Ex-pats, do you speak Thai?

[jackspratt]

For someone who doesn't give a FF, you are certainly very intense when responding on internet forums to those who don't tell you what you want to hear.

Besides being a pragmatist and a realist, I would hazard a guess you are, above all, an egotist.

For a slum dweller, my Thai is just fantastic.

[petemcc]

For someone who doesn't give a FF, you are certainly very intense when responding on internet forums to those who don't tell you what you want to hear.
Intense? Is that what you think? You must have lived a sheltered life, because I haven't risen above slightly disinterested. The negative comments I have received are not even like mossie bites to me I suppose I should qualify that, mossies don't bite me, I must be poisonous or something. When I get intense mate you will know it.

Besides being a pragmatist and a realist, I would hazard a guess you are, above all, an egotist.
Guess=wrong

For a slum dweller, my Thai is just fantastic.

Good, unfortunately your personality probably prevents you from integrating into society because you are *********

**** Mod Note - Insulting other members will get you banned very quickly.****

[laphanphon]

'JS' like him or not, tells it like is, as a keyboard commando, or in person......i've had the pleasure of both, and he introduced himself.....i had to apologies and eat crow on those 2 days. cyber and in person, and gent that he is, we took it well, just wish we had more time to chit chat as both a little pre occupied. may make it ban bung one of these days.

with your of 30 days experience, you are quite the expert of all thing thai, can't wait till you actually live here, is the 5 5, 10, of 14 yrs away now, the every so changing personal of yours. no wonder the little lady doesn't want to go to australia with you, has all the perks and non of you personality. well, maybe in 5 , 10 , 15 years you may be old enough to qualify for a passport.

i'd put you on my 'foe' list, but i rarely sign in.

[nkstan]

Understanding Thai customs ,culture and speaking Thai will not ''integrate'' you into society!Pete,many of your self desciptions are applicable to me also!I don't take insults likely by falangs,Thais,I attempt to ignore and put it down to xenophobic predjudice,some comparative resentments related to income,their culture of class and simple ignorance that they either purpetuate or accept!

Reading Thai is a great help with business names and directions,but you Thai wife can fill that void!

Depending on your choices on how to deal with things,in general.It is easy to keep the parts of your lifestyle that you prefer!

If you think that Thais will accept you as anything close to an equal,you are in for a great surprise,IMO!
Thai is not easy to really understand,most conversations are so simple,edxcept business dealings on a high professional level,where having a professional interpreter is really a necessity!

You sound to me like a person that really doesn't want to live in Thailand anyway,so I am abit surprised by the importance you putting on ''speaking'' Thai!

If you ever to move here,it would be interesting to see how you deal with the change of language when in a group and when they don't want you to understand that part of the conversation!

[firsttimebangkok]

I do agree in my home country many people get upset with foreigners not being able to speak the language but 99% of the time it is when they are in the drive thru window and the staff member cant speak proper English. In other words most of the time when you are spending money and the person on the other side of the counter cant communicate.

Since I cannot work here, I doubt my lack of Thai is annoying to anyone, actually it might allow someone to make an extra baht or two off the falang.

[mrbeerlao]

I have a 5year old child so im lucky as my wife talks isaan and thai to her,teaching her and i seem to learn as well also i sit in on lessons at our home with thai kids books,where ever we go my wife is always saying things in thai and isaan so i learn alot as well as my child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[arjay]

Pete, my ten penneth, if you are really interested:

I very much agree with Stan on these points:

Understanding Thai customs ,culture and speaking Thai will not ''integrate'' you into society!

If you think that Thais will accept you as anything close to an equal,you are in for a great surprise,IMO!

Yes, I can speak some Thai, but whilst I can make polite conversation, I don't know enough to be able to discuss anything in any detail. I can't discuss or explain technical or administrative problems. Even if I could, my take is that I/we will still always be outsiders.

