทัวร์ /tua/
trendy (in fashion): อินเทรน /in trend/
tuna: ทูน่า /too-nâa/
tutor: ติวเตอร์ /dtiw-dtêr/
TV: ทีวี /tee-wee/
tweet: ทวิต /tá-wít/
twitter: ทวิตเตอร์ /tá-wí-dtà-dtêr/
u-turn: ยูเทิร์น /yoo-tern/
vanilla: วะนิลา /wa-ní-laa/
video clip: คลิปวีดีโอ /klíp-wee-dee-oh/ or คลิป /klíp/
video: วีดีโอ /wee-dee-oh/
view: วิว /wiw/
VIP: วีไอพี /wee-ai-pee/
virgin: เวอจิน /wer-jin/
visa: วีซ่า /wee-sâa/
vitamins: วิตามิน /wí-dtaa-min/
vote: โหวต /wòht/
website: เว็บไซต์ /wép-sai/
whisky: วิสกี้ /wít-gêe/
wine: ไวน์ /wai/
work: เวิ้ก /wérk/
works (pretty) well: เวิร์กดี /wêrk dee/
wow!: ว้าว /wáao/
zoom (camera): ซูม /soom/

Notes: 1) As the list is long (and threatening to get even longer), I have not included loan names. That’s for another post. 2) I will not use the entire list of loanwords in the mini-series. The aim is to gather, cull down to most most common, then use the best of the rest. 3) Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for loanwords put out on Facebook and email :-)

Interviewing Successful Thai Language Learners…

Name: Dr. Larry Dinkins
Nationality: American
Age range: 59
Sex: Male
Location: Chiang mai
Profession: Missionary
Website: OMF International
Products: Help My Halo Is Slipping (first four years in Thailand), New Toes for Tia, Walk Thru The Bible (12 hour vdo summary of entire Bible in Thai, available from Voice of Peace)

What is your Thai level?

Fluent.

Do you speak more street Thai, Issan Thai, or professional Thai?

As a missionary one must relate to all segments of society, but teaching a lot has shaped my language in a more academic sense.

What were your reasons for learning Thai?

A desire to share the message of the Bible in a way the Thai could understand.

Do you live in Thailand? If so, when did you arrive?

I arrived in 1980 and continued until 2002 when my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Following her subsequent passing in 2011, I decided to return to Thailand.

How long have you been a student of the Thai language?

1980+

Did you learn Thai right away, or was it a many-pronged approach?

I didn’t even know “sawatdi” before I arrived, but started right in as soon as I got to Bangkok.

First year was full time at Union Language School on Silom. I would study until lunch and then practice on the street in the afternoon (my wife with a small child studied with a tutor). At 9 months I attempted my first sermon in Thai (I still have the manuscript, written in a kindergarten hand – I wonder if the congregation understood anything I said). We moved up-country our second year and started working among a core group of lepers to start a church and continued language study half-time (the community had virtually no English speakers). Third year continued with a third of our time dedicated to Thai language until I finished out my fourth year by taking the 6th grade Thai school exam.

Did you stick to a regular study schedule?

Yes.

Did one method stand out over all others?

Language Acquisition Made Practical (LAMP) was helpful in that you work on a short paragraph of Thai that you absorb and then share with up to 15 people. Each day you return to the same group of people with a new paragraph of Thai to share. In this way you build on the previous paragraphs and more importantly, you build relationships. I also hugely benefited from the bible story modual that became quite practical as I repeated those stories over and over (I still use the same phraseology when I retell those stories today).

How soon did you tackle reading and writing Thai?

Both were stressed quite early on.

Did you find learning to read and write Thai difficult?

It is a struggle to read at a smooth and rapid rate the way a Thai native does and though I am an acceptable speller, there are a number of words that still trip me up (remember, there are 65 letters)

What was your first ‘ah hah!’ moment?

Probably when in the simple sentence construction exercises we did in class, I actually began to make sense to my classmates.

How do you learn languages?

I studied Spanish in high school and enjoyed English class, especially grammar. Then in seminary I had the chance to study both Hebrew and Greek. I never spoke Spanish but my exposure to these languages from an analytical standpoint along with my interest in English grammar helped immensely when I needed to analyze the intricacies of Thai. So from the purely academic/book side of things, I had an advantage over some people who had no grasp of how language functions in general. My exposure to Hebrew and Greek helped me understand “weird scripts” and placements of consonants and vowels in unusual places.

Practically I began to label many common items in my house (which drove my wife bonkers). My mission had high standards and kept my “feet to the fire” through a language learning program that lasted a full four years. Daily excursions into the community to try out what I learned in class was crucial, that and being willing to make mistakes while exercising an innate curiosity about all things “Thai”. This curiosity about especially cultural, societal and religious matters meant that I had an inexhaustible source of topics to learn and interact over.

I found that in the early going, having the ability to form good questions in Thai was more important than the ability to answer questions. When you asked questions and really listened, then you were able to hear a lot of natural Thai and as a result increase vocabulary. The adage, “I understand more than I can speak” is the natural way that we start out in any language … speech takes a while to catch up with hearing.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

As a missionary you are called upon to relate to most every segment of society. Being around Thai for three decades means that conversations come fairly easily, plus the fact that Thai are always happy to speak with a farang with plausible Thai. My weakness would be in the realm of writing Thai. I can type in Thai fairly well, but spelling is my downfall and always slows me down. When I can stand at a white board and write down spontaneous answers from my students without fear and trepidation overtaking me, then I’ll know I arrived as a Thai speaker. For now, I try to avoid such embarrassment if possible.

What is the biggest misconception for students learning Thai?

You hear all sorts of advertisements about CDs and schools that offer a “pain free” and quick way of absorbing Thai. From my experience there is no substitute for more programmed learning that keeps you accountable for the long haul. Studying at a desk is no substitute for using what you know on the street, that and being willing to make mistakes and retelling a phrase over and over until it becomes a part of your DNA.

Can you make your way around any other languages?

Being from Oklahoma, I speak excellent Okie, which goes over better with my cowboy friends than with my Anglican counterparts in my mission. I’m often asked if I can speak Northern Thai. I hugely respect those missionaries who can speak in a Thai dialect or even in a tribal language. But for me, my standard response is, “I still have my hands full with central Thai. If I added a dialect I’m afraid I’d end up butchering both languages.”

Were you learning another language at the same time as Thai?

No.

What advice would you give to students of the Thai language?

Personable. Perseverance. Purposeful. Accountability. Curiosity.

regards,
Dr. Larry Dinkins

The Series: Interviewing Successful Thai Language Learners…

My personal thanks for this series goes to: Dr. Larry Dinkins, Don Sena, Scott Earle, John Boegehold, Justin Travis Mair, Stephen Thomas, James (Jim) Higbie, Mark Hollow, Marc Spiegel, Daniel B Fraser, Rick Bradford, Adam Bradshaw, Fabian Blandford, Luke Cassady-Dorion, Nils Bastedo, Grace Robinson, Aaron Le Boutillier, Ryan Zander, Joe Cummings, Hamish Chalmers, Andrew Biggs, Ian Fereday, Doug, Gareth Marshall, Martin Clutterbuck, Stuart (Stu) Jay Raj, Herb Purnell, Celia Chessin-Yudin, Stickman, Thomas Lamosse, Vern Lovic, Colin Cotterill, Jonathan Thames, Hardie Karges, Peter Montalbano, Jonas Anderson and Christy Gibson, Paul Garrigan, Marcel Barang, Larry Daks, Chris Baker, Hugh Leong, Terry Fredrickson, Glenn Slayden, Rikker Dockum, David Smyth, Tom Parker, David Long, Aaron Handel, and Chris Pirazzi.

If you are a successful Thai language learner and would like to share your experiences, please contact me. I’d love to hear from you.

Learn Thai with Christy Gibson…

Learning songs in your target language is an entertaining way to acquire new phrases and vocabulary. And fortunately for us, the talented Christy Gibson has kindly agreed to let me share her songs on WLT. Thanks Christy!

Christy Gibson is known for performing ลูกทุ่ง /lôok tôong/. Lookthung, sung from the heart, literally translates to ‘child of the fields’. And if you haven’t read them already, Christy and Jonas Anderson talk about Lookthung, their singing careers, and learning Thai in these two posts:

Expat Interview: Jonas Anderson and Christy Gibson
Successful Thai Language Learners: Jonas Anderson and Christy Gibson

When I came up with the idea to translate Christy’s songs, I asked Hugh Leong if he’d like to share the project. Thankfully, he agreed to help out. Not only is Hugh also a fan of Christy’s, but his translations are waaaay smoother than mine.

Hugh Leong: I find Luk Thung the most accessible Thai music for foreigners. The musicians are quite good, the music is very similar to American country music in theme, adultery, getting drunk, etc. And the shows they put on are lots of fun.

For our first post in the series, the decision was made to start off with ‘If There Were No Men Left in This World’ (ถ้าโลกไม่เหลือผู้ชายสักคน).

Christy Gibson: The theme of “ถ้าโลกไม่เหลือผู้ชายสักคน” is, in part, one that is familiar to the lookthung genre, but we wanted to give it a different twist. I wanted a song that didn’t end with the character feeling worthless, giving up, or just deciding to “live with the pain” or, as they say in Thai, “ยอม” or resign to fate. I wanted a song about a woman who loved, who felt pain, but who was also strong. In another of my songs, “เจ็บที่ไม่ได้เชิญ”, the woman was strong enough to let him go. In this song she’s strong enough to fight to hold on to him.

The song was chosen because fits the criteria (and not just because it’s my fav – ok, perhaps just a little). The catchy tune has clearly enunciated lyrics and a reasonable vocabulary count, delivered with a tempo slow enough for beginners to follow along without their heads exploding.

Btw: There lyrics have around 70 words, and 28 of those are verbs. Verbs are good.

If there were no men left in this world…

Before you dig in, here’s a quick way to hear the pronunciation when reading the lyrics: drop each sentence into Google Translate and click the speaker icon. The audio isn’t perfect but it’s close. And if you want to hear the sentences spoken at a faster speed, take out the spaces between the words.

If there were no men left in this world

ถ้า โลก ไม่ เหลือ ผู้ชาย สักคน
tâa lôhk mâi lĕua pôo-chaai sàk-kon

ถ้า /tâa/: if
โลก /lôhk/: world, earth
ไม่ /mâi/: no
เหลือ /lĕua/: to remain
ผู้ชาย /pôo-chaai/: men, man, male
สักคน /sàk-kon/: just one person

That man there – he is mine

ผู้ชาย คน นั้น เป็น แฟน ฉัน เอง
pôo-chaai kon nán bpen faen chăn ayng

คน /kon/: person, people, classifier for people
นั้น /nán/: there, that, those, used after a noun or pronoun to emphasize it as the subject of the sentence
เป็น /bpen/: to be, is, am, are, become
แฟน /faen/: husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend. When understood, he, she
ฉัน /chăn/: I, me
เอง /ayng/: only, alone, just

extra info:
แฟนฉัน /faen chăn/: my – the short version of แฟนของฉัน /faen kŏng chăn/
ของฉันเอง /kŏng chăn ayng/: mine
ฉันเอง /chăn ayng/: I, me

The one you are holding in your arms

คน ที่ เธอ กำลัง กอด เขา
kon têe ter gam-lang gòt kăo

ที่ /têe/: the, that, which, who
เธอ /ter/: you (spoken), she, her (poetic)
กำลัง /gam-lang/: auxiliary used to put the verb in the present continuous tense
กอด /gòt/: to hold, embrace, hug
เขา /kăo/: he, she, him, her, they, them

extra info:
กำลัง /gam-lang/ + กอด /gòt/ = holding (something at that moment)

Ask him and see; does the word “we”

ถาม เขา ดู สิ • คำว่า เรา
tăam kăo doo sì • kam-wâa rao

ถาม /tăam/: to ask
ดู /doo/: to see (understand the situation), see, appear, seem
สิ /sì/: particle used to show suggestion (“I suggest you ask him”), emphasis
คำว่า /kam wâa/: the word _
เรา /rao/: we, us, our

Mean you and he, or him and me?

