Thread: Learning useful language

Originally Posted by meepmeep99

I have been suprised that no one has mentioned anything about learning the script.

Very good point. Thai script is very precise re pronunciation and if learned is by far the most expedient route to conversational competence.

That's all true the pronuniciation I use works everyday. Remember I can't hear tones so that is the way it sounds to me. But I agree again not Bangkok, got lots of slang around and lazy speaking from Thai's. The goal is to communiate here. I appreciate what you guys have said. I have went out of may way to use it. Somewhere besides the house, It's slowly working.

Originally Posted by ray23

Remember I can't hear tones so that is the way it sounds to me

why not??

anyway, tones are fairly over rated.

so long as your context is correct, people will understand you. the tones will come in time just from listening and using.

sound advice re the Thai script.
doesn't take very long to learn, makes all the difference and for some reason impresses Thais no end.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by ray23

Remember I can't hear tones so that is the way it sounds to me

why not??

anyway, tones are fairly over rated.

so long as your context is correct, people will understand you. the tones will come in time just from listening and using.

sound advice re the Thai script.
doesn't take very long to learn, makes all the difference and for some reason impresses Thais no end.

Context . When i first started to speak thai i would (and still do) get the blank expression because i would try and just use one or two words to get my point across but i was saying the words with the wrong emphasis (tones). But i found that if i use 10 words in a sentence then i can leave the listerner in no doubt what i'm talking about because i have provided some context and plenty of clues.

Good news the wife the other day afer I'm trying to figure how to say pliers (Kiim) got one of her englsih book and guess what tons of tools named in Thai and English so I will be adding to my list.

I'm getting closer and closer to my nuts and bolts all the time

Originally Posted by ray23

Good news the wife the other day afer I'm trying to figure how to say pliers

Think you should be working "close the gate and don't let the dog out".

No I think that one has been clearly communicated now

I agree about learning the Thai script. In fact, I do read and write a bit of Thai. I decided to study the Thai script because that was the advice given me by the foreigners I met who (I thought) spoke the best Thai. I was a bit half-assed about it for the first few years. It's only now that I'm really putting in some consistent effort (about an hour a day, sometimes more). I find that I'm able to practice a bit while at work because everyone in my office is constantly emailing each other memos. If I have a bit of time, I'll practice translating/reading those. In my free time, I send text messages to friends and chat on MSN. My typing in Thai is godawfuly slow but it's still fun.

I started studying seriously again because, as the person above wrote, transliteration just doesn't cut it. I use two different sources for the majority of the "looking up in the dictionary" I do... one of them is Thai to English dictionary & transliteration. The other is the Thai for Beginners book from Paiboon Publishing. There are probably some others, too. They both use different systems for transliteration. And then there's the official transliteration system. Unfortunately, I don't know all the tone rules and while I can sound out the words, there's often something screwy. For the tones and some pronunciation tips I consult the sources. Or I just ask people, but if there's no one around...

Learning the transliteration language is almost just as much work as learning the Thai script. Might as well learn the Thai.