Re your comment below:

I am a pragmatist and a realist. I don't give a flying ---- what people think of me based upon internet discussions. Plenty of people like me in real life for my forthrightness, wysiwyg. I won't stab you in the back, I'll look you in the eye and do it in your heart, I'll not tell you you are pretty if you are a dog, I'll not complement your style if I think you look like a ------. I call a spade a spade, and surprisingly enough most people appreciate that. Social skills, yes I have many, I was brung up proper like and turn my head to spit while I am eating my smoked salmon.

The person you portray in your self-analysis would certainly not integrate into Thai society, nor indeed win many (any) Thai friends.

[jimboLV]

I very much agree with Stan on these points:
Understanding Thai customs ,culture and speaking Thai will not ''integrate'' you into society!

If you think that Thais will accept you as anything close to an equal,you are in for a great surprise,IMO!
Yes, I can speak some Thai, but whilst I can make polite conversation, I don't know enough to be able to discuss anything in any detail. I can't discuss or explain technical or administrative problems. Even if I could, my take is that I/we will still always be outsiders.

For the life of me I don't understand what you guys are complaining about. Of course we're outsiders, we are foreigners. The only way to change that is to die and be reincarnated as a Thai baby. The same is true all over the world. Just like if I were to move to England I would always be considered a "foreigner". Even if I learned to speak the language, became a soccer fan, and developed a fondness for greasy fish and chips I would still be "the Yank". I had many Asian friend in the US, some lived there 30 years, were US citizens, served in the military, watched American football, ate at McDonald's occasionally. But they still retained their cultural values from the old country. Took off their shoes when entering a house, shopped at Asian supermarkets, etc. And yes, they were still considered "foreigners" but I'll tell you, I am treated a lot better here in Thailand than some Asians in the US are treated as far as being accepted into society.

As far as speaking Thai, I am desperately trying to learn it so I can carry on a conversation, but am finding it very difficult, mainly the tones. It's no fun being functionally illiterate. I'm dying to see what the Thai are allegedly saying behind my back.

[nkstan]

I very much agree with Stan on these points:
Understanding Thai customs ,culture and speaking Thai will not ''integrate'' you into society!

If you think that Thais will accept you as anything close to an equal,you are in for a great surprise,IMO!
Yes, I can speak some Thai, but whilst I can make polite conversation, I don't know enough to be able to discuss anything in any detail. I can't discuss or explain technical or administrative problems. Even if I could, my take is that I/we will still always be outsiders.

For the life of me I don't understand what you guys are complaining about. Of course we're outsiders, we are foreigners. The only way to change that is to die and be reincarnated as a Thai baby. The same is true all over the world. Just like if I were to move to England I would always be considered a "foreigner". Even if I learned to speak the language, became a soccer fan, and developed a fondness for greasy fish and chips I would still be "the Yank". I had many Asian friend in the US, some lived there 30 years, were US citizens, served in the military, watched American football, ate at McDonald's occasionally. But they still retained their cultural values from the old country. Took off their shoes when entering a house, shopped at Asian supermarkets, etc. And yes, they were still considered "foreigners" but I'll tell you, I am treated a lot better here in Thailand than some Asians in the US are treated as far as being accepted into society.

As far as speaking Thai, I am desperately trying to learn it so I can carry on a conversation, but am finding it very difficult, mainly the tones. It's no fun being functionally illiterate. I'm dying to see what the Thai are allegedly saying behind my back.

Jimbo,don't read complaints into reality statements!Of course there is discrimination everywhere.We are now the minority,OK, Ideal with it from that position,not from a position that it is OK because it is practiced everywhere!

I choose to ignore it except when I have to deal with authorities,live my preferred lifestyle as I choose(very easy to do here,IMO)!As I see the overwhelming majority of Thais have no interest in me for ''real friendship'',therefore I don't waste my time exploring, anymore ,that possibilty!This has made my life very much more enjoyable and easy!
I try not to offend Thais ,their customs or cultural norms,although I don't subscribe to many,I simply keep them at ''arms length'' with a superficial outward neighborly friendly acknowledgements and deeds ''in passing'',with no desire or need to engage more intimately!