เป็น เธอ กับ เขา • หรือ เขา กับ ฉัน
bpen ter gàp kăo • rĕu kăo gàp chăn

กับ /gàp/: and, with, together with
หรือ /rĕu/: or, isn’t it? (written)

If you are going to take the one who is mine

หาก จะ เอา คน ของ ฉัน ไป
hàak jà ao kon kŏng chăn bpai

หาก /hàak/: if
จะ /jà/: will, shall
เอา /ao/: take, bring
ของ /kŏng/: of, thing, possessions, goods, slang for illegal items (eg. drugs)
ไป /bpai/: to go, leave, shows direction away from the speaker

extra info:
ของ /kŏng/ + ฉัน /chăn/ = mine
เอา /ao/ + ไป /bpai/ = take

At least don’t say it was I who was cruel

ก็ อย่า หาว่า ร้าย แล้วกัน
gôr yàa hăa wâa ráai láew-gan

ก็ /gôr/: then, so, therefore, joins clauses
อย่า /yàa/: don’t, do not, never
หาว่า /hăa-wâa/: accuse, charge, claim, blame
ร้าย /ráai/: be cruel, bad, evil
แล้วกัน /láew-gan/: “Ok?” Used after the suggestion; particle used when suggesting a compromise or final plan of action, implies there’s no need for the listener to suggest anything else. “As you like” (idiomatic).

Losing anything else is unimportant to me

เสีย อะไร ก็ ไม่ สำคัญ
sĭa a-rai gôr mâi săm-kan

เสีย /sĭa/: to lose
อะไร /a-rai/: anything, something, whatever, what
สำคัญ /săm-kan/: be important, significant

Note: from the context ‘to me’ is understood.

But my man; I want him

แต่ คน ของ ฉัน • ฉัน ห่วง
dtàe kon kŏng chăn • chăn hùang

แต่ /dtàe/: but
ห่วง /hùang/: care about, be concerned about, think a lot about

Anyone would love her man

แฟน ของ ใคร • ใคร ก็ รัก
faen kŏng krai • krai gôr rák

ใคร /krai/: anyone, someone, person, who
รัก /rák/: to love

Anyone would be worried about him

แฟน ของ ใคร • ใคร ก็ ห่วง
faen kŏng krai • krai gôr hùang

No one would want to share him

แฟน ของ ใคร • ใคร ก็ หวง
faen kŏng krai • krai gôr hŭang

หวง /hŭang/: be possessive, jealous, can be both non-romantic (feeling between son and mother) or romantic (between lovers).

Be careful: ห่วง /hùang/ and หวง /hŭang/ are close in spelling but tone changes everything.

Don’t steal my man away

เธอ อย่า มา แย่ง ของ กัน
ter yàa maa yâeng kŏng gan

แย่ง /yâeng/: steal, snatch, grab, seize
กัน /gan/: one another, each other

There are lots of available men

ผู้ชาย ไม่มี เจ้าของ • มี ถมไป
pôo-chaai mâi-mee jâo-kŏng • mee tŏm-bpai

My first glance at this sentence made me smile: “There are a lot of men without owners”.

ไม่มี /mâi-mee/: not have, don’t have, there isn’t
เจ้าของ /jâo-kŏng/: owner, proprietor, proprietress
มี /mee/: to have, there is, to be available
ถมไป /tŏm-bpai/: lots of, abundant, plentiful, overwhelming

Why do you have to choose mine

ทำไม ต้อง เป็น แฟน ฉัน
tam-mai dtông bpen faen chăn

ทำไม /tam-mai/: why
ต้อง /dtông/: have to, must, need to

Please leave just this one for me

ขอ ไว้ สักคน แล้วกัน
kŏr wái sàk-kon láew-gan

ขอ /kŏr/: to beg, plead, ask, request
ไว้ /waí/: leave (allow to remain), keep, save, store
สักคน /sàk-kon/: just one person

Don’t force me to be cruel

อย่า บังคับ ให้ ร้าย เลย
yàa bang-káp hâi ráai loie

บังคับ /bang-káp/: to force, give an order, command
ให้ /hâi/: to become (aux), to let, have (someone do something), give
ร้าย /ráai/: bad, cruel
เลย /loie/: completely, totally, really, at all, intensifier, to go further

extra info:
Pattern: อย่า /yàa/ _ เลย /loie/ = Don’t do [something], begging

Please release him now

ได้โปรด ปล่อยมือ จาก เขา เสียที
dâai-bpròht bplòi-meu jàak kăo sĭa-tee

ได้โปรด /dâai-bpròht/: please
ปล่อยมือ /bplòi meu/: to release, set free, [release + hand = idiom]
จาก /jàak/: from, to depart, leave, go away from
เสียที /sĭa-tee/: at once, particle showing frustration that an action hasn’t already happened, to be defeated, conquered, tricked

I’m speaking to you nicely now, so don’t ignore me

พูด ดีๆ เธอ อย่า ทำเฉย
pôot dee-dee ter yàa tam-chŏie

พูด /pôot/: to speak, talk, say
ดี /dee/: to be good, nice, happy
ๆ: character used to indicate the previous word is repeated
ทำเฉย /tam-chŏie/: ignore, be standoffish, turn a cold shoulder to

extra info:
ดี /dee/ + ๆ = ดีๆ /dee-dee/ = nicely (is very good)

If there were no men left in this world

ถ้า โลก ไม่มี ผู้ชาย เหลือ เลย
tâa lôhk mâi-mee pôo-chaai lĕua loie

Then you can come and ask for him

แล้วค่อย มา ขอ · ก็แล้วกัน
láew-kôi maa kŏr · gôr-láew-gan

แล้วค่อย /láew-kôi/: then later (idiom)
มา /maa/: come, shows direction towards speaker, puts the main verb in present perfect tense

Giving thanks…

I would like to thank Christy for giving me the opportunity to use her songs for educational purposes, Hugh for translating the lyrics, and Thai Skype teacher Khun Narisa for coming in at the last hour to answer Thai grammar questions.

Doraemon in Thai news…

Doraemon (famous Japanese cartoon cat) has been in the Thai news lately. But first, let me catch you up on the old news.

Last year reports started appearing about the much loved Doraeman cat cartoon invading the murals on a Thai Wat:

YARPNEWS: For the uninitiated, Doraemon is a blue, earless robot cat from the 24th Century. The character first appeared in Manga comics in 1969 and has since starred in TV, films, musicals and video games. He was even called the ‘Cuddliest hero in Asia’ by Time Magazine.

Fester LIVE Udon Thani: A TEMPLE in Suphan Buri province has become a national sensation after an unusual character was spotted hiding in its wall paintings: the Japanese cartoon character Doraemon.

Noticing Doraemon’s huge popularity with Thai schoolchildren, artist Rakkiat Lertjitsakun added the sky-blue robotic cat to murals at Wat Samp Pa Siew in Muang district.

Temple abbot Phra Maha-anan, who hadn’t noticed Doraemon’s presence in the murals until he was told about them by a Khao Sod reporter, said he wasn’t angry at all. Mr Rakkiat was just trying to help today’s children learn about good and evil and heaven and hell, he said.

Things calmed down until this week, when the Wat decided to get into the amulet market:

Bangkok Post: A 700-year old temple in Suphan Buri’s Muang district has made headlines again by issuing issuing amulets of a god holding an iPad and of a famous Japanese cartoon character wearing a Thai headdress, and distributing them to visitors as souvenirs, reports said.

Bangkok Post: SUPHAN BURIA temple which uses imagery featuring Japanese cartoon character Doraemon on some of its souvenirs has been warned it may be violating copyrights. Wat Sampasiew in Muang district of Suphan Buri produces locket pins featuring Doraemon which it gives away free to visitors.

But Wisarut Inyaem, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Suphan Buri office, has urged the temple to avoid violating the intellectual property of Fujiko Pro, the creator of Doraemon, and iPad developer Apple Corp.

Call me cynical, but I don’t believe there’s a whole lot Fujiko Pro can legally do about Doraemon’s copyright in Thailand. Ripped off designs, software, movies and music are sold openly on Thai streets, in malls, pretty much everywhere. A couple of times a year there’s a big kerfluffle in the news, products are taken off the shelves, but days (hours sometimes) later it’s business as usual.

What Fujiko Pro could do is educate the Temple abbot about the rules of international copyright. How difficult could that be?

Doraemon at Wat Sampasiew…

In 2011, right before the floods hit, I stopped by Wat Sampa Siw. Yeah. I know. I’m lax about sharing my adventures in Thailand and elsewhere. I get to have all the fun and you mostly get nadda from me. My bad. But don’t thank me for finally sharing these photos – thank Kaewmala. Yesterday, when I mentioned the zillions of Doraemon photos I had, she sort of guilted into it. See?

Anyway, I’ll start you off with this [apologies] awful video I took. But seriously? One of these days I’ll invest in a tripod that works. Tips on make and model are welcome.

In the video, except for the obvious Doraemon shouting ห้ามจับภาพ /hâam jàp pâap/ (heh hehhhh), the cat cartoons can’t be seen. And even though I had my face right close to the mural, I still had difficulties locating the cartoons. Everyone did. But soon a novice monk stepped in to point out the hidden Doraemons.

There are more hidden Doraemons than I’ve shared here. But, after staring at mural photos for an hour, I once again lost sight of that darn cat. I took a fair number of photos both before and after the novice monk rescued me, so Doraemon could be hiding most anywhere.

The young man to the right is the novice monk who saved the day. To the left, a senior monk who just happened to nod “yes” to my camera waggle. Don’t let the stern faces fool you. Both laughed at my antics but sobered up as soon as my camera came into play.

Temple paintings Thailand…

Artist Rakkiat Lertjitsakun: “Inserting hidden messages into temple paintings is an age old tradition,” explained Rakkiat. “Years ago they would hide depictions of sex in the murals; nowadays it’s a blue cartoon robot cat.”

Whenever I visit a Wat with paintings (not all have them), I look for the fun scenes. Some characters are humorous while others are quite risque. Over the years I’ve amassed a growing collection and one day I’ll share them in a post. Remind me if I forget.

Below are a few I found at Wat Sampa Siw. This is the first time I’ve come across a blood spattered scene in a Thai mural but not a first for male and female body parts (body parts are a fav with Thai mural artists).

The guy enjoying his nap has an actual name:

thai-language.com: Choo Chok – ชูชก /choo-chók/ is a greedy Brahman character in the story of ‘เวชสันดรชาดก’ /wâyt săn don chaa-dòk/ who finally died from eating too much.

Thai people like to call someone who eat a lot or eat too much as “choo chok”, it’s not a compliment though.

Btw: If you are in Bangkok right this minute, you can just make the last day of the Doraemon Fair at Terminal 21. From what I gather, it’s a celebration marking the 100 years before Doraemon is to be born.

Thai Navy ‘Gangnam Style’ video hits YouTube…

I’m not a fan of the Gangnam Style craze that’s been hitting the internet lately. I enjoy Hip Hop but Gangnam is way over annoying. Just like Rap, it makes me want to bop someone.

At the end of September Gangnam Style hit the local Thai news with ‘Gangnam Style’ dance comp leads to teen violence. And then it went global: ‘Gangnam Style’ Dance-Off Ends in Shoot-Out. Sure. I can see how that could happen. Gangnam Style gets me riled up too.

Then yesterday, right when I was struggling to wake up, the Bangkok Post came out with another Gangnam Style article:

Bangkok Post: Navy ‘Gangnam Style’ makes choppy waves: A senior naval officer has apologised to some of his colleagues and superiors who were unhappy with the “Gangnam Style” video he helped produce.

Not being a Gangnam fan, I normally wouldn’t bother watching a Gangnam video but the mention of a powerful public figure having to apologise for what is basically a Thai trait (having fun), got my attention. And so I did.

I don’t know about you but I thought the video was GREAT! Ok. I’ll admit that I had to turn the sound off partway through, but I felt that the presentation was well done, and fun to watch.

Another thought that came to me was that Thailand worries way too much about criticism coming their way. Remember the Bare Breasted Ladies of Songkran? Same same?

It being morning and having things to do, I wandered off. But then this article came across my twitter, dragging me back:

Boingboing: Thai Navy’s “Gangnam Style” YouTube remake lands officers in hot water: The Bangkok Post reports that a senior officer in Thailand’s navy was forced to apologize over a silly YouTube video remake of PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”

Forced to apologize? That kind of got my expat goat. I mean, by apologising, isn’t Vice Admiral Tharathorn Kajitsuwan coming across as a wimp? Wouldn’t a public apology be a huge loss of face for both him and his men?

Then I thought of เกรงใจ /kreng jai/. It’s a Thai thing. Some bigwigs started grumbling about the disrespect shown to the Thai Navel uniform, making their displeasure known up and down the chain of command, and so the admiral felt compelled to kowtow.

For those of you who don’t know what kreng jai is (often spelt ‘greng jai’), read Understanding Kreng Jai.

Wanting a Thai take on the situation, I contacted Kaewmala of Thai Women Talks. Kaewmala agreed on the kreng jai angle but went further:

Kaewmala: You can say that but it’s more nuanced. It’s authority, hierarchy (respect for elders), face, etc.

