How Am I Ever Going to Learn?

**Marmite the Dog** · 07-09-2006, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

I think they understand you better when you say "Kap" about every third word and throw "Louie" in once in awhile. Also seems you have to act like your angry even though you're not.

You'll fit right in mate when you get here.

**MeMock** · 07-09-2006, 12:16 PM

Poor louie, what did he ever do wrong?

**Mister Fixit** · 12-09-2006, 02:16 PM

Even now when I order a Cock in the restuarant next door they bring me a pepsi, The words don't even sound the same. Next time will order a Bepsee and see if I get a Cock.

'Nam cork' often works for me!

**Skulldigger** · 13-09-2006, 09:26 PM

Pepsi=Coke=Pepsi. Same same but different.

**buadhai** · 16-09-2006, 11:29 AM

Another rant:

I've heard the word "yoi" (ย่อย - small) used now and then and thought I'd clarify with Ms. B how and when to use it. The conversation went something like this:

----------

You have a Thai word "yoi" that means small?

No, no such word.

Sure?

Hmmm. You must mean "noi".

No, it's not "noi".

Maybe "lek".

No, I'm sure I've heard "yoi". I think you use it when you give someone a big bill and ask for small change.

Oh, you mean "yoi".

Yeah, that's what I said.

No, you said "yoi". It's supposed to be "yoi".

----------

So, here we have context: me asking about a specific Thai word. She knows the meaning. She knows the approximate sound. She knows I'm no good with tones. Why couldn't her brain (or the brains of most other Thai's) do something like this:

"Hm. What is this tone-deaf cretin trying to say? 'Tone-deaf.' Maybe that's a clue. Means nothing the way he pronounced it. Maybe he's got the tone wrong. Gee, let's see if it means anything like 'small' if I plug in one of the other four possible tones...."

But no, that thought process simply doesn't happen.

On the other hand, I've seen Ms. B deftly handle the horrible English spoken by Koreans, Japanese, Russians, etc., etc. In those situations her brain easily does logical reasoning and deduction on the fly.

Why can't she do it with Thai?

(For the overly literal among you, this is meant to be a rhetorical question.)

**MeMock** · 16-09-2006, 11:37 AM

after a conversation like that does your head look like the one in the avator?

**buadhai** · 16-09-2006, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by MeMock

after a conversation like that does your head look like the one in the avator?

I just shook my expanding head and went to bed....

**Wallace** · 16-09-2006, 11:59 AM

In a similar vein, I went into the supermarket nearby a couple of weeks ago and, in a desperate attempt to make the aisles slightly wider than one trolley, they'd decided to move everything from its usual place. I was looking for coconut milk, which I had just learned was 'ga tee', but don't ask me where to go 'up' or 'down' on the tones. Anyway, I asked someone in the store's uniform:

where is the coconut, you know, 'ga tee'?

you want pepsi?

No, I don't want pepsi, I want 'ga tee'.

(Turns to another colleague, who says) You want pepsi?

No, 'ga tee', coconut, 'gaeng penang' (for the curry we wanted to make).

After repeating 'ga tee' at both of them 5 times, one of them said:

Pepsi here.

No, I don't want bloody pepsi, I want 'ga tee' and again said it slowly and clearly a few times.

Oh 'ga tee' (with a higher pitch than mine, of course, as she was a girl).

And then she led me to the coconut milk. I swear she said it exactly the same way as I had yet both had failed to understand what I wanted even when I said it very slowly (and probably loudly in true English tradition when talking to foreigners).

I think the lesson here is, say it quickly, use various tonal ranges as you repeat it, but do not slow down. As the girl led me to the right aisle I made her say it about 10 times and I repeated it after her. I swear blind there was no difference in the end but she still looked at me like I was an idiot.

**Marmite the Dog** · 16-09-2006, 03:12 PM

I think the best way is to speak quickly. Fuck the tones, the Thais don't bother most of the time. As long as you use a sentence and not just the single word it seems to work pretty well.

So if you had said.. "Nong khrap. Gatee yuu nai khrap?" she would've taken you straight there (actually, she would've prolly been a lazy bitch and said "Mai mee, Kha").

**buadhai** · 16-09-2006, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

been a lazy bitch and said "Mai mee, Kha"

Or "mot laeo"....

Thanks, Wallace, you really made me laugh for the first time all day....

**cali kid** · 13-10-2006, 01:08 PM

I have been fortunate enough to attend an university here and had a great vocabulary and could speak fairly well within the first year. 4 years later and my Thai excellent, the only reason why this is so is because I was totally submerged in thai for the first 2 years i was here and every where went I went I said "ni arai, ni arai, ni arai," and " how do you say...., how do you say......"
So I would think that the best way to improve your thai is to simply spend as much time as you can around as many Thai people as you can asking as many questions as you can, just consider it your own language course. Most Thai people are very happy to teach you as long as you want to learn, you dont have to know them but just have some kind of contact with them, and as soon as you learn something, use it, even if it doesnt make any sense in the context they will correct you and then it will be a lot more imprinted in your mind.

Good luck
Those tones are a pain

**kingwilly** · 13-10-2006, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

I will come, guaranteed.

possibly need to rephrase that last sentance....

**king of uranus** · 21-01-2007, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by kingwillyhggtb

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

I will come, guaranteed.

possibly need to rephrase that last sentance....

Yep, I've heard it this way before, "love you no shit. 100%"

Even now when I order a Cock in the restuarant next door they bring me a pepsi, The words don't even sound the same. Next time will order a Bepsee and see if I get a Cock.

A classic.

btw; Does Cock taste better than Bepsee?

**stfranalum** · 15-02-2007, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by buadhai

I'm at the point of deep depression over my failure

there is a language capacity within all of us. some are just naturals at understanding language as it is. others try to transliterate all meaning- and my friend- you cant translate meaning.

you need to accept thai communication for what it is, and thats it. dont think in english and figure out how to say that idea in thai. you will drive yourself crazy and it simply wont help.

learn to think in thai. and that easy to say. but you need to do it in order to get the language's logic, rhythm, and flow.

meditate, which helps clear out the cobwebs upstairs. then put a thai saying in your head, "heuw mai? gin caew" and feel it. dont think it or translate it-- but feel all what it says and means. nothing more.

you need to accept and not decode. my 2-cents

**Anonymous Coward** · 15-02-2007, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by stfranalum

you need to accept and not decode.

Thank you but I'm not sure this was worth even 2 cents.

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