Thread: Is it really necessary to learn a host country's language?

^^
no, honestly butterfly.

anyone that even contemplates embarking on a 1 hour a day 30 day course in learning to read is a buffon.
there are many better ways to spend a month of 1 hours.

lots of them.

love this thread, on its way to a double century, unlike that poor sri lankan sap today, neway a helmet is sort of connected to the batsman's arm, aint it?

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

there are many better ways to spend a month of 1 hours.

agree, like downloading porn for example

For me, it's not the lack of Thai language that's at issue. Many people have different reasons for either learning or not learning the language.

What steams my kettle is what's often said after the farang's response to the question of whether or not he speaks Thai.

I would assume everybody here knows a little Thai. So why wouldn't, at a minimum, everyone respond, "I speak a little Thai." It shows good faith, softens the friction and it's true even for those who claim no skill.

Some, it seems, want to drive home the point of their unwillingness to learn (or even speak a little) like a sledgehammer. With full faith and backing of their superior, ubiquitious and treasured English.

Then they stretch the irrational to the absurd with further insult to all things Thai (economy sucks, poxy little third world nation, monkeys etc).

I believe its often, not always, a case of a poor response to being asked an embarassing question.

Originally Posted by Texpat

embarassing question.

and this they crux of the issue too, i do believe!

When a tourist gets asked if they speak Thai they are all proud when they say "Nit noy" and can wai like a three-legged donkey on acid saying "Shawadywaddy Cap" and the Thais smile and say how clever they are. The long-termer answers with a "no" even though they could hold a reasonable explicit conversation about the merits of the greater-spotted Isaan toad and the Thai says "Oh, you stay here long time, why you not speak Thai"

It's more to do with relative expectations, the tourist thinks knowing 10 words is good, while someone who has been here 5 years thinks that knowing a thousand words is somewhat below par.

^
not withstanding the poster, that is a wonderful post.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

^ not withstanding the poster, that is a wonderful post.

me or him?

I think most of CMN posts should immediately vanish or be consigned to MKP along with his "petit amis Francais"

and before you say anything, Butterbutt "ta geule, salop"

OOOh we are so clever today, ain't we?

Originally Posted by DrAndy

"ta geule, salop"

no, it's "ta geule, salope"

you missed a "e" DrA

Originally Posted by Texpat

What steams my kettle is what's often said after the farang's response to the question of whether or not he speaks Thai.

I dont think its an easy language to learn and personally i just cant seem to remember the words. In other languages like French for example there is sometimes a similarity to the English or Latin equivalent. That makes it easy to remember by association.

To what does one associate words like "boriboon" or "borisat" "borigan" they all have differnet meanings but which one is "complete", "company' or "service".

Thats why i will not learn to read or write, because i cant remember the spoken word half the time

Learning to read helps your pronunciation greatly. I was shocked at how many words I was mispronouncing for so long.

^Yes, well done, now try learning to read Thai as well

double post, or double poste

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Originally Posted by DrAndy

"ta geule, salop"

no, it's "ta geule, salope"

you missed a "e" DrA

language is about communication BB

oh, it should be "an e" by the way

Originally Posted by Texpat

Learning to read helps your pronunciation greatly. I was shocked at how many words I was mispronouncing for so long.

yes, I can speak Thai but nobody understands me

must do better, must do better, must do better....

Originally Posted by Ban Saray

If you want to enjoy life here learn the language, if you want residency you pass a literacy test, citizenship is another level higher.
Australia does it, Slovenia does it.
IME it's only the lazy poms who refuse to learn, thyinking they know it all, as always. That's probably why they hate the UK due to the influx of people who don't need to learn English to get the social security, free health, and a commission flat?

Residency can and often is bought by cash, not by having the languge skills of a 12 year old Thai.

And it's good to see it's the Poms' fault again. Maybe you should write a few more stories about deceased bar-girls rather than post complete crap like the above?

^I studied for it, I'm not rich enough to grease Immigration officials, never siad it was the Poms fault either.
I said (or meant to say) was that IME the poms were the worst and often the most likely to refuse to learn a foreign language.
I work with guys who have been here over 5 years and they can't mumble 5 Thai words, they simply do not see any point in it!
I don't know any deceased bar girls, sorry.
And if you dont't like the crap I write, bad luck.

yes, i got it.

i didn't laugh.

not your best material and not really worthy of a repeat.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

I think most of CMN posts should immediately vanish or be consigned to MKP along with his "petit amis Francais"

why??

I my humble opinion, I think that it's very un-polite not to learn the language in the country one decides to live permenently in, regardless what name that country has.

Originally Posted by Sir Burr

Too lazy to read the whole thread, but, here's my take on it.

Learning Thai obeys the law of diminishing returns.
When you first start learning Thai and use a vocabulary of a hundred words, or so, the benefits are large and immediate. You are treated better by the locals and they are pleased that you have made the effort. The vocabulary that you have learnt is in constant use.
But, the more you learn, the less important to communication the new words are. After a while, the rewards don't seem to match the effort involved.
I speak Thai reasonably well, but I would say I learnt 80% of my vocabuary within the first couple of months. I have reached a plateau.
The newer words that I have learnt, I don't use so much, so, I tend to forget them and have to learn them over again.

My own viewpoint, is that if you live here, it is essential to be able to speak basic Thai, but, not really that important to speak Thai very, very well.

Oh, damn you Burry - there you go again trying to ruin a good argument with common sense!

There is no middle ground. No compromise. Take no prisoners. You are either with us or against us.





kap

Originally Posted by The Gentleman Scamp

I can speak 40% Thai which isn't bad and is enough to get by when they don't speak English (which they jolly well should as their sucess is down to whitey) but I stopped learning 2 years ago.

They have more to gain from learning English than I have to gain l;earning Monkey na ka.

Rotten bait. And you've managed to tangle your line whilst casting. Change your lure and try again.

2.3/10 - Lousy fishing technique