Apology is the only choice available given high-level displeasure. However, I don’t see it as weak. He said “Everybody [in the video] was willing to dance and looked very happy. But if anyone feels discontented or sees it as inappropriate, I apologise.” Culturally appropriate to apologize but he wasn’t groveling.

IMO some people just place more importance on authority, dignity and sanctity of traditions (in this case represented by the uniform). Others give less importance to authority, tradition and the sacredness thereof, and more to liberty & freedom. These views always clash.

Kaewmala also pointed out that in a classy, not a knee-jerk way, the admiral was basically saying that yes, he was apologising IF anyone was offended. But if they were offended, then they obviously have a stick up their batooties. Something like that (I’m paraphrasing here).

Good. Then that’s sorted. Thanks Kaewmala!

Yes. Thais DO sing and Dance!…

One of my objections to the forced apology for the Navel video was because, in my opinion, singing and dancing were not going against the Thai grain. Thais love to have fun. It’s in everything they do. And do correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it’s a Thainess sort of thing.

For years we’ve been treated with YouTube videos of Thai men and women singing and dancing in uniform. But until the Gangnam Style episode, I hadn’t thought to count the grumblers. So, just how many are there against having fun? Below are a few videos (some quite well-known, others not so much). Check out the YouTube ratings for each one.

Dancing Thai Policewomen…

YouTube rating: 325,164 views, 1,433 likes, 85 dislikes

Dancing Thai Tourist Police…

YouTube rating: 1,037,971 veiws, 3,347 likes, 78 dislikes

Dancing, laughing Thai Traffic Police…

YouTube rating: 52,512 views, 327 likes, 19 dislikes

Singing Thai Police…

YouTube rating: 12,594 views, 55 likes, 3 dislikes

Singing Thai Policeman…

YouTube rating: 489 views, 1 like, 0 dislikes

Dancing Thai Immigration officers…

YouTube rating: 1,498 views, 2 likes, 1 dislike

The dislikes? They are left out in the cold…

Thai navy, Gangnan Style: 406,147 views, 3,801 likes, 91 dislikes
Thai Policewomen: 325,164 views, 1,433 likes, 85 dislikes
Tourist Police: 1,037,971 veiws, 3,347 likes, 78 dislikes
Thai Traffic Police: 52,512 views, 327 likes, 19 dislikes
Thai Police: 12,594 views, 55 likes, 3 dislikes
Thai Immigration Officers: 1,498 views, 2 likes, 1 dislike

So there you have it. The likes far outweigh the dislikes.

The Language Learning Log…

No matter how you go about it, learning a language can be an overwhelming endeavor. You have vocabulary, grammar, slang, culture, and so on. Then on top of all that you have this book and that book to go with this audio course and that software program. Not to mention the hundreds of schools you can attend. It’s no wonder we feel like we are running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Like many of you I also have a day job, a family to help raise, and community obligations. With everything going on in our lives, it can be difficult to know if everything we are doing is improving our language abilities. One solution is to keep a language learning log.

Is this Star Trek?…

When I say a language learning log, some people might immediately think of James T Kirk, or Jean Luc Pacard (depending on your generation) starting each episode with their famous, “Captain’s Log”. But a language learning log is just another way to say journal or diary.

To improve your language studies, on a regular basis write down what is going well, what could be better, and what is just not working at all. This lets you see what is really happening and not just what you think is happening. Without a record you might think you are practicing this or that enough or have this or that skill down, but after creating your log you’ll get a better idea on where you need to focus.

When learning a language, keeping a log can be a powerful addition to your arsenal. But in this day and age, shouldn’t there be some type of software to help us along? Well, there is. And it’s called, appropriately enough, Language Learning Log.

Language Learning Log…

Language Learning Log is a free software program. At the moment it’s only for Windows based operating systems. The program is specifically designed to help language learners keep track of their progress.

The most obvious part of the software is the writing area. Each day you are given a blank area for writing in your target language. This area is useful because you can write in any language. You can free hand it or set up a template to follow. Immediately below the writing area is a search box to quickly find previous logs.

To the left of the screen are other fantastic tools. Time Trackers keep track of how much time you spend on each language activity. There is tracker for writing, listening, reading, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary. And depending on your preference, you can set them to be visible, or not. To keep track of time you either left click on the timer or right click and input the time manually.

Also on the left is a ToDo section for (obviously) to do lists or goals. When you accomplish your goals, you check them off or just delete them.

Finally there’s an audio log section to record your log. You can also use it to practice speaking in your target language or just leave your thoughts in your native tongue. It’s all up to you.

The downside, as I’ve mentioned, is that it’s only for Windows. Mobile users have been left out in the cold as well. I know Catherine has a search for a Mac version and so have I. Sure, there similar available, but not anything that specifically caters to the language learner like this one does. With some encouragement, hopefully we can get developers to create one for other Operating Systems.

No matter if you use the Language Learning Log software or not, it is helpful to keep a record of how you are doing in your language studies. Not just to make sure you are going in the right direction, but to see how far you’ve progressed. So, what are you waiting for? Get out that paper and start logging!

Website: Language Learning Log
Twitter: @LangLog

Justin Travis Mair
I Want To Speak Thai | I Want To Speak Spanish
Successful Thai Language Learner: Justin Travis Mair

Unmotivated to Study Thai? Just STOP IT!…

Last year I asked How Do You Motivate Yourself to Study Thai? Check out the answers in the comments – they’re great.

When I started researching for a followup post I collected resources for staying motivated to learn a foreign language, or most anything.

For the love of languages: How to stay motivated while learning languages
Expat Science: Learning a foreign language: how to keep yourself motivated?
The Linguist: How to stay motivated in language learning – the mind and the brain
Motivated Learning: Aptitude and Motivation — A New Approach
Success Consciousness: Motivation and How to Get Motivated
Pick the Brain: 7 Steps To Motivate Yourself

But then I found a hysterical video from Bob Newhart with a simple message anyone can follow: Just STOP IT!

That’s right. If you are bogged down with a zillion excuses to avoid studying your Thai lessons, Just STOP IT! It’s that simple.

Why Floundering is Okay When Learning Thai…

I read an article recently about “floundering” and the learning process. It’s called Why Floundering is Good: Figuring out something on your own first, before getting help, produces better results than having guidance from the beginning.

In a nutshell, Annie Murphy Paul, the writer of the article, states that people who learn by floundering rather than a rule-based system of learning have a better ability as far as extrapolating and applying what they’ve learned. This struck an all too familiar chord with me because I’ve experienced my share of floundering while trying to learn Thai. For the most part I’m part self-taught, so I’ve made more than a few mistakes in the learning process.

What I have noticed in the advanced classes I’ve attended (or at least it seems to me) is that that I’m way better at making sense of constructs and seeing how they together than the people who’d attended every level of a particular school and learned their Thai by studying the rules of grammar. Granted, some of these students are wicked clearer Thai speakers than I am and some of their structure is way better than mine. However, when they’re faced with reading unfamiliar text and making sense out of it, they oftentimes have a disconnect. In the group discussions, which take place after a reading exercise, they seem unable to work out what the material was about, remember key points brought up, etc. My only real barometer is in the testing that follows each class: multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blanks, and written answers.

I don’t know why this is really. As I mentioned, some of these people have really good spoken Thai skills. Far in excess of my half-assed abilities in the Thai language. Now it could be that they don’t read enough Thai stuff outside of class. I’m a voracious reader, and try to read almost anything in Thai that catches my fancy. I buy the Thai versions of Maxim & FHM for the articles (not the plastic Thai women with foreign noses plastered on their faces instead of their normal thai button nose). I read short Thai romance novels. I read learning English books written in Thai, which are a good source for comparative sampling (noting the differences between Thai and English sentence constructs). And I recently started reading the Thai version of Science Illustrated too (even though it’s 130baht!) It’s turned out to be a worthwhile investment because thankfully, as the title suggests, it’s illustrated so you can work out from the pictures what’s being discussed.

‘Why Floundering Is Good’ mentions building into the learning process something called productive failure. I like this term quite a lot because I view each of my failures or dead ends in my quest to learn Thai productive to one degree or another. Even if the productive part was only realizing that wasn’t the way I was gonna learn Thai, it helped.

I was always taught as a kid that’s it’s okay to fail at doing something because it shows you how NOT to do it the next time. It’s the “getting back up after a failure to try it again” which takes moxy or stick-to-itiveness. I’ve started looking at the problems I face learning Thai more as puzzles I need to work out, rather than as roadblocks in my learning. Once I figure something out I can usually see a way to apply that solution to other parts of my learning process. Now, I could be wrong, but it seems as if things are actually getting easier in my Thai studies. ← frankly that scares me because Thai has always been “sold” to me as a tough nut to crack.

Anyway, I just thought you might find this observation interesting. Good luck learning Thai.

Tod Daniels | toddaniels at gmail dot com

WLT Tweeting Thai Language Resources…

Some reading this might be wondering what I’m on about. I mean, I already tweet Thai language learning resources via the @WomenLearnThai account. But here’s the thing. When a Thai crisis hits (which reminds me, we are overdue) I switch to whatever’s happening. And oftentimes, instead of sharing Thai learning resources, I join in the banter about all things Thai living.

So here’s the deal. I’ve created a new twitter account dedicated to sharing Thai language learning resources only: @ThaiLanguageRes. There will be no chat, so no wading through twitter conversations to find Thai resources.

Tweets from @ThaiLanguageRes are automatically sucked over to Women Learning Thai’s Facebook page so if you want to discuss the shared resources, or just say “hey”, then please do stop by.

Oh. And after I’ve twittered, relevant resources will be added to the mother of all free Thai resources: Learn Thai for FREE.

So to recap: The @ThaiLanguageRes twitter account is for Thai language resources (only) and @WomenLearnThai will be for all the rest (Thai living, Thai culture, and plain ‘ole expat chat).

Btw: If you have Thai learning resources to share, let me know via my contact page.

How do you learn languages?…

Over the years I’ve developed a curiosity about how people successfully learn languages. And more than anything else, the methods mentioned in this series have helped me to understand that there is no one right way, there are many ways. And that we can mix and match to suit our own personality, lifestyle, and language level.

Here are the brief answers to “How do you learn languages?”: Aaron Le Boutillier: “By stress, word association coupled with mind-numbing pure memory”, Adam Bradshaw: “Directly from the natives”, Andrew Biggs: “With Tylenol and Xanax”, Celia Chessin-Yudin: “By talking with people”, Doug: “Practice, practice, practice”, Hamish Chalmers: “By using them”, Hugh Leong: “With great difficulty and hard work. Languages do not come easily to me”, Paul Garrigan: “Slowly but surely”, Stuart (Stu) Jay Raj: “With passion”, and Terry Fredrickson: “Listening and speaking to people, followed by reading”.

Aaron Handel

Aaron: I was never particularly good at learning languages in school. I was a ‘C’ student in German. Frankly, I did not have much interest in learning.

Thai is different. Thai is a tonal language. This makes it fascinating and challenging for a native English speaker. Because Thai is so different from Western languages, it must be learned with a different method. That method is, essentially, drilling tones. (There are a few consonant and vowel sounds that also need to be practiced.) Develop good tone pronunciation right from the beginning, vocabulary and grammar will follow in due course.

Chris Pirazzi

Chris Pirazzi: Flashcards. I don’t find software programs or books that attempt to take you through it “step-by-step” and “spoon-feed” you bits of the language very useful. I’d rather be presented with a big, daunting, organized reference volume that analyzes the language and then scoop bits of it out at a time (a “top down” approach). I know others prefer the opposite “bottom-up” approach because it offers (or appears to offer) more instant gratification.

Sadly, there is no such “top-down” reference for Thai, except I guess the Higbie book (and it covers only grammar and needs a little more analysis and organization).

Colin Cotterill

Colin: I really wasn’t designed to sit in classrooms and chant conjugations. Funny that, considering the number of years I forced other people to do it.

Daniel B Fraser

Daniel: Constantly asking questions and seeking to understand what is being said. Then mimicking the right way to say it.

David Smyth

David Smyth: One of my Thai teachers very diplomatically described me as a ‘visual learner’; I think my previous answer explains why. When I started learning Thai, audio materials were not readily available and Thais were a bit thin on the ground in London (perhaps they were avoiding me) so my efforts were focused mainly on reading. At first, I used to copy out reading passages – several times – which helped my reading, handwriting, spelling, understanding of grammar and retention of vocabulary. As I progressed to longer passages, I would just copy odd sentences or phrases that appealed to me or which I thought I could inflict upon some unsuspecting Thai.

