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Arramsey
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There have been numerous threads regarding communication with Bgs and the misunderstandings caused .
Here are a few thoughts :-
- First of all , these thoughts are only for those who are serious about understanding BGs . These thoughts are NOT for those who think " Hey , I'm paying so it's the BGs f_cking job to understand me ."
- Most of us who visit Thailand are either native English speakers or have studied in English or have spoken English for a long , long time . So it is very easy for us to understand all the intricate nuances of the English language .
-Most BGs ( there are ,of course the exceptions ) have spoken only Thai for the greater part of their lives and have only picked up English from interactions with Falangs and it is safe to say that even though they may be mouthing English to you - they are actually thinking in Thai .
-And herein lies the problem . The Thai language ( in my opinion ) is very primitive as compared not only to English but also as compared to most languages of the developed or developing world . What I mean by this is that the Thai language is very basic so much so that if one tried to compile a Thai Thesaurus I doubt that one would get beyond 10 or 12 pages ( and that is being generous ) . Consider also that one NEVER hears of any great Thai literature recognised outside the Thai circle whereas one can find French , Italian , Japanese , Hindi , German , Tamil , Bengali , Chinese , Korean , etc. literature read and studied the world over . The bottom line is that the Thai language is primitive as compared to English .
-Taking the points I have made above one can easily see that it must be extremely difficult for BGs to fully comprehend what we are saying - especially when one throws in the various twanging accents , the slangs , etc .
-Let me illustrate with a few examples :-
(1) There could be times when you are talking to a BG and you tell her to do something but she just doesn't do it . When you ask her why she didn't do what you had asked she may reply "I not listen you". Now to an English speaking person "I not listen you" is outright "disobedience" and would raise ones hackles . BUT all your BG meant was "I did not hear you " because for many of them the words "hear" and "listen" mean the same thing .
(2) When your BG says she "loves" you most probably she does not mean "love" in the way we understand it in English . She probably just means that she "likes" you very much because in her head she is thinking the Thai word "Chorp" which they transalate as "love" but actually means "like" .
(3) etc. , etc .
-The bottom line is that if you really want to understand your BG and be understood by her then it is you who have to make the effort - after all we are supposed to be the more educated while most of them are only poor farm girls from rural Thailand . But what is more - true communication is when the communicator communicates in such a way that the message is understood by the communicatee in exactly the way that the communicator meant the message .
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:20 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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bkkz
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"What I mean by this is that the Thai language is very basic so much so that if one tried to compile a Thai Thesaurus I doubt that one would get beyond 10 or 12 pages"...
I'd really like to find a Thai thesaurus, although I don't think 12 pages would do it.  C'mon Thai language is not that primitive. When you learn more of it, you will find there are many ways to express yourself. There are about 10 words to mean eat, which can be outright polite to outright rude. I am still learning it, and i find many intricasies in this language. Sure, it is not as widely spoken as other languages such as Hindi, Bengali or Mandarin. It is still an interesting language.
As to the comment on listening, sometimes, when I am in the company of Thai girls, I just switch my attention off, and do not listen to their chattering, so I may hear them, but I am not listening or tuning in to their conversation.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 5:43 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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Arramsey
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BK ,
Maybe I should clarify . I was NOT AT ALL crticising or belittling the Thai language .
I was only trying to establish how very difficult it is for BGs ( who think in Thai ) to understand the English spoken by many of us .
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 6:01 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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Vancouver Jay
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Quote: from Arramsey on 5:20 pm on Aug. 11, 2003
And herein lies the problem . The Thai language ( in my opinion ) is very primitive as compared not only to English but also as compared to most languages of the developed or developing world . What I mean by this is that the Thai language is very basic so much so that if one tried to compile a Thai Thesaurus I doubt that one would get beyond 10 or 12 pages ( and that is being generous ) .
Huh? While it is true that Thai is considered to be a "word poor" language (owing to being largely monosyllabic) there are more than enough polysyllabic phrases to convey any message you wish. Being that it's more aliterative -- as function of polysyllabic constructs that only approximate a concept most western lanugages identify with a single word -- you'd probably find that a Thai thesaurus would be somewhat larger than its English counterpart to address the same number of entries.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 6:16 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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ThaidUp
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The Thai language has less words than English, compare the English to Thai Dictionary to the Thai to English Dictionary. Much smaller. English has too many words. When you couple in the fact that the BG is learning English from the Americans, Brits & Aussie's who all have their own variation, its a wonder they can understand anything.
