Thread: Workshop - Learn to Read Thai, the Rapid Way

Originally Posted by toddaniels

I've never met a single person who went thru your method!

... you clearly have me confused with some other Tod Daniels. I [am] self taught.

Union Clone Schools have most successful methodology...

...the reason I learned to read before I could speak... correcting my errant pronunciation

I don't know ... about the efficacy of your method.

(Sigh...)

Tod, I'm afraid there's very little I can do or say if you are so blind yet sure of yourself. You obviously don't need my course and have no interest in it, yet you've written about it quite extensively in your various posts over the years.

You're at least pleasant and gentlemanly about it. On some websites, people have accused me of scamming or spamming or outright dishonesty. Yet not one of them bothered to watch the introductory video(s) on youtube or sign up for my free trial course (to learn the top 30 letters, and recognize hundreds of very simple Thai words, in about two hours).

Some of your comments need a reply because so many people think the same as you do out of a kind of studied ignorance. In fact, I nearly gave up developing my courses because I felt that hardly anyone had any interest in learning Thai at all. And then, out of the blue, hundreds of people bought my course and attended my workshop and all of them gushed with enthusiastic praise. I felt motivated to complete the series of conversational courses that follow on directly from the reading course.

I think what had happened is that they started out with the more traditional courses or language schools - perhaps because they were cheaper, or simply because they seemed to be tried-and-tested. Once they realized their mistake, after many months of wasted effort, they decided to try the Rapid Method. Ironically, some of the worst-run courses, with the most arcane material, are at the top universities.

I'm surprised that you haven't met anyone who has followed the Rapid Method, but as you say: different social circles. The students I've met or have corresponded with tend to be highly-motivated individuals, entrepreneurial, artistic or imaginative, open-minded - and usually leading successful and healthy lives. Very few "sexpats" have shown interest in my course, nor the crowd who spend their time at the bars cavorting with the girls there. Surprisingly, very few teachers (esp. ESL teachers) seem to be interested in my method either - with the exception of the head teacher at Samui International School and a group of teachers from KIS.

Many of my students have been living in Thailand for more than ten years and have a Thai wife or husband and Thai children. They feel embarrassed admitting to how long they've lived here and still not able to speak - let alone read - Thai.

Some can speak Thai fluently, but are illiterate, and they come to my workshop to fix that. They acquire literacy almost instantly because they can already understand what they are reading; but nearly all of them to a man (or woman) are shocked to discover how incorrectly they've been speaking all these years.

So as you say, learning to read first is paramount. It won't make you speak like a native, but it's almost impossible to adjust and improve your pronunciation if you cannot read because all the correcting in the world by well-meaning Thais will fall on "deaf" ears.

The other group of "Rapid" students tend to be those who want to get the right foundation from the start. They've read about my course or about the importance of learning to read first or one of my other students has personally recommended the Rapid Method. They come to my workshop knowing absolutely nothing, but by the end of the week they can read Thai... in the same way as I can read Italian. I won't understand it, but I can read it - and I can even say it with an Italian accent (capish?)

It still takes another year, studying a few hours per week, to be able to hold a simple conversation - but their progress is astounding. With relatively little effort, they're speaking distinctly and confidently after about a year. I'm now working with my "advanced" students who want to gain fluency in Thai, which can be very effectively achieved by studying the romance novel Sydney Remember. I've produced an interactive audio-ebook with karaoke ear-training audio tracks and a set of over 2,000 Anki flashcards with sample sentences from the book for each word.

It transformed my ability to speak and understand Thai when I read the book and acquired the vocabulary. Except for the roughly three hours per week altogether that I spent on the book, I don't think I did any other kind of studying. And, unlike you, I'm very lazy when it comes to learning languages. I hate to study languages! I have a very busy life, playing music, playing sport, reading books and watching movies, building my house, and looking after my family and friends in general (not to mention actually researching and developing the Rapid courses).

So the Rapid Method works for people like me. The "Union" approach is completely useless for me. It's exactly how I tried (and failed) to learn German at school.

I've learnt several other languages since then, and each time, I've tried to find a quick, easy and lazy way to do it. I think I've succeeded with Thai.

I wouldn't use the word "successful" to describe the "Union" approach. I would say that it's "pervasive" and only those people who have persevered and sweated through the course materials (for perhaps a thousand or two thousand hours) have succeeded in being able to read and speak and understand Thai.

Moreover, I think the "Union" approach has been responsible for the relatively few people who have any inclination in learning Thai: it's just too hard! There are enough Thais who speak English, the menus are nearly always in English, and one can easily get by on "Taxi Thai".

For those people who would like to learn Thai but can't stomach the idea of actually studying it - there's the Rapid Method.

Well, at least we're talkin' about learnin' thai and that appears to be the name of this particular sub-forum.. There are a couple points you are correct about.

Brett does aggressively advertise his course and sells it as a "rapid" one too.

I will agree that Union method works one way and one way only; if you're in 100% to learning this language. Otherwise goin' 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks will suck the will to live right out of your body. God forbid you miss a day, because you'll NEVER catch back up to the class.

Now I don't know about sweating thru a thousand hours, because the people that come out of most union clone schools 4 conversational modules (60X4=240hourz) can pretty much hold their own speaking very coherent thai without too much effort. Still what they haven't learned to do at that point is read a character of it.

I like that term "pervasive"! Is it okay if I use it? Even though they (Union Clone Schools) have a proven, albeit antiquated method; I was looking for a term which was slightly a put down in reference to it. Sort of like it might not be the best thing since sliced bread but it's out there in the most schools in one form or another. Pervasive fits the bill totally..

"Fluent" in thai means exactly what to you? Can a person fluent go into a court room and argue a case, can they go to the doctor and talk about an upcoming brain surgery?

Fluent is a word that is beat to death in language circles. It is an imaginary bar of achievement in the minds of people who can't speak thai when they hear other people speak thai with thaiz just fine.

Go for fluid, smooth, what ever adjective you wanna use, just don't say, "fluent", because I've never met an adult non-native learner of thai I thought was "fluent" or a "near native" speaker of thai. Most foreigners who can speak thai totally overestimate their ability at it. At least I always say my thai "ain't all that", so if it's better than that I mean that's a plus right? What are people gonna say, that I brag about NOT being good at thai?

Still good luck man, you have found a niche market, developed a product and are hawking it. Good on you. It's far better than being a "legend in my own mind" like I am, lol...

Take care, do good