Learning Thai made me aware how important it is to be able to ask questions. When I was at school the French and German teachers asked the questions and we answered; we never asked a thing. And if you were lucky and kept your head down, you could go for several weeks without even answering a question. A good classroom survival technique, maybe, but not very good preparation for real life. One of my former students, who seemed to have also got it into his head that, as a foreign-language speaker, his role, too, was to answer questions, complained one day, ‘Thais don’t want to talk to me.’ I think he expected that if he just stood somewhere, Thais would gravitate towards him, bombarding him with questions and that way he would learn to speak Thai fluently. It never occurred to him to ask Thais questions, whether out of feigned interest to improve his linguistic skills, or genuine interest in order to gain greater insight into another world and in the process, his own world.

Don Sena

Don: I prefer scholastically-written books – those that are meant for the college classroom, even though I may intend to learn on my own. After absorbing a good description of the language, reading printed articles and other such items follows. The same block of text needs to be read and reread multiple times until it can be oralized with ease. Contact with native speakers is a further aid in learning to be understood and – hardest of all – to understand the spoken language.

Gareth Marshall

Gareth: I’m not a classroom learner – much better to be out and using the language, making mistakes but finding your way.

Grace Robinson

Grace: Practice! Boring but true. Chatting to friends, listening to the language in any form and surrounding yourself with anything vaguely related, things can be learnt even in the most banal situation, so go and dive in at the deep end, immersion is ultimate! Personally, I have benefitted from getting to know the culture at the same time, this is really crucial, as the two cannot be separated. You will find many connections between language and culture and this will really raise interest and pleasure from learning.

Hardie Karges

Hardie: STUDY! Nothing is ‘picked up’ unless you’re a one year old with all the time in the world.

Herb Purnell

Herb: I start with listening and getting used to the sounds and the flow of the language, picking out particular sounds that are different and focusing on them. This is probably due to my phonetics training and also because I find pronunciation to be fun and not very difficult for me. I try to learn basic and useful (for me) vocabulary and begin to try out my hypotheses about how the language goes together in these basic ways. This, too, goes back to my training in practical applied linguistics and my desire to talk with people as soon as I can. My goal is to get a reasonable oral proficiency before I start learning to read when the language (like Thai) is not in Romanized script. Reading is crucial for vocabulary development and for seeing how phrases and sentences get put together to form longer integrated texts. But written style is often different from spoken style, so that’s another reason why I focus on oral development first.

I found that reading folktakes and short stories that contain interactive conversations was important for me to learn something about how socially-affected particles and pronouns are used in context. These are still challenging for me because the systems are so different from English. But seeing how the different particles reflect attitudes and emotions in the course of a story helps me to get a feel for their use. Then I try some of them out gradually to see if my use is acceptable and appropriate.

My writing was the slowest to develop, but as I found myself in situations where I had to write in Thai, I gradually got better at it. Taking the Prathom 4 exam was a big challenge. The dictation section contained a lot of formal terms to recognize and spell correctly. Then there was a essay to write on a specified theme, and then a personal letter that needed to be written in proper format. Having been away from having to write Thai for quite a few years, I am rusty in spelling, especially words with karan that cancels out letters. But I’ve always enjoyed being able to spell well, so spelling and writing Thai was a challenge that I wanted to succeed at. And a skill that I could still recover if I put my mind to it.

Ian Fereday

Ian: By listening, practicing and correcting as I go while immersed in a language with speakers of that language. I also need to see a written, structured method, but I know this doesn’t work for everyone. Drilling doesn’t work for me – I feel stupid repeating myself.

James (Jim) Higbie

Jim: I need to learn how to say sentences in a very front brain manner. I can’t pick up a language by letting it wash over me.

Joe Cummings

Joe: My father was in the military so I grew up with neighbours and friends who had lived all over the world, and often spoke languages other than English. When I was 10 my family moved to France and I went to an international school for three years where I learned French. So by the time I came to Thailand as a 23-year-old I had been exposed to foreign languages and appreciated the language learning process. But I don’t think I was a particularly talented language learner.

I believe that since we’re all completely fluent in our own native languages, that that means we have the same capacity to learn other languages. I think most of the obstacles to learning another language are sociolinguistic rather than psycholinguistic. “I can’t speak French because I’m not French,” is the basic problem.

Jonathan Thames

Jonathan: Through people; that is the bottom line. I have used different methods for each language due to circumstances, and I think different languages sometimes lend themselves better to different methods. As I said before, though, I really think a combination of things that engage all four basic skills and include all different registers of a language are the most helpful.

Justin Travis Mair

Justin: I am a systematic person. I like to follow recipes and create plans. Right now I developed a system for me to learn Spanish, mostly to satisfy my desire to follow formulas.

Larry Daks

Larry: Hard work, putting myself into situations where speak the language, being proactive by seeking out opportunities to speak and listen.

Luke Cassady-Dorion

Luke: Good question. Ever since learning Thai, I’ve experimented with different techniques. Now, in addition to as much immersion as possible, I make use of electronic flashcard programs, online study tools, MP3s, and willing (and unwilling) native speakers. What I don’t do (and probably should) is watch TV. I’m sure that I would have much less of an accent and know more slang if I did watch TV; I just can’t seem to get into it. I do read a lot which helps with vocabulary and culture, but really should get around to getting the TV thing going.

Marc Spiegel

Marc: I’ve always learned languages by studying in school and then reinforcing and expanding my capabilities through practice and use.

Marcel Barang

Marcel: By parroting, by writing things down, by asking what this or that means.

When I used to teach English to French students, the first thing I did was to have them speak French with an English accent: it worked wonderfully.

One decisive moment was very early in my study of Thai when I overheard an already Thai-fluent Catholic priest friend of mine in Song Phee Nong ask a fellow Thai, ‘How would you say this correctly?’ (Tong Phoot Yanggai Jueng Ja Took): I’ve been using that open-sesame ever since.

Mark Hollow

Mark: For the first month or two I was very quiet and said little at school. I would learn vocabulary and language patterns but didn’t start speaking much Thai until I had more vocabulary (and confidence). I saw no benefit in speaking in the classroom unless it was mostly in Thai.

For the first six months I kept a notebook on me and wrote down new vocabulary, at first it would only be words I saw frequently as there were so many words I didn’t know. The notebook was later replaced by a smart phone flashcard application which I found more convenient and sometimes quicker (eg. the ability to take a photo of an advert, sign etc).

Most of my time at home was spent reading reference and course materials. This was very intensive, sometimes up to 10 hours a day. I’d often have the TV or radio on in the background for a few hours too just to let the sounds sink in, regardless of whether I understand or not.

As my reading ability grew I started buying Thai books and reading Thai websites. I’ve found modern poetry to be a fun way to learn as it often evokes an emotional reaction and therefore (for me at least) makes it easier to remember the vocabulary. Contemporary poems are also often quite short – perfect for a quick read on the skytrain.

Martin Clutterbuck

Martin: Mainly, by listening, very, very carefully, with an open mind, that is, without bias or colour from any other language I know. At the same time, paradoxically, I listen for similarities with other languages, particularly those of the same family. Both of these are quite hard for most people, particularly if they are unaware of their own accent.

I feel lucky, because my parents came from working class cockney families, but learned crystal-clear received pronunciation at grammar school. When I was a kid, and lapsed into “lazy” speech, I was corrected, and although at the time it was annoying, I learned to hear small differences between sounds, which is the key to learning foreign languages.

Good text books and especially dictionaries, also help.

Nils Bastedo

Nils: I learned Swedish as a native speaker. English as a native speaker and as a foreign language. French for 6 years in grade and high-school and again at Harvard, where I became certified by the Paris Chamber of Commerce. Spanish 3 years in high in school and one semester at Harvard as well. Danish by ear and by watching subtitled Danish TV growing up. Norwegian (Oslo dialect) since it is close to Swedish and Danish. I also get by in other European languages (German, Italian) fairly well by using the languages I have to figure out what things mean and to make myself understood. When working as a consultant in Belgium, I was mistaken for French quite frequently, which was of course very flattering.

Peter Montalbano

Peter: For me, at least, it’s got to be a combination of academic study, pattern practice, memorization work, reading and writing in the language, and near-total immersion in a place where that’s the only language spoken. Unless you’re a freak of nature, you’ll have to really put your heart into it (เอาใจใส่จริงจัง): for an adult foreigner, no matter how clever or talented, no language will come just by osmosis. I believe in classroom study and lots of homework, but that can’t be all, either.

Rick Bradford

Rick: By natural curiosity — I want to know what is going on in the society I am living in, so I read newspapers, watch the TV, and observe and listen to the people. By the same token, I cannot learn a language unless I am in-country, as the motivation isn’t there.

Rikker Dockum

Rikker: With fear and trepidation. I have never learned any language in depth besides Thai, and I still break into a sweat at the thought of verb conjugation.

Ryan Zander

Ryan: The written part just by lots of practice writing, and the speaking part by actively trying to fit new words I’ve learned into sentences, then making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes.

Scott Earle

Scott: When I was 15 I lived in France, after learning French in school. I was almost fluent within 3 months. But when I first came to Thailand, it was almost a year and a half before I could make myself understood. Learning languages is *definitely* easier when you’re younger!

I started out by learning to read and ‘hear’ Thai. I listened as much as I could, read as much as I could. Read car number plate provinces, read road signs, read advertising boards, got used to the range of fonts used. Listened to Thai-language radio stations, even the ones that play ‘international’ music, for the inane chatter and ads. Just immersed myself.

Seriously, all that stuff is what I did until I got the hang of the basics and could distinguish what a tone was and how words sounded. Almost two years in, circumstances around me dictated that I needed to decide where I was going to live (UK or Thailand – I lost the contract I had had, and so would be living here without a job unless I could find one, or going ‘home’). That’s when I booked 40 hours at a Thai language school, and struggled with one teacher, then moved to another whose strength was in teaching to read/write.

I already had a bit of vocab by then (mostly food and provinces!), and so some of the words she was teaching me how they ‘worked’ already made sense, and I was just learning the mechanics of the alphabet. After that everything was quite a bit clearer, because I had never learned the ‘rules’ before.

I learned basic phrases, and learned the alphabet. Started putting the two together, and created a crib sheet to use while chatting with friends. Realised that the crib sheet could be the start of actually learning a few more phrases and expanded it, found out about online chat, and chatted with people using the crib sheet initially and then free text later. Eventually forced myself to type everything and not use the crib sheet at all.

Stickman

Stickman: We all have our own learning style and I think that it is important that we understand how we learn. I think we can loosely say there are two main learning styles, accuracy and fluency.

Those who prefer fluency tend to hear the language and then repeat it. They are more concerned about being able to communicate and be understood than necessarily being that accurate in their use of the language.

The other style is accuracy. People who prefer this method tend to want to see things written and break them down and then slowly reproduce what they see and then make variants of those sentences and check them for accuracy as they learn. They are most concerned about getting it right.

For me, I tend to be someone who goes down the accuracy path so especially in the early days I needed to see things written and then I would form my own versions of them, sort of like pattern building.

If you learn formally in Thailand the teachers are most concerned about accuracy – especially Thai teachers who really don’t seem to care for the idea of fluency based learning. That suited me perfectly.

If you learn from conversing with the locals, perhaps in the bars as many Western men do, then that is a much more fluency-based approach.

As I have often said, back in 2000 when I really went all out to get my Thai to as high a level as possible, I learned good Thai by day and bad Thai by night. I guess that was the best of both worlds!

Tom Parker

Tom: I am most definitely a visual learner. I learnt how to read by plastering consonants and vowels all over my bedroom walls as a student. In the early stages I would scan these images twice a day, once in the morning before class and in the evening. It worked very well for me, but I stress I did this by consonant class and not all the characters at once. That would have made my bedroom somewhat dizzying. I learnt vocab by repetition.

Vern Lovic

Vern: First visually, then practice with speaking to other natives. I cannot, will not, or should not speak Thai with other foreigners trying to practice. It just doesn’t work for me – the context just isn’t there and I end up looking at them like I’m tripping on Red Bull or something. It just doesn’t add up. My brain goes into freeze-mode and I cannot form a conversation anymore!

Which of the suggestions suit you best? Any?

The series: Successful Thai Language Learners Compilation…

• Successful Thai Language Learners Compilation
• Contributors: Successful Thai Language Learners Series
• What were your reasons for learning Thai?
• Did you learn Thai right away, or was it a many-pronged approach?
• What was your first ‘ah hah!’ moment?
• Did you stick to a regular study schedule?
• What Thai language learning methods did you try?
• Did one method stand out over all others?
• How do you learn languages?
• How soon did you tackle reading and writing Thai?
• Did you find learning to read and write Thai difficult?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• Do you speak more street Thai, Issan Thai, or professional Thai?
• What is the biggest misconception for students learning Thai?
• What advice would you give to students of the Thai language?