I state my way of doing things here as it suits my personality and desires.Anyone that does it different and enjoys their life,I support!

[firsttimebangkok]

Re: Jimbo

Learn to speak the language???? Last time i checked they speak English in England....and also in the U.S. . Or is it Punjabi in England and Spanish in the U.S. . Maybe things have changed lol...

[jimboLV]

Stan, no offense intended. It's just that I see a lot of what looks like complaints on here about the miserable way farangs are treated and I see very little of that in my daily life, except of course with the amusement that some of our practices generate, especially when I try to speak broken Thai. Yes, we are a minority, but I've been a minority before. Try, as a Yankee from Pennsylvania, going to college in the deep south in the 60's. Got lots of funny stories too tell about that experience!

firsttimebangkok: Some of the Brits on here would quarrel with you that English is spoken (or written)in the USA. There's even one wag on here that claims that Americans aren't qualified to be English teachers in Thailand.

[firsttimebangkok]

Given that I was born and bread in England...what a bunch of crap. There are lots of different dialects in England also....that I have trouble understanding....but I can understand an American no problem.

[nkstan]

Given that I was born and bread in England...what a bunch of crap. There are lots of different dialects in England also....that I have trouble understanding....but I can understand an American no problem.

What type of bread?? Probably no French bread,for sure!

[firsttimebangkok]

LOL, I caught that afterwards I meant Bred of course. Seriously though have you ever watched Coronation Street....well it took me a while to figure out they were speaking English. Just making a point...

[petemcc]

Right, so it appears as though most ex-pats don't think it is important to be able to speak Thai. I just wonder what those people thought about immigrants to their home country how could not speak their home language (presumably English) despite living there for years, and lived in their own little enclaves.

It seems also that many people again wanted to turn this into a thread about me. Yes, I was somewhat reeled in and expressed my opinion, but that was only after some goading.

Anyway, now I know the answer to my question.

[firsttimebangkok]

Unless you are relying on them for some service you are paying for, I don't think it is an issue at all.

[wynnsiensheng]

Petemcc,

Learn the language if you want and be happy. There will be some convenience to life in Udon. But it won't make you Thai, nor will you be assimilated to Thai society. Without in any way trying to be patronising, understanding Thai culture will help you know that you will not and can not become equivelent to a Thai person.

Cheers

W

PS Your "tell it like it is" attitude isn't something that will help you in Thailand (the land of smiles, not giving offence, telling any white lie to Khreng Jai, telling any lie at all to get out of a confrontational situation. Maybe you should work on changing your approach before learning the language? Sorry, couldn't resist that.

[petemcc]

Petemcc,

Learn the language if you want and be happy. There will be some convenience to life in Udon. But it won't make you Thai, nor will you be assimilated to Thai society. Without in any way trying to be patronising, understanding Thai culture will help you know that you will not and can not become equivelent to a Thai person.

Cheers

W

PS Your "tell it like it is" attitude isn't something that will help you in Thailand (the land of smiles, not giving offence, telling any white lie to Khreng Jai, telling any lie at all to get out of a confrontational situation. Maybe you should work on changing your approach before learning the language? Sorry, couldn't resist that.

I have no intention of being Thai or integrating into Thai society, I was referring to ex-pats in that regard. Indeed I don't even want to live in Thailand, FFS it's only just a third world country, however for the sake of my love life I will have little choice but to live there. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it for a holiday, but that's about it.
Perhaps one of the reasons why I wouldn't live there is this lying thing. I think Thais and Pakis must have common ancestors because both races are habitual liars, and I don't appreciate that.

[firsttimebangkok]

But I am to assume you are married or attached to one of them. Must be a hell of a good lier eh!!!

[wynnsiensheng]

Well Petemcc, in that case enjoy your time in Thailand while your "visit" lasts. I'm not sure there's much point in your learning the language though, nor enquiring about whether other expats do so, and if I may be just a little snippy....why are you wasting your and our time?