One thing Thai's have a lot of words for is relatives, they have a different word depending on which side of the family, what level.. etc
Another factor relates to Thai's culture and the conflict avoidance. It is up to you to extract the answers especially if it relates to talking about a problem. A lot of time a Thai shaking his head yes only means that he/she is acknowledging that you are saying something and not that they understand it 
Actual scenario...
Day 1 Me: TG can give me report X today?
TG: Yes, No problem
Day 2 Me: TG where is my report from yesterday?
TG: I will have it today
Day 3 Me: What happened to my report?
TG: I will have it today.
Me now Thinking to ask the right question:
TG Do you know how to make report X?
TG: No
Now if I were back in the USA I would say you f_cking idiot why didn't you tell me three days ago, but instead I put on my Thai face and said let me teach you how to make Report X after the meeting.
Sometimes this culture here makes me want to scream, but this is what you have to learn to deal with to understand where they are coming from.
Ask the right questions and you will get the right answers, nothing will be volunteered.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:33 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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Arcadius
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Well, whatever the intrinsic merits of the Thai language, it's probably true to say that it works very differently from English. At any event, Arramsey is certainly right that there's huge scope for the most basic linguistic misunderstandings with BGs. Very easy for them to say things which hit the wrong note.
It works both ways. Just before Xmas, I screwed up badly with a very promising BG by asking why such a beautiful girl didn't want to work in a more popular bar. She misinterpreted this as 'what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this' and things headed south very rapidly.
I think the only thing to do is cut your BG a lot of slack when it comes to what she actually says, and pay far more attention to her general demeanour and body language. If she seems happy and friendly, she probably is. As for you... well, smile a lot.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:34 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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Marco
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How could Thais understand a language such primitive as English which uses on 1 tone?
The English grammar is ridiculously simple for a German, French, Polish...etc. But it does not give these countries the right to call English "very basic".
I don't know about Hindi or Bengali but the Chinese grammar is also very simple and comparable to Thai. And like in Thai there are thousands of nuances you will need years to master, and which make a pretty thick thesaurus.
As for "no great Thai literature" once again it is not entirely true and it has to see with many other factors than language. Linking the quality of literature with the complexity of the language is nonsense.
No offense meant but I doubt you have a phd in comparative linguistics and your point is not valid at all. Try to talk to educated people, not only to BGs !
The problem is more education IMO, go see uneducated people your home country and tell me if you can communicate well.
Yet I agree people speaking different languages think differently and hence have difficulties to communicate even if the words are the same.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:35 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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bkkz
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"I was only trying to establish how very difficult it is for BGs ( who think in Thai ) to understand the English spoken by many of us"
I agree. I have given up on that. Much easier to speak Thai to them.
"The bottom line is that if you really want to understand your BG and be understood by her then it is you who have to make the effort"
I think you will have more movitation to make the effort, than the BG would.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 7:32 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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Monk
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Thai being primative? I grew up in america so all i knew was basic conversational thai. I mean, how much thai am i going to use talking to my relatives? But being in thailand for the last year now i've been learning an immense amount of new words from slang to ceremonial from legal to regal. Just because you can conduct everydady conversations with a relatively small vocabulary does not at all mean that thai is a primative language. There's much color in the slang and idioms with creative plays on the tonals and rhymes.
How often do average people in normal day to day communication use anything more than a 5th grade vocabulary in any language? As someone mentioned, how many different non-slang words for to eat can you think of in english off the top of your head? I can only think of two, eat and dine. I can think of 4 nonslang right off the bat in thai, rapbatan, tan, gin, chan (for monks). How much more advanced is the language in Charlie's Angels 2 than say One Night Husband?
When the person working the checkout counter in the states gives me wrong change, i don't assume that American's are too mathematically primative to do LaGrangian transforms. BG's know you're not looking to engage in linguistic gymnastics and thats not what they're selling. Their english skills are weak for the same reason your thai skills are probably even worse, it has nothing to do with linguistic heritage.
If you are serious about understanding someone from a different country, i'd begin realizing that there are differences in culture and that an open mind is essential to insight. People think differently and getting them to think the way you do is not understanding. I would not begin with the premise that you must compensate for your more advanced native language.
As for example, the whole Like/Love, Chorp/Rak, in the west, when someone initially likes someone else, a more appropriate thai equivilant is "son chai" or is interested in. Chorp does not mean as much as love but its more than "like" is used in western dating. Unfortunately, due to the simplicity of thai language, there is no direct translation to english that exactly exemplifies its usage.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:53 am on Aug. 11, 2003
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