So Many Excuses…

The English phrase “excuse me” has lots of uses, from asking to leave the dinner table, to apologizing for knocking someone down on the street, to interrupting someone, to asking for forgiveness for a wrong doing. “Excuse me” is usually translated into Thai as ขอโทษ /kǒr-​tôht/, literally “I ask for” or “I beg for” “punishment”. But, as always seems to happen when we go to translate anything, there is more to the story.

Here are just six different examples of how the English term “excuse me” could be translated into Thai:

ขอโทษ /kǒr-​tôht/
ขออภัย /kǒr-​à~​pai/
ขอประทานโทษ /kŏr bprà-taan tôht/
ขออนุญาต /kǒr à-​nú-​yâat/
ขอตัว /kǒr-​dtua/
โทษที /tôht-sà-tee/

They all have their different uses but before we get into individual examples, let’s talk about how Thais would use the concept of “excuse me”. Why? Because sometimes it is different from how we’d say “excuse me” in English. For example, if we are at a restaurant in the West and want to attract the attention of a waiter, we might say “excuse me” and do a little wave. But if you said ขอโทษ /kǒr-​tôht/ to a wait person in Thailand you might be misunderstood.

The term for “excuse me” in Thailand is used when you have done something wrong, or you are putting a person out, or inconveniencing someone. You’re asking for punishment, right? So if you say ขอโทษ /kǒr-​tôht/ to a wait person (who are just doing their job), he/she might think you have done something wrong and are saying you are sorry for doing it. In the very least, it would confuse them.

A better way to get attention at a restaurant is to simply say น้อง /nóng/ “little sibling”, หนู /nǒo/ “little one (mouse)”, ขอเมนูหน่อย /kǒr may-​noo nòi/ “may I have the menu please?”, or ขอสั่งอาหารหน่อย ​/kǒ sàng aa-​hǎan nòi/ “may I order please?”

Anecdote alert: The best example of the correct use of “excuse me” in Thailand comes from my favorite sociologists, “The Simpsons”. In one episode a gang of Japanese Yakuzas are having a pitched battle outside the Simpsons’ house when the chief Yakuza comes crashing through the kitchen window. He gets up, brushes himself off, bows deeply to the startled Simpsons, says “For-giv-i-ness preez”, and then runs back into battle. If you ever have a question about when to use the “excuse me” concept to ask for forgiveness in Thailand, think of this Simpsons episode and you can’t go wrong.

Note: The English term “I am sorry” can sometimes mean “excuse me” like when you knock a cup of tea out of someone’s hands. The term “I am sorry” is translated into Thai as เสียใจ /sǐa-​jai/. But it is more like the “I am sorry” you say when you hear that your friend’s girlfriend just ran away with his brother. เสียใจมาก มาก /sǐa-​jai mâak mâak / is “I’m really, really sorry (that you lost your girl friend)”. You don’t say “excuse me” in this case. That is, unless you’re the guy she ran away with!

Here is how the various Thai translations for “excuse me” can be used:

ขอโทษ /kǒr-​tôht/
This is the general, all purpose term for “excuse me”. It is used in situations where you have either done something wrong (shot beer out of your nose and all over you friend after hearing a funny joke), put someone at an inconvenience (dropped your cell phone into your inlaw’s bowl of noodles), or are apologizing for a wrongdoing (you crashed into someones new SUV).

ผมชนรถ SUV ของคุณ ขอโทษมาก มาก
pŏm chon rót SUV kŏng kun kŏr tôht mâak mâak
I am very very sorry I crashed into your SUV.

ขออภัย /kǒr-​à~​pai/ or อภัย /à~​pai/
This means “forgiveness” much like the Yakuza’s “for-giv-i-ness preez”. It is a more formal (not often heard), variation on “excuse me”. You’ll often see it written on a temporary road sign apologizing for road construction.

ขออภัย กำลังก่อสร้าง
kŏr a-pai gam-lang gòr sâang
Under construction – Our apologies.

ขอประทานโทษ /kŏr bprà-taan tôht/
This is the really formal way to say “excuse me.” Using this expression doesn’t mean you are more sorry than if you used the others. It just means that the one you are apologizing to could make big problems for you, so you are hedging your bets by being super polite. A really good time to use it is when you step on the governor’s foot.

ขอประทานโทษท่านผู้ว่า
kŏr bprà-taan tôht tâan pôo wâa
Excuse me, I am really sorry Mister Governor.

ขออนุญาต /kǒr à-​nú-​yâat/
The word อนุญาต /à-​nú-​yâat/ means “permission”. You might use it if you are at someone’s house and want to use their computer to check your email (you haven’t bought an iPhone yet).

ขออนุญาตใช้คอมของคุณ
kŏr a-nú-yâat chái kom kŏng kun
Excuse me. May I use your computer?

ขอตัว /kǒr-​dtua/
This is a rather informal way of asking permission to leave (the dinner table, a meeting, an assignation).

ขอตัวต้องกลับบ้านเร็ว
kŏr dtua dtông glàp bâan reo
If you will excuse me, I have to leave early.

โทษที /tôht-sà-tee/ and sometimes /tôht-tee/
This is an informal abbreviation of the more general ขอโทษ /kǒr-​tôht/ and is usually used alone. You’d bring it into play if you stepped on a taxi driver’s foot instead of the governor’s.

โทษที
tôht-tee
Sorry.

Faux Pas…

For those who find it difficult to speak Thai because of a reluctance to make mistakes, I have to admit that I make mistakes all the time too; sometimes woozies. But making mistakes is often the best way to learn a foreign language.

Just yesterday I made a big woozy. I was at my favorite food court and went to my Duck-Noodle shop, mainly because it’s next to the best coconut milk ice cream maker in Chiang Mai. But when I arrived the ice cream guy wasn’t there anymore. As happens with so many small shops, he was just gone.

Quite sadly, I asked the Duck-Noodle guy:

คนขายไอศกรีมอยู่ไหน
kon kăai ai-sà-greem yòo năi
Where is the ice cream guy?

The Duck-Noodle guy replies:

เขาไม่อยู่
kăo mâi yòo
He’s not here.

To which I asked:

โอ้เขาเจ๊งหรือ
ôh kăo jéng rĕu
Wow, did he go out of business (bankrupt)?

That’s when the Duck-Noodle guy started stuttering and blushing and turned away from me. And then I hear my wife in the back stuttering and clearing her throat (usually the signal that I have made another of my infamous faux pas).

Quickly Pikun said:

เขาเลิกขาย ใช่มั้ย
kăo lêrk kăai · châi máai
He stopped selling, right?

And the Duck-Noodle guy, recovering, answered:

ครับ เขาเลิกขาย
kráp · kăo lêrk kăai
Right, he stopped selling.

It turns out that the word I thought meant “out of business”, “busted”, or “bankrupt”, เจ๊ง /jéng/, (hey, it’s in the dictionary), can be a very strong put-down of a person’s business acumen. It can mean that he was quite the bum, therefor stupid enough to lose his business (but it’s not what I meant to say). And that is why the Duck-Noodle guy was so startled when I ask him that question using เจ๊ง /jéng/ and why Pikun jumped in to help me save my face. I treated this experience as a lesson to be careful using dictionary definitions alone, without social context.

Later Pikun related the story to neighbors and a big laugh was had by all. Each one telling me, “no, you can’t say that.” One added “I wish I could have seen that duck-noodle guy’s face”, as she slapped her thigh, pointing at me and belly laughing. I guess it’s just another of my faux pas anecdotes that will be told again and again. But I’m used to it now as I have made so many of them!

BTW: เจ๊ง /jéng/ can be used in a joking way. For instance, after a hard night of playing poker you might say:

ผมเจ๊งหมดตัว (หมดตูด) แล้ว กลับบ้านดีกว่า
pǒm jéng-​mòt-​dtua (mòt dtòot) láew glàp bâan dee-​gwàa
I’m busted (or to be really crass – I’ve lost my ass). Better go home.

In that context เจ๊ง /jéng/ would be okay, though you might want to be careful if you are playing poker with the governor (of course).

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The bigger gaffs make the better stories and making people belly laugh is always good karma.

Note in passing…

I am saddened to mark the passing of a good friend and mentor Professor Jimmy G. Harris (1930-2012). Jimmy Harris is a well-respected phonetician of the Thai language and much of what I know about how the sounds of Thai are made come from Jimmy’s long-time studies and research. Jimmy was quite an accomplished guy, fathering six children, serving in the Marine Corps during the Korean conflict, working in many foreign countries, being part of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) team that won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for their work with refugees, and winning a number of commendations for his work with the U.S. Peace Corps and other international organizations.

Jimmy’s love included Native American languages, sticking cameras down people’s throats to see how sounds are made, and Thailand. Just a few years ago he was in my living room in Chiang Mai showing me throat pictures he had just taken, while explaining how Thais make Glottal Stops. It was interesting after-dinner conversation (you had to be there).

Our hearts go out to lovely Hiroko, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima to live a long and eventful life with Jimmy, and to all his children. Rest in Peace Jimmy. We’ll miss you.

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
Retire 2 Thailand: Blog
eBooks in Thailand

Learn Thai from the Bangkok Post…

Exciting for intermediate Thai language learners is a new section at the Bangkok Post: Learning From News > Learning Thai from Post Today.

Bangkok Post: We now have thousands of readers using stories from the Bangkok Post each day to learn English, but our sister newspaper Post Today can be just as useful for those of you who are learning Thai.

Each post has a short article in Thai and English, with audio for both. You can read along with the audio online, or copy everything onto your computer to study later.

Here are the available subjects so far:

Call for world to brace for expensive food
Donkey wifi
Nicknames
Under control
Practice bullets
Big-name signing for BEC Tero Sasana
Phuut Thai, laew laeng Tai
Abbreviation headaches: น.1, สวป., ผบช.น., พล.ต.ท., กก…
Actress death mystery
The flood season
Don Mueang ready for business
YouTube clip makes news again
Another video clip makes news
Tennis in the news
Politics in the news
Senate debate
Chalerm has his say
Sandbag meeting, a Thai version
Sihanouk dies
Sihanouk’s return
3G auction criticised

To get updates on new articles follow Terry Fredrickson on twitter: @terryfrd. If you have suggestions or questions or just want to say “hey”, join their Facebook page: Bangkok Post Learning.

Guest Post…

Purna Virji possesses a talent for learning new languages with six in her present language-speaking repertoire. She is a former producer for an Emmy-nominated television show with a master’s degree in international journalism. She currently works at Pimsleur Approach, the world leader in the audio-based, language-learning program developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur.

How audio-based language learning trumps the textbook…

“We listen to a book a day, talk a book a week, read a book a month and write a book a year,” said author and educator Walter Loban. Is it any surprise that an audio-based program is the best way to learn a foreign language?

Language is chiefly a spoken form of communication. It was born and evolved that way at least 100,000 years ago, with reading and writing only emerging relatively recently. Even with the rise of the books, then the Internet, texting and so on, the vast majority of day-to-day communications remain oral, driven by listening and speaking rather than reading and writing.

While this reason alone may be enough to conclude that audio-based programs are the most effective way to learn a language, there is also a growing body of research-based evidence to back it up.

How You Learn as a Child…

Let’s begin with how we actually process language. As a child, you learned your native language by listening to people talking, not by studying textbooks. In fact, we listen for up to a full year before speaking, and reading and writing comes much later, mirroring the evolution of language itself. Therefore, learning language by listening can be considered the more natural way.

Leading anthropologist Terence Deacon agrees. “Writing and reading occurred recently,” said Deacon. “We are not well designed to do so and as a result a lot of people have difficulty acquiring reading and writing. If language itself were like that we should expect to find those kinds of problems with our ability to acquire language.” Clearly, for the majority of people, this is simply not the case.

The Science of Language Learning…

A groundbreaking 2001 study by the Carnegie Mellon Center for Cognitive Brain Processing found that the eye and the ear process information differently.

“The brain constructs the message, and it does so differently for reading and listening,” said Marcel Just, Carnegie Mellon Psychology Professor. “The pragmatic implication is that the medium is part of the message. Listening to an audio book leaves a different set of memories than reading does. A newscast heard on the radio is processed differently from the same words read in a newspaper.”

The experiment found that there is more working memory storage in listening comprehension than in reading, and that because spoken language is more temporary than written material, the brain is forced to process the language straightaway. The research went a considerable way to confirming what language learning researchers had long posited- that not all language learning methods are equal.

