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Triyclops
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Gentelmen, this is very interesting and very informative. I am humbled by my lack of understanding of the intricacies of linguistics. 
Next time I will not be so impulsive...
TC
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:06 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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Arramsey
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Marco ,
No , I do not have a Phd in Linguistics or in the Thai Language ( and I'm guessing - neither have you ) , BUT that is neither here nor there because the last time I looked this Forum did not require members to have a Phd for them to voice their opinions on any subject .
Anyway , my initial post was not on the Thai language - BUT on the "misunderstandings that can arise when talking to Thai BGs in English ."
Probably I should not have included the complete Thai language BUT should have said ," the Thai language spoken by rural Thai farm girls is primitive ."
To come back to the original discussion here is one interesting example :-
- The (BG) Thai word for "talk" & for "speak" is the same - i.e. "phut" . Simon & Garfunkel would have had a hard time singing " The Sounds of Silence " in Thai - how would they convey the meaning of " people talking without speaking ." ?
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 2:44 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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Vancouver Jay
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You should quit while you're behind...
"Probably I should not have included the complete Thai language BUT should have said ," the Thai language spoken by rural Thai farm girls is primitive ." "
Unless they are retards, literally, they have the complete verbal symbol set to describe their environment and interact fully in their society. There's nothing primitive about that.
"To come back to the original discussion here is one interesting example :-
- The (BG) Thai word for "talk" & for "speak" is the same - i.e. "phut" . Simon & Garfunkel would have had a hard time singing " The Sounds of Silence " in Thai - how would they convey the meaning of " people talking without speaking ." ?"
First off, why would it be desirable to inflict on the Thais one of the most pathetic western cultural artifacts of the last half century?
More importantly, you can be quite sure that if a Thai pop stylist wanted to create a musical allusion to "communication without vocal utterance", it could be done. I'm not adept enough in the Thai language to create an equally artful phrase to the one you cite, but do you speak Thai well enough to say with absolute certainty that it can't be done?
Talk and speak can function as synonyms in English, but they are not required to do so; how else could "actions speak louder than words"?
I think you are "talking through your hat".
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:40 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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Arramsey
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Vancouver Jay ,
What irks you so much ? Is it my use of the word "primitive" in describing the Thai language ? Then my apologies - maybe I should have used the word "basic" or "non-intricate" .
Anyway , those who have spent a lot of time talking to BGs in English will understand the point that I am making .
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 3:57 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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Arcadius
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Re primitiveness, all languages have their weaknesses - and I would say that English is especially hopeless when it comes to expressing affection.
What do we get? Two feeble little words - 'like' and 'love' - to express a very wide range of emotional states, some of them powerful. You love your mother, your country, fried eggs on toast and your new girlfriend. What does 'love' mean in each case? Whatever you want it to mean, basically - which is why it is very difficult to convey any useful meaning at all without an explanatory gloss.
'Like' is just as bad, and the boundary between 'like' and 'love' is so fluid as to be almost wholly subjective.
The inadequacy of this linguistic equipment causes more than enough confusion between native speakers of English. I would be interested to know from those au fait with the language whether Thai is a much more effective instrument in this department.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 4:01 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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bkkz
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Quote: from Arramsey on 2:44 pm on Aug. 13, 2003
The (BG) Thai word for "talk" & for "speak" is the same - i.e. "phut".
Where did you get all this information from?
Have you tried, "khui", "wah", "jenrajaa" or "klaw"?
Perhaps some more research into Thai language is in order.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:23 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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Arramsey
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Quote: from bkkz on 4:23 pm on Aug. 13, 2003
Quote: from Arramsey on 2:44 pm on Aug. 13, 2003
The (BG) Thai word for "talk" & for "speak" is the same - i.e. "phut".
Where did you get all this information from?
Have you tried, "khui", "wah", "jenrajaa" or "klaw"?
Perhaps some more research into Thai language is in order.
BK ,
You are right . I know very little about the Thai language and what little I know comes from my talking with the 3 BGs I interact with . Agreed this is a very small sample - but with all 3 I have faced the problems of "listen" vs "hear" & "talk" vs. "speak" .
If this is not a common problem - then I withdraw .
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:33 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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bkkz
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Yes, the problem will always exist, when two persons who don't know each others' language meet, and try to communicate. The problem is not permanent, it can be remedied with the motivation to learn their langauge, or if lack of motivation is the case, then find the more educated TG. In either case, there is always a solution.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:48 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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Arramsey
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Quote: from bkkz on 4:48 pm on Aug. 13, 2003
Yes, the problem will always exist, when two persons who don't know each others' language meet, and try to communicate. The problem is not permanent, it can be remedied with the motivation to learn their langauge,----------------------
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BK ,
I agree with what you say above - BUT this would be applicable for long term relationships . My initial post was meant more for those members who are in LOS for a very short time and do not have the luxury of learning more than a smattering of Thai .
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or if lack of motivation is the case, then find the more educated TG. In either case, there is always a solution.
BK ,
Do you seriously think that most of us have "level of education" as a prime criteria when choosing our BGs ?
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 5:00 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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Monk
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When you're translating between two languages of very different roots and origins, finding exact 1 to 1 matches, especially for concepts, is quite hard. There are cultural concepts that i find quite difficult to translate without having resort to anecdotes or other explainers. For example, i can't think of an english phrase for "chai noi" (any ideas? I was thinking sensitive). It literally means little heart, but that would not be an accurate translation.
You're thai is limited. BG's english is limited. If you do not know all the various thai words for speaking communicating and their nuances, how do you expect BG's to know the various english versions? Its not that the BG doesn't know them, its that they know you only know "phut". You're not taught the dozen different ways to say you're going to the bathroom because its much more important to learn a dozen different words, than the dozen different ways to say one.
You're mistake is to infer that communication difficulties arise from native language defficiencies. That is not the case. Communication problems occur because a) their english is very very basic and b) your thai is even worse.
Its quite a common mistake, people are taught that X in english = Y in thai and then subsitute Y directly into english sentences whenever X is used. That is not a good way to learn a language.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:10 am on Aug. 13, 2003
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