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Property

How did you manage to learn the Thai language? Perhaps you haven't yet.

Images came to mind of my time spent wandering around my Thai condo in Bangkok, a Linguaphone cassette-player dangling around my neck and a set of flash-cards in my back pocket.

Sure, I might now be able to ask the way to the train station, or where the tourist information office is, but to have learn sufficient Thai to deal with the government officials & scammers is momentarily beyond me. And anyway, why should I waste my time talking to people who are clearly less intelligent than me.

friscofrankie

Could say the same of any language
If you're gonna live here learn the language. We speak Thai in the home about 80% of the time. When the ol lady pisses me off or I get frustrated I'll slip into English, but, I'm learning; it's only been a few years . Lose the cassettes & flash cards or leave 'em at home. You learn the language by using it.

__________________
For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication.

insanity...

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mackayae

That's what Marcel Marceau said.

chitown

So why would an intelligent, sophisticated scholar like you lower yourself to live in Thailand with all of these dumbasses???

I hate to hear people make statements like that, yet choose to live here.

Megahorn

Surely that's part of why we choose to live here. Living among complete and utter imbeciles really makes me feel great - just laugh at them, you'll have the time of yer life.

OP, ^^ Correct. Keep on using what you know, build new vocab every day, use it at every chance you get and you'll be fine. Also doing a lacguage course can be useful.

But practice practice practice.

Texpat

Enroll in Thai language classes. Take it seriously, practice all the time. Learn to read and write as you learn to speak. Don't play the transliteration game, it's more confusing and it's like learning a third language. Try to read everything you see, roadsigns, shampoo bottles, newspaper headlines, magazine covers. At the beginning, you can't understand 99% of it, but when you knuckle out your first words outta-the-blue, it's almost orgasmic. Write in Thai as much as possible. English is a crutch best thrown away early. Take notes in Thai to the extent you can. If you can write it, you can read it.

To improve your vocab, use yellow stick-it notes. Put one on the lamp, on the fridge, on the desk, on the mirror, on the computer, on the fan... etc. Write them in Thai. Everytime you pass an item, say it out loud. If you can't remember, read the sitck-it note. When you can remember how to say it, and spell it, remove the note.

Tones are tough, but Thais make them seem tougher than they are.

If you walked into a western store and asked for a ham and chise sandwich, the staff wouldn't bat an eye.

If you walked into a Thai store and asked for khao niao and sam tom, they'll all stand around scratching their heads wondering what this daft farang wanted.

If you listen carefully to Thais speak, they scream over tones like a fighter at the treetops. The clues are in the context.

Have fun and don't be shy.

ChalkyDee

They can speak the language, you can't!

Reminds me of the story of the traveller who is lost and asks a farmer working in the fields, "what is the name of the nearest town?", to which the farmer replies, "I don't know". "Then, where does this road go to"?, "I don't know". You're a real idiot aren't you? "You're the one who's lost".

I learned to communicate in Thai by hanging out in bars/snooker halls and having girlfriends that couldn't speak English.

Marmite the Dog

Exactly. When you try to overdo the tones, that's when the confusion starts. If you make an effort to speak confidently, and don't over emphasise the tones, you will be understood a lot better.

keda

Descartes speculated that Monkeys have the capacity for human speech, but choose to remain silent in order to avoid having to converse with Man.


There are some things we may never discover.

keda

Hopefully that was meant in the right vein, otherwise make sure you don't happen to laugh at the wrong one in a wrong way.

Ivor Biggun

As much as my wife tries to teach me I'm fcuked. I've a memory like a sieve. Have trouble remembering peoples names as well.

Dalton

I had no choice but to learn it due to our workers poorly English-skills, I never took a class or any lesson, picked it up by listen and use it on daily basis. Its tough in the beginning, but dont give up.

Marmite the Dog

Have you thought about taking them to the doctor's?

Dalton

^ Arent we funny todays...

Norton

First I concluded living in a country and not knowing the language would make life very difficult and frustrating. From there listening, asking and practicing was the key. Trust me, I am half deaf and far from a cunning linguist so if I can do it so can you.

chinthee

^W.C. Fields and Mae West. I know I nailed that one - Avatar game for those who don't know.

Norton

Yes, My Little Chickadee. Not you the movie! New one coming soon.

Property

I only have to live with one of them, fortunately.

Dalton

Yep, not very intelligent at all...

chitown