Better Pronunciation…

Moving away from pure science, there are numerous advantages of using an audio-based program rather than textbooks or visual programs. Firstly, using an audio-based program enables you to perfect your pronunciation and accent. By listening to native speakers on CDs, you can compare and improve your accent in a way that is simply not possible using textbooks. Therefore it is important to choose an audio-based system that uses only native speakers, and preferably one that focuses on breaking down unfamiliar strings of sounds.

In addition, learners naturally read words in their native accent. For example, take the German word ‘welt’ (world). A native English speaker would naturally pronounce it as it is written; however, it is actually pronounced ‘velt’. Even if they immediately read that it should be pronounced ‘velt’, the connection has already been made in their brain and it can be difficult to reverse. Learning using an audio-based system eliminates this potential problem.

Tune in to the Language…

Next, listening regularly to the language makes it possible for your brain to tune into the language’s unique cadence and rhythm. Every language is spoken differently, such as the musicality of the Romance languages and the perceived ‘harshness’ of German and English. With audio language learning methods, your ability to hear and understand the language, with all its different sounds and rhythms, will be speeded up.

In addition, the intonation of language varies considerably. Has anyone ever said to you, “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it”? Linguistic researcher CMJY Tesink says, “Language comprehension in (verbal) social communication calls upon pragmatic listening skills, since the listener is often required to work out the non-literal meaning of the speaker’s message by using the context and his own knowledge of the world.” Audio-based learning programs tune the learner’s ear into the unique and often subtle intonations of language.

Interaction…

To state the obvious, books do not talk back! Although the interaction in audio-based programs is not real, per se, the best programs recreate real situations and conversations as closely as possible, preparing learners for those all-important conversations with native speakers.

The voguish term for language learning now is “language acquisition”, which differentiates between the direct instruction of language rules and the more natural, interactive approach now recommended by experts. Audio-based learning programs are much more conducive to this new, “acquisition” style of learning than books, which rely heavily on direct instruction.

Moreover, audio-based programs provide a kind of inbuilt revision. As the learner reacts to the voices on tape- answering questions, repeating pronunciation and so on, the new words and phrases are reinforced in their memory. In addition, as audio-based programs focus on real conversation, the learner will hear words and phrases repeated regularly, but not in the endlessly repetitive way that turns so many people off language learning.

Convenience…

Pragmatically, audio-based programs beat other systems hands down simply because of their portability. Considering that one of the top reasons people give for not learning a language is “I don’t have time”, portability and convenience are major strings in the bows of audio-based programs.

Practice and daily contact are widely acknowledged to be crucial ingredients in language learning success, and using an audio-based program means you can listen to the language wherever you go and whatever you’re doing- on your daily commute, while working out, or even while catching up on household chores. You don’t have to sit down with books or a computer, or try to find a window free in your schedule every day. Audio-based programs will fit effortlessly into your lifestyle, and it will therefore be easier to keep up with your language learning.

There is little doubt that audio-based language learning programs will grow even more popular, and will doubtless undergo exciting changes as the “digital age” marches on. Isn’t it time that you turned on and tuned in?

Purna Virji

Thai Movies: A Relaxing Way to Study Thai…

Watching movies in your target language is a great way to pump up your studies. But if you are new to Thai productions, where do you start? To get suggestions I went to Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal. In his sidebar is a list of his top ten favourite movies. And as a bonus, the Wise Kwai sent over five more to sample.

Also included in this post are suggestions from twitter. And, as one can never have enough movies, I’d like to hear from readers too. I’m especially interested in Thai history but modern subjects are equally welcome.

Note: If you are buying movies at ethaicd.com check to make sure the movie I’ve linked is in your format of choice (sometimes I went with DVD, other times VCD). Also, a couple of the movies are not available for purchase at ethaicd.com but I did manage to find a few on YouTube.

Wise Kwai’s top 10 Thai films…

1. Tears of the Black Tiger | ฟ้าทะลายโจร

wikipedia: Tears of the Black Tiger (Thai: ฟ้าทะลายโจร, or Fa Thalai Chon, literally, “the heavens strike the thief”) is a 2000 Thai western film written and directed by Wisit Sasanatieng. The story of a tragic romance between Dum, a fatalistic, working-class hero, who has become an outlaw, and Rumpoey, the upper-class daughter of a provincial governor, it is equal parts homage to and parody of Thai action films and romantic melodramas of the 1950s and 1960s.

Wise Kwai: Thai Film Archive celebrates 10 years of Tears of the Black Tiger
YouTube trailer: Tears of the Black Tiger
ethaicd.com: Tears of the Black Tiger

2. Monrak Transistor | มนต์รักทรานซิสเตอร์

wikipedia: Monrak Transistor (Thai: มนต์รักทรานซิสเตอร์, English: Transistor Love Story) is a 2001 Thai film directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. Blending several genres, including comedy, romance, musical and crime, it is the story of a young man named Pan and his odyssey after he goes AWOL from the army and tries to make it as a luk thung singing star.

Wise Kwai: Review: Monrak Transistor
YouTube trailer: Monrak Transistor
ethaicd.com: Monrak Transistor

3. Citizen Dog | หมานคร

wikipedia: Citizen Dog (Thai: Mah Nakorn, หมานคร, IPA: [mǎːnákʰɔːn], RTGS: Ma Nakhon) is a 2004 Thai romance film, directed by Wisit Sasanatieng and based on a story by Wisit’s wife, Koynuch (Siriphan Techajindawong), which was illustrated by him. The second film by the director of Tears of the Black Tiger, it is a colorful story set in contemporary Bangkok, where a boy (Pod) without a goal in life falls in love with a girl (Jin) who lives for her dreams.

Wise Kwai: Review: Citizen Dog
YouTube trailer: Citizen Dog
ethaicd.com: Citizen Dog

4. Last Life in the Universe | เรื่องรัก น้อยนิด มหาศาล

wikipedia: Last Life in the Universe (Thai title: เรื่องรัก น้อยนิด มหาศาล, Ruang rak noi nid mahasan) is a 2003 Thai film directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. The film is notable for being trilingual; the two main characters flit from Thai to Japanese to English as their vocabulary requires.

Kenji is a lonely librarian in the Japan Foundation in Bangkok. Living in an apartment full of precise stacks of books, his half-hearted attempts to kill himself are continually interrupted by the people around him.

Wise Kwai: Review: Last Life in the Universe
YouTube trailer: Last Life in the Universe
ethaicd.com: Last Life in the Universe

5. Syndromes and a Century | แสงศตวรรษ

wikipedia: Syndromes and a Century (Thai: แสงศตวรรษ saeng satawǎat, literally Light of the Century[1]) is a 2006 Thai drama film written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film was among the works commissioned for Peter Sellars’ New Crowned Hope festival in Vienna to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It premiered on August 30, 2006 at the 63rd Venice Film Festival.

The film is a tribute to the director’s parents and is divided into two parts, with the characters and dialogue in the second half essentially the same as the first, but the settings and outcome of the stories are different. The first part is set in a hospital in rural Thailand, while the second half is set in a Bangkok medical center. “The film is about transformation, about how people transform themselves for the better,” Apichatpong said in an interview.

Wise Kwai: Review: Syndromes and a Century: Thailand’s Edition
YouTube trailer: Syndromes And A Century
YouTube playlist (10 videos): Sang sattawat

6. Puen Pang | เพื่อน-แพง

wikipedia: Puen Pang (1987), about two sisters in love with the same man.

Wise Kwai: Cherd Songsri Retrospective review: Puen Pang
YouTube playlist (6 videos): Puen Pang

7. 6ixtynin9 | เรื่องตลก 69

wikipedia: Ruang Talok 69 (Thai: เรื่องตลก 69, English: 6ixtynin9 or A Funny Story About 6 and 9), is a 1999 Thai crime film written and directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. It is the second feature film by the Thai writer-director. It stars Lalita Panyopas, a popular star of Thai soap operas.

Wise Kwai: Review: Ruang Talok 69 (6ixtynin9)
YouTube trailer: 6ixtynin9
ethaicd.com: 6ixtynin9

8. 13 Beloved | 13 เกมสยอง

wikipedia: 13 Beloved (Thai: 13 เกมสยอง or 13 Game Sayong, also 13: Game of Death) is a 2006 Thai horror comedy/psychological thriller film written and directed by Chukiat Sakveerakul and starring Krissada Sukosol Clapp. The story, about a man who is led through progressively challenging, degrading, and dangerous stunts by mysterious callers from an underground reality game show, is adapted from the 13th Quiz Show episode in the My Mania comic-book series by Eakasit Thairaat.

Wise Kwai: DVD review: 13 Beloved
YouTube playlist (2 files): 13 Beloved
ethaicd.com: 13 Beloved

9. Ong-Bak | องค์บาก

wikipedia: Ong-Bak 3 (Thai: องค์บาก 3) is a 2010 Thai martial arts film directed, produced and written by Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai. The film’s story is a follow-up to Ong Bak 2, where Tien (Tony Jaa) is brutally beaten before being put to death by Lord Rajasena (Sarunyu Wongkrajang)’s men. His body is recovered by his Master Bua (Nirut Sirijanya) who revives him. When Tien returns to his village, he finds it taken over by Bhuti Sangkha (Dan Chupong).

Wise Kwai: Review: Ong-Bak 2
Wise Kwai: Review: Ong-Bak 3

YouTube trailer: Ong-Bak 2
YouTube trailer: Ong-Bak 3

ethaicd.com: Ong-Bak
ethaicd.com: Ong-Bak 2
ethaicd.com: Ong-Bak 3

10. Ai-Fak | ไอ้ฟัก

wikipedia: Ai-Fak (Thai: ไอ้ฟัก) is a 2004 Thai drama film. It is based on the S.E.A. Write Award-winning novel by Chart Korbjitti, Khamphiphaksa (The Judgment, also the English-language title for the film).

A young man, Fak, is a revered novice Buddhist monk, and the entire village has turned out to the local temple to hear him preach a sermon. Fak’s talk is interrupted a coughing fit by his widower father, though, and Fak struggles to maintain his focus. Fak then decides he must put aside his aspirations for monkhood to take care of his father. Then he is conscripted by lottery into the army.

Wise Kwai: Review: The Judgement (Ai-Fak)
YouTube playlist (4 videos): Ai-Fak

Thai movies: extras…

As a bonus, Wise Kwaii suggested five more movies to add to the collection:

Khan Kluay | ก้านกล้วย

wikipedia: Khan Kluay (Thai: ก้านกล้วย; RTGS: Kan Kluai; pronounced [kâːn klûai]) is a 2006 Thai computer-animated feature film set during Ayutthaya-era Siam about an elephant who wanders away from his mother and eventually becomes the war elephant for King Naresuan.

Wise Kwai: Review: Khan Kluay
YouTube trailer: Khan Kluay 2
ethaicd.com: Khan Kluay, The Series – ก้านกล้วยผจญภัย ซีรี่ส์

The Elephant Keeper | คนเลี้ยงช้าง

wikipedia: Most of Chatrichalerm’s films have some kind of social message, such as the downside of prostitution (Hotel Angel, 1974), teenage sex and delinquency (Daughter and Daughter 2), protecting the environment (The Elephant Keeper, 1987), or the evils of the drug trade (Powder Road, 1991).

Wise Kwai: The Elephant Keeper (Khon liang chang)
YouTube trailer: The Elephant Keeper
ethaicd.com: The Elephant Keeper

The Legend of Suriyothai | สุริโยไท

wikipedia: The Legend of Suriyothai is a 2001 Thai film directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol, telling the story of Queen Suriyothai, who died in a battle in 1548 (the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548) against Burmese invaders. In the film, Queen Suriyothai takes her battle elephant in front of the Burmese army and sacrifices herself to save the life of her king Maha Chakkraphat and his kingdom.

YouTube trailer: The Legend of Suriyothai
ethaicd.com: The Legend of Suriyothai

Fan Chan (my girl) | แฟนฉัน

wikipedia: Fan Chan (Thai: แฟนฉัน, English: My Girl) is a 2003 Thai romantic film offering a nostalgic look back at the childhood friendship of a boy and girl growing up in a small town in Thailand in the 1980s.

Wise Kwai: Review: Fan Chan (My Girl)
YouTube trailer: Fan Chan
ethaicd.com: Fan Chan

Nang Nak | นางนาก

wikipedia: Nang Nak (Thai: นางนาก) is a romantic tragedy and horror film directed by Nonzee Nimibutr in 1999 through Buddy Film and Video Production Co. in Thailand, based on a legend. It features the life of a devoted ghost wife and the unsuspecting husband.

