Thai Lingo from Various Region

[ancientmariner]

So far I have only begun to know a handful of thai dialogues, which proves to be difficult enough, On top of that, I was told that thais from different region speak differently, not only the accent but also the word used as well. For example, people from Bangkok use the word hot (korn) differently from people who grew up in the south, such as Phuket. I was watching MTV one night in Patong with my friend and she could tell where the singer are from by the words they used in the lyrics.

For those who have attempted to learn the language, which course did you used and did you find it helpful?

What's your experience on that?

[JayBee]

Hi AM,
Good to see you posting. I owe you a PM. Will do it later today!

In the instruction I have had, they always teach the upper class dialect, which is the official correct Thai language. The fact that relatively few of the Thai people speak Thai that way seems not to matter. Even when I heard the teachers talking, often they did not pronounce words the way they taught us to.

But, as Schmeen pointed out to me previously, it is best to learn the correct Thai. If you learn it correctly, then you can always adapt your speaking a bit when in other areas of the country. As he said, if you do find yourself talking to an educated or high class person in any setting, but particularly in a business setting, you don't want to sound to them like a poor Isaan rice farmer.

This week at a Thai restaurant, when I ordered Pra Ram, I pronounced it correctly. The waitress then referred to that dish as "Pla Lam." Then last night at a night club, I was talking to a lady in Thai, and she corrected me when I substituted the "l" sound for a "r" in one word. I joked, "Oh! You're high class," and we both had a good laugh! Interestingly enough, neither of those women were Thai. They were both Lao, from Vietiane.

In travelling around LOS, I have noticed differences in both word selection and pronunciation. In Chiang Mai, they use a lot of words different from the ones used in the South. In BKK, you get a mix, since people are from all over the country.

Lessons are the best way to learn, I think. But for you, it is probably much easier to learn Thai then for me, since you speak a language with a tonal system already. So maybe just a CD course will be adequate for you. Pimsleur is the one that seems to be most widely recommended, although some like Rosetta Stone.

JayBee

[ancientmariner]

Do you think thais who have whiter skin color receive better treatment or command more respect than those with darker skin. I've noticed some instances where such things happened. Don't know if I was over reacted.

[Schmeen]

If we are in Chiang Mai, my wife who is from the south, can understand what they say, but could not speak as they do. There are some words that are completely different. The real Southerners speak as though they have a mouth full of dough, they can be very difficult to pick, they cut many words in half and also try to make it sound like a cat fight even though they are just asking a simple question.

Phuket can be different again. Who is the first person who can tell me what common item is known as Ya-Nat in Phuket, but something else all over Thailand.

Korat also has it's own language and over in Buriram add a sprinkling of Khmer, or as the southerners call it, Phasaa Khom!.

As for Laos and Isaan, Jeez, I am clueless.

I learn pure newsreader Bangkok, basically as JayBee alluded to, they all watch TV and understand, so it's the best chance you have, I do however have a habit of speaking Southern in Bangkok (often not realising I have learned to speak with a Southern accent) and getting wierd looks as they are just not expecting it. Explain why you did it, they listen again and on you go.

A bit like someone starting a sentence with a London accent, switching to Scouse in the middle and ending up Brummie. That is as wierd as some of us sound.

[Schmeen]

ancientmariner

yes, it's a whole class thing, but it's more accurate to say, non Southern people with dark skin are looked down upon. If you are dark and speak 'Thay' then that wouldn't apply, as Sotherners are accepted to be dark as long as they are not Chinese.