Wise Kwai: Review: Nang Nak
YouTube playlist (two videos): Nang Nak
ethaicd.com: Nang Nak

And even more Thai movies…

Awhile back I asked those on twitter to suggest favourite Thai movies. Below is the response:

Fun Bar Karaoke | ฝันบ้าคาราโอเกะ

wikipedia: Fun Bar Karaoke (Thai: ฝันบ้าคาราโอเกะ or Fan ba karaoke, literally “dream crazy karaoke”) is a 1997 crime-comedy directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. The film had its world premiere at the 1997 Berlin Film Festival for which Pen-Ek was credited as “Tom Pannet”.

Wise Kwai: Review: Fun Bar Karaoke
YouTube trailer: Fun Bar Karaoke
ethaicd.com: Fun Bar Karaoke

Dear Galileo | หนีตามกาลิเลโอ

asianwiki: A story of two Thai girls nicknamed Cherry and Noon who plan to backpack to Europe for a year. They took off for reasons totally understandable for most teenagers, but unfathomable to adults.

Wise Kwai: Review: Dear Galileo
YouTube trailer: Dear Galileo
ethaicd.com: Dear Galileo

Bang Rajan 2 | บางระจัน 2

wikipedia: Bang Rajan (Thai: บางระจัน) is a 2000 Thai historical drama film depicting the battles of the Siamese village of Bang Rajan against the Burmese invaders in 1767, as remembered in popular Thai culture. Cross-checking the story with the events reported by the Burmese sources indicates that the purported events at Bang Rajan are likely a merger of at least two independent events that took place in the war.

Wise Kwai: Review: Bang Rajan 2
YouTube trailer: Bang Rajan (2000)
ethaicd.com: Bang Rajan 2

The King Maker | กบฎ ท้าวศรีสุดาจัน

wikipedia: The King Maker (Thai: กบฎท้าวศรีสุดาจันทร์, or The Rebellion of Queen Sudachan, is a 2005 Thai historical drama film set during the Ayutthaya kingdom. With a storyline that shares many similarities to 2001′s The Legend of Suriyothai, The King Maker’s plot focuses on a Portuguese mercenary (Gary Stretch) in the service of the Siamese court.

Wise Kwai: Review: The King Maker
YouTube trailer: The King Maker
ethaicd.com: The King Maker

King Naresuan: Episode 1+2 | ตำนานสมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช ภาค 1 องค์ประกันหงสา 2 ประกาศอิสรภาพ

wikipedia: The Legend of King Naresuan (Thai: ตำนานสมเด็จพระนเรศวรมหาราช, Tamnan Somdej Phra Naresuan Maharaj) is a Thai biographical historical drama film about King Naresuan the Great, who ruled Siam from 1590 until his death in 1605.

Wise Kwai: Review: The Legend of King Naresuan Part I: Hostage of Hongsawadee
Wise Kwai: Review: The Legend of King Naresuan Part II: Reclamation of Sovereignty

YouTube playlist (11 videos): King Naresuan
ethaicd.com: King Naresuan: Episode 1+2

Seasons Change | เพราะอากาศเปลี่ยนแปลงบ่อย

wikipedia: Seasons Change (Thai: เพราะอากาศเปลี่ยนแปลงบ่อย, or Phror arkad plian plang boi) is 2006 Thai romantic comedy film directed by Nithiwat Tharathorn.

The story takes place at the College of Music, Mahidol University over one year and covers the three seasons that Bangkok typically experiences – summer, winter and monsoon. It chronicles the life of a young high school student, Pom, and his impulsive decision to attend a music school, unknown to his parents, because of a girl he has secretly liked for three years, Dao.

Wise Kwai: Review: Seasons Change
YouTube trailer: Seasons Change
ethaicd.com: Seasons Change

Queens of Langkasuka | ปืนใหญ่จอมสลัด

wikipedia: Queens of Langkasuka (Thai: ปืนใหญ่จอมสลัด, Puen yai jom salad) is a 2008 Thai historical fantasy adventure film directed by Nonzee Nimibutr, and written by two-time S.E.A. Write Award winner Win Lyovarin. Known as “Pirates Of Langkasuka” in the UK and as “Legend of the Tsunami Warrior” in the US.

Wise Kwai: Review: Queens of Langkasuka (Puen Yai Jome Salad)
YouTube trailer: Queens of Langkasuka
ethaicd.com: Queens of Langkasuka

Talking about Thai movies…

If you are hungry for even more Thai movies, here’s a few resources:

Wise Kwai: Top 10 Thai films of the 2000s

thailandqa.com: What’s your favourite Thai movie of all time
cnngo.com: Cannes Film Festival: 12 Thai films that wowed in Europe
cnngo.com: The best films and greatest actors from Thai cinema
thaiworldview.com: Thai historical movies

Thai Film
Thai Film Database
Thai Films With English Subtitles

Now over to you. What are your favourite Thai movies to date?

The “I’m Good Enough at Thai to Know I Suck” Stage…

There comes a point in almost everyone’s attempt at learning a language where they gain enough proficiency to know, well… to realize that they pretty much suck at it!

This can be due to a variety of reasons, especially for a tonal language such as Thai, with its rigid vowel lengths.

Usually the main reason is “mother language interference”. This is where you’re speaking Thai and suddenly start using the English sentence order for words, which yields a lotta gibberish. Or you forget to use the question tag (ไหม / มั้ย) and instead use a rising tone on the last word, changing it into another one.

Now, I seemed to have reached a point where not only my spoken ability has come up to speed but also comprehension of what’s said back to me. I outlined this leap in The Magical Tipping Point of Thai.

I want to touch on the comprehension part of it a little. There is no way a person can learn Thai without having both their ability in spoken Thai and comprehension of what’s said back. It’s two sides of the same coin. Saying things without comprehending what’s said back isn’t speaking Thai.

Case in point. The other day I met a foreigner who spoke Thai with such good clarity and enunciation that I was so ashamed of my Thai that I wouldn’t speak Thai around him. He had the phrozen phrasez and rote sentence constructs down perfectly. As an aside, I could tell he was a Union Clone student because they teach two identifying constructs. One is สมมุติว่า (suppose that..) and the other is มีปากมีเสียงกัน (an antiquated construct for argue w/someone that Union schools teach instead of ทะเลาะกัน). But he’d nearly eliminated his thick Aussie accent in his spoken Thai (no small feat seeing as his accent was so thick I had to really concentrate to understand his English).

As I sat there listening to him interact with Thais it became apparent there was a disconnect when Thais didn’t respond with the appropriate pre-programmed response. He then had to ask them to repeat what they’d said, sometimes a coupla times. Now, sometimes the Thais deviation was only slight (and even I could make the leap in logic to what they’d said). However, with other times, the Thais would shorten a phrase or reply in a contemporary slangy way, so it was not the way he was programmed to receive replies.

I found this conundrum quite interesting, seeing as his Thai was really clear and not nearly as muddy (or perhaps “muddled” is a better word) as my spoken Thai.

We talked about his lack of comprehension and he mentioned that the run-o-the-mill Thai on the street didn’t speak as clearly as his Thai language teacher did. Well, I got news for everyone out there studying Thai. Not many Thais speak as clear or slow as your Thai language teacher! Nor will they waste the time it takes to spoon-feed when they’re talkin’ to you.

You can get Thais to slow down by saying พูดช้า ๆ หน่อย or พูดช้า ๆ สิ. But, sometimes it takes a couple of times for it to sink into their heads. Conversely, you can always do what I do and say in Thai, “either slow down or we’re gonna speak in English.” I’ve never had that not work in getting a Thai to slow down their staccato or warp speed Thai EVER! Given that many Thais fear speaking English, it’s effective. And better yet, to have them dial their speed back it only needs to be said once.

Back on track… It also became apparent to me that while this guy had a TON of good usable Thai vocabulary, constructs and phrases, he was unable to use them to build his own sentences. Instead, he relied on rote dialog (the same mind-numbing stuff I hear repeated in many Thai language schools in Bangkok).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not casting dispersions (errr aspersions) at this guy’s Thai. My spoken Thai language ability is NOTHING to write home about and I have more than my fair share of “fox paws” (faux pas) almost every time I converse with Thais in Thai. I’m not denigrating his ability, only pointing out some of my observations.

I always reply to foreigners who ask if I can speak Thai the exact same way: “I speak Thai well enough to know that I suck at it.” It’s the truth. I can converse about anything I have an interest in, and I am wicked good at understanding what Thais say to me, just as long as I’m in the driver’s seat. Also, for the most part, it appears that Thais understand what I’m talking about even if my intonation is muddy and my structure spotty.

Once you reach a level of proficiency as far as high frequency usable vocab and constructs go, the next phase is applying it ALL the time, in every situation, tryin’ to get off the rote dialog and more onto free flowing speech. For myself, I eavesdrop on Thais all the time. I also take notes. I do this to change how I learned Thai to how things are actually said by Thais. I also practice some of the new dialog I’ve overheard with Thai friends in sort of a “throw it against the wall and see if it sticks” method. Do they comprehend what I’m saying? Is it appropriate in the context I used it in? Does it make Thais understand me easier? In an effort to morph my Thai into a less foreign sounding Thai I currently speak, these are all things I look for.

This stage in your Thai language acquisition is when books like Thai: An Essential Grammar (by David Smyth), and Thai Reference Grammar (by James Higbie and Snea Thinsan) come in handy. Neither of these books lend themselves to a “sit down and read ‘em cover to cover” sort of endeavor. In fact, early on it’s mostly waste of time when studying the Thai language because there’s simply too much material covered in both. They’re not designed as text books to learn Thai. They are created as reference materials for specific questions about the application of words, phrases, and correct word order in constructs, once you have some Thai under your belt.

When I hear something in Thai that I haven’t used before, I jot it down in a small notebook. Once I get back home I look it up in one or both of those grammar books. Sometimes I hafta Google to find the real way things are spelled or said versus the colloquial way. And I can usually find the base construct even if the Thai version was slang-i-fied. By using Thai: Essential Grammar and Thai Reference Grammar, I can locate the correct words, related phrases, and appropriate usage.

Now, sometimes some of the constructs I come up with just don’t fly. And that’s when Thais look at me like I’ve got a horn growing outta my forehead (believe me, I’ve grown used to that look after 7+ years in Thailand). While other constructs work so well that it seems Thais are surprised a foreigner would spit something out that sounds so very Thai.

It’s moments like those that make me realize that all the time, hard work and effort I’ve put into this language is beginning to bear fruit. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever get past the “I’m good enough at Thai to know I suck at speaking Thai” stage. What I’m not letting it do is get me down or dampen my desire to learn more about the language. I have no problem discarding what doesn’t work, and I try to incorporate what does work into my usable vocabulary. In short, I just keep on trudging forward in my learning.

I think what I’m tryin’ to say is this: you too will reach a point where you’re good enough in Thai to know you’re not really very good at Thai. It’s a natural part of the process and it shouldn’t get you down. Instead, it should give you the satisfaction knowing that you’ve come a long way in your learning experience. And once you can see your own shortcomings in this language, it becomes easier to implement self corrections without someone spoon-feeding you.

Good luck. And keep at it. Remember no one eats an elephant at one sitting. It’s done one mouthful at a time. Bite by bite. Same with learning languages, take one bite at a time and you’ll get there.

Tod Daniels | toddaniels at gmail dot com

David Mansaray: How to Use Motivation Effectively…

Has this ever happened to you? You are busy thinking the same ‘ole thoughts like you always do, and then someone comes along and changes your head around with one of those “ah, hah!” moments.

That’s exactly what happened to me this week when watching David Mansaray’s video: How to Use Motivation Effectively.

Please watch his video (so that my explanation below makes perfect sense).

In the video David took “the minimum dose needed to have the desired effect” and combined it with “becoming motivated”. His idea is for us to motivate ourselves just enough to propel us to do what we plan to do, but not enough to use up all our energy before we get there.

[ insert "ah hah!" here ]

Now, I’ve been worried about my lack of motivation to learn languages for a good long while. I eventually came to the conclusion that I was more interested in researching how to learn languages, than actually learning languages.

Researching all the different language learning methods gives me a high; an energy that pulls me forward. Seriously, I can spend hours going from one theory to another, often writing posts on what I find.

And just like David explains in the video, by the time I got to my studies, I’m done. I’m zapped out and my enthusiasm has wained.

But, after listening to David’s explanation, I realised that’s not 100% the case. What I was actually doing was using up my energy and motivation to study before I could get to my studies.

So instead, if I just follow what David suggests and harness that energy before it’s consumed, then my natural excitement for languages will be transferred to my studies instead. See?

And guess what? It works! As soon as the rush of David’s “ah hah!” hit, instead of searching for similar motivation resources, I went off to study. For hours. Fantastic.

If you too are having motivation issues, please give David’s idea a try and let us know how you get on. Ok?

A little about David Mansaray…

I’ve been following David for quite awhile, on his blog and on twitter. What first attracted me to David was his interest in learning languages.

Do you remember The Polyglot Project with Claude Cartaginese? Since then David and Claude have teamed up for the informative The Polyglot Project Podcast. Prepare to be inspired.

But David’s overall goal is the exciting Big Self-Education Project:

I’m going to challenge the status quo. I decided to drop out of university to pursue self-education. Over the next few months, or perhaps years, I’m going to teach myself a number of different skills and I’ll share my journey. How much can we learn and how far can we go without an institution or qualifications? That’s just what I’m going to find out!

I’m here to teach you how to learn more quickly and effectively. I share actionable steps and I also explain the science that holds it all together, because understanding why something works increases the chances of you actually doing it.

Site: David Mansaray
Twitter: @DavidMansaray
YouTube: davidmansaray
Facebook: davidmansaray

Thanks David. Your ‘Big Self-Education Project’ is certainly working for me. More please ;-)

Learning Thai Later in Life…

I read the Language Forum posts on ThaiVisa.com regularly to find out what some people are thinking about learning Thai. Some of the posters are quite knowledgeable and I learn a lot from them (I just learned a new Thai word today from a post: แรงจูงใจ /raeng-​joong-​jai/ “motivation”). But sometimes the posts are less than helpful. From a post this week titled “Reasons Why Not to Study a New Language”, here is one comment, “Learning Thai is boring and a waste of time, useless outside this liitle (sic) country. If you can get by without don;t (sic) bother” .

As you probably have guessed, I don’t completely agree with the last comment. But for some, like our commenter, they really may have no แรงจูงใจ /raeng-​joong-​jai/ for learning Thai. It is a truly difficult language to learn and the ROI, return on investment, is just not worth their effort. For them, I recommend that they not waste their time with learning Thai. With that attitude, failure is almost guaranteed.

But for others, whether they want to feel more at home here, want to speak with and understand those around them better, want to communicate with a friend or spouse in more than just broken or pigeon English, want to express more about what they are feeling than just being able to say, sometimes using only hand gestures, that “I am hungry”, or simply want to keep their brains from atrophying in this hot tropical climate, they do have the motivation to accept the challenge of leaning Thai.

The big question is, and it is one that keeps a lot of people from taking up that language-learning challenge, “is it more difficult to learn a foreign language when you are older?”

The answer is yes. Learning any language after our teenage years really is difficult, but not necessarily that much more difficult later in life. At a certain age our brains are wired to learn language, any language. We all pick up language about the same age, somewhere between 2 and 4 and that language-learning-on-steroids continues on until we are teenagers. During this time we can learn more than one language. That is how some people become truly bilingual. It is probably true that a child can learn to speak 3 or 4 languages fluently at this time. Our brains are just wired that well. But sometime later our brains probably go on to be used in learning other skills. So if you are past your language learning age, yes, learning new languages will be difficult, but not impossible.

The questions about the difficulties learning Thai when we are older are often asked by seniors who have come to Thailand to retire. Their response frequently is, “I’m too old to learn a new language.”; although I have heard people in their 20s say the same thing. It is a great excuse for not learning Thai. But it is not true.

Age should not stop anyone from learning anything, a new language included. It might slow you down a bit, but at our age what hasn’t slowed down? After the age when our brains are less wired to learning languages, picking up new ones becomes more and more difficult. But it has always been difficult, hasn’t it? When you studied that foreign language in high school, did you find that easy? I didn’t. I not only failed French, I failed Spanish too.

On the other side of the fence, I have taught English as a second language in a number of countries, and in America, and I spent about 10 years trying to teach Thais English, some of the most futile times in my life. Of all the students I have taught, my best students, the only ones who really mastered English, were students at a community college in the U.S. They came from places as varied as Mexico, Russia, Brazil, China, Italy, and South East Asia. The one thing they all had in common though, was that they were all immigrants.

As it turns out, studies have been done to determine what variables make for successful language learners. Teachers, textbooks, methodology, student’s native language, their educational level, were all ruled to have a minor influence. The one major characteristic all good language learners have in common is “motivation”; there’s that word แรงจูงใจ /raeng-​joong-​jai/ again.

When you live in an environment where everyone speaks one language, and you speak another, it becomes easier to develop the motivation to learn to communicate with those around you. And who has more motivation for learning a new language than an immigrant?

As for all those foreigners coming to Thailand to work or to retire, you are surrounded by people speaking a different language than you. If you have the motivation of a typical immigrant (which is what you basically are) to communicate with those around you and to learn a new language, then you are not too old.

Here are some suggestions for learning Thai (or any new language) for those who are beyond the “language-learning-on-steroids” years.

Define your motivation…

Know exactly why you are putting in the time and effort to study Thai. I mean, if you exercise you might be doing it to look good, or for your health. If you study the piano you can do it to accompany your own singing (which is why I am currently, at age 66, learning the piano), or as a meditation, or simply for the love of music. All of us will have our own reasons for learning Thai. Define your goals and work hard to achieve them.

Take lessons…

A good teacher is important. Do some research and find the person using the methods that fit your personality and needs. I personally liked learning in a class setting better than one-on-one. Others might feel the opposite. If you take scheduled lessons, especially ones that you pay for, you will have more of a reason not to skip one. It is like having a personal trainer who forces you to do those last 10 pushups. If you try to learn Thai without a teacher then it will be like having to do all those pushups by yourself.

Carry a notebook…

Every time you come across an English word you would like to say in Thai, or a Thai word you would like to know the meaning of, write it down, even if it is only phonetically. I have hundreds of pages of words like this. I use them like a personal vocabulary textbook containing words that I need or want to use.

Use a dictionary (paper, on-line, or human)…

Don’t let inertia stop you from looking up a new word (often from that notebook of yours), or at least asking someone who knows Thai to help you out. It takes time and effort to look up words but the rewards are there for you. Find a dictionary that you find easy to use (with type that you won’t have to use a magnifying glass to read), or if it is a person, someone who is reliable and can answer your questions.

Be patient…

You don’t have a time limit on learning a language. I mean, most of us are still learning new words in our own native language. You have the rest of your life. Note your progress and remember that all learning has a plateau phase when our brains don’t do much for a while and nothing new happens (It is probably just resting.) But the brain is getting ready to make that next quantum leap later.

Have fun…

If you aren’t enjoying what you are doing then you’re like that guy from above who thinks that “Learning Thai is boring and a waste of time”. The way I keep it fun is I look at leaning new words like I am playing a computer video game where I need to collect weapons (words in this case) that I can use to slay the monsters and eventually save the princess.

Saving the princess. That is my แรงจูงใจ /raeng-​joong-​jai/.

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
Retire 2 Thailand: Blog
eBooks in Thailand

Questions at Thai Girl Talk…

We’re so excited to guest post on WLT for our podcast Thai Girl Talk.

But after we agreed to interview each other, Mia and I couldn’t agree on what questions to ask…

Lani: Do you feel like a man trapped in a woman’s body or a woman perfectly happy in her own body?

Mia: I’m not sure I understand the question.

Lani: Oh, Mia!

Mia: Let’s talk about Thai Girl Talk (TGT). For example, what is TGT?

Lani: It’s a weekly podcast about Thai language and culture.

Mia: Exactly. People will also want to know who we are.

Lani: Well, we are both teachers. Although you teach Thai, and I teach English…oh they can read about us on our About page! Okay. What do you love and hate about Thailand?

Mia: It couldn’t be anything else but the food and fruits, and oh I forgot, riding a scooter without helmet and driving without a seat belt. Sorry, I’m a bad example!

Lani: 555

Mia: Now back to the questions. Who should listen to TGT? I think anyone who loves Thailand.

Lani: Speaking of Thailand, why are there so many ghosts here?

Mia: The same answer as to why there are so many ladyboys – social acceptance. We believe in ghosts – it’s a law of attraction.

Lani: Wow. That’s a good answer. Now, you lived in the United States for 10 years? What did you love and hate about living in the United States?

Mia: Love the way people drive, hate that I could not get food on the street at 1 o’clock in the morning. What about you?

Lani: I’m starting to miss the landscape. I’m from Hawaii and I consider myself a West coast gal. America is a beautiful and big country. But I hated how I had to work all the time just to make ends meet.

Mia: Yeah. Thailand is easy.

Lani: Totally. While the cost of living is rising, it’s still affordable. What’s your favorite Thai food? And favorite Western food?

Mia: For Thai, anything that puts fire on my tongue. For Western, spaghetti with meatballs sprinkled with red crusted chili.

Lani: Yum! Okay, next question, since you are a Chiang Mai native and I, a mere half-Thai or look krung, what is the most annoying biggest misconception of Thais that foreigners have?

Mia: Foreigners who believe it when Thais say “mai pben rai” or never mind.

Lani: Ooooo. Good one. And foreigners would probably be equally annoyed by the saving face aspect of Thai culture.

Mia: But that is why people should listen to TGT! They will gain inside information about Thailand from a native Thai, and from you, an expat. How long have you been living here?

Lani: I just signed on for my 3rd year at my school.

Mia: Congratulations! So you see, our listeners can learn a lot by listening to us. They can also leave comments, suggest topics, tell the world to listen to us, download our podcast, and listen while they do the dishes…

Lani: 555+ Excellent. We upload our podcast and blog every Friday at: Thai Girl Talk. Join us and let us know what you think!

Mia: Yes! Thanks Cat!

Lani: Hey Mia, when are you going to answer my first question!

Listen to Mia and Lani every Friday at Thai Girl Talk
Read Lani’s blog at Tell-Thai Heart
Have a question about Thai language ask Mia at learn2speakthai

Thai Amongst World’s Sexiest Accents…

Thailand gets more than its share of bad news – depressing – so when the announcement of the Thai language being voted SEXY came bouncing down WLTs twitter timeline, I started smiling.

CNN Travel: World’s 12 sexiest accents.

A foreign language can be the best aphrodisiac, so we traveled the world in search of the 12 hottest accents.

Thailand is way down in 11th place, but with the hundreds of languages available to choose from, just making it on the list says something.

With five tones comprising their native speech, the traffickers of this often fragile accent turn any language into a song of seduction. Thai is largely monosyllabic, so multi-beat foreign words get extra emphases right up until the last letter, which is often left off, leaving the listener wanting more. (Or at least asking “Huh?” lustfully.)

Hmmm… I don’t know what to think of CNNs injection of “traffickers” in the description, nor the “sounds like: R-rated karaoke” rating. Do you?

But what I do agree with 100% is Italian coming in first, beating the French. And as I’m learning both Italian and Thai (albiet slowly), I’m chuffed!

Anyway, if you too want to vote, here’s your chance: Which is your favorite accent? Vote here on our Facebook poll.

Falling in love with Thai tones…

The first time I heard spoken Thai was in a Thai restaurant in Brunei Darussalam. No, it’s not located amongst the Arab countries. Brunei is on the island of Borneo, just a short hop from Thailand.

As is typical in Thai restaurants, the TV was blaring in the background. And I hated it.

If you’ve ever watched Thai soaps then you’ll know all about all the annoying screaming, screeching, and backstabbing going on. It’s cringe inducing.

From my weekly Thai TV experiences alone, I unfairly judged the Thai language too painful to listen to. And in no way did I want to learn Thai or even live in Thailand.

Suffering from island fever, within months I was flying to Bangkok via Thai Airways. What a difference! The Thai stewardesses were elegant and charming. And if there were any arguments in the galley, I was unaware.

Once in Thailand I even enjoyed being taken advantage of by a soft spoken off-duty (cough cough) cop who deftly stuck me in a Tuk Tuk due to the ENTIRE left side of Bangkok being closed… and away I went to a jewelry store.

Seven, or is it (eight years) after living in Thailand, my opinion of the Thai language has settled into what I believe resembles a truth of some sorts. And one thing I can tell you with absolute confidence is that screaming and screeching are rare. Where do the soaps got their awful role models anyway?

The Thai language can be soft and lilting, sweet, singsong even. It ranges from the playful not so quiet banter of the street vendors, to the gentle politeness of a junior needing a favour.

The Thai world I live in rarely visits the scenario shown in the mushy Thai Airways ads (there are similar moments though) but neither is it inundated with the raunchy jokes of Thai street life. But whatever it is, I’m loving it. แล้วคุณล่ะคะ?