about moving to Thailand & living in Thailand

Thai Language

"Is the sign in Thai, master?"

"Yes, the sign is in Thai, Grasshopper."

"What does the sign say, Master?"

"The sign does not speak, Grasshopper."

"Master, if the sign could speak, what would it say?"

"We cannot know the mind of a sign, Grasshopper."

"Master, if someone reads the sign to you, will you understand the message?"

"Grasshopper, go do your chores!"

Learning to read and speak the Thai language may be the single most important task an expat can undertake for his life in Thailand. Actually, it's not simply a matter of whether or not you should learn the language, rather how well you learn to communicate with the 60 million Thais who are sharing their country with you. Learning Thai gives an expat who makes that effort a distinct advantage.

A greater degree of respect
Life gets an order of magnitude easier
You will save money
Learn things, places & opportunities that non-speaking foreigners will not
Will help toward a deeper understand of your new home
..and many more

The language is difficult for the non-linguists among us .. especially those of us who are mono-lingual. Taking a structured approach to learning Thai is even more difficult in the short term, but when the lights finally do come on, you will leap ahead of the "transliterators".

Thai Language Transliteration

Transliteration is approximately the "Romanization" of the Thai language, accounting for (5) tones, aspirated and non-aspirated consonants and glottal stops. Any number of dictionaries are available that provide transliterations for common Thai words.

Transliterated Thai is fine for tourists, short term travelers, and lazy expats; but learning the Thai alphabet is a much better approach.

Thai Alphabet

The Thai alphabet has 44 consonants and 36 vowels. There are high class and low class consonants .. not to be confused with hi-so and low-so. Learning the Thai alphabet by rote seems the best approach. Computer CD's with interactive exercise and audio instructions by native Thai speakers are available.

Don't limit yourself to the the "phrases" courses. If you are serious about Thailand beyond hotels, restaurants and bars, learn to read and write Thai. I surely wish I had done so.

This page has a number of resources for learning Thai. I can personally recommend Courage Software for learning the Thai alphabet.

Benefits of Learning to Read and Write Thai Script

Respect from Thais. They will take you seriously
Reading road signs, street signs, information signs
Asking how a word is spelled clarifies the sound that you may have missed. It's a great conversation starter as well.
Any contract in Thai takes precedent over a translation when a disagreement is adjudicated.
Read the Thai classifieds in newspaper to see the best deals on sales and rentals. "Thai price" is usually better than "farang price".
Sitting and reading a Thai newspaper gives serious bragging rights.

Studying Thai

A structured course of study should deal with vocabulary training, alphabet, pronunciation, class and tone rules. As an example, a consonant at the end of some syllables will have a different tone than the same consonant at the beginning of a syllable. Yes, it gets crazy!

Find a well respected school with hours that work for you. Ask around at the University nearist to where you will be staying. Uni profs are so underpaid that many do tutoring as a sideline.

Practice, practice, practice. Thais tend to be very appreciative of someone making an effort to learn their language. They also tend to be very helpful and will often correct your annunciation, tone and pronunciation .. more so than they would a tourist babbling a few standard phrases.

Universities are a good place to practice. If you can find uni students to practice with, you may get a "Thai for English" tradeoff. You might even get a date.

Tips for Learning to Speak Thai

Learn "Bangkok" Thai first

Even if you will be living in a region where dialectic Thai is what the locals usually speak. Thais watch TV and most TV is "Bangkok" Thai.

Don't Speak "Market Thai"

Would you recommend that new immigrants to the west go down to the docks in New Jersey or Liverpool to learn English? Market Thai won't get you better prices, but it will make you sound a bit foolish when you are speaking to middle-class Thais.

Strive for Clarity in Your Spoken Thai

Speaking clearly is important. A foreigner mumbling his Thai sounds a bit like nails on chalkboard. If you don't have Thais saying, "Phut chat," to you .. you aren't there yet.

Use Appropriate Context When Speaking Thai

If you walk up to an English speaker in the west and say, "bear," you will usually get a blank look. Are you warning them about a "bear" .. or asking them to "bear" with you .. and since your word is spoken instead of written, are you stating that your cupboard is "bare".

Communicating in the Thai language is no different. Thai's communicate in phrases rather than distinct words.

Learn to Speak Thai in Phrases

"I (pause) want (pause) go (pause) Chiang (pause) Mai." Sound a bit robotic? How do you think that would sound to a Thai?

When you're learning Thai, concoct an entire sentence or phrase in your head before blurting out a staccato burst of syllables.

Speak Thai Quietly At First

For some reason, westerners who are in he beginning stages of learning Thai tend to speak it too loudly. Maybe they are proud of their ability and want to brag a bit. Maybe they think that speaking loudly make them easier to understand. Perhaps some anxiety about using this strange language pumps a bit more adrenalin to their vocal chords.

Just remember that if you are in the beginning stages of learning to speak Thai, your command of the language is probably terrible. Do you really want everyone within earshot to know that?

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	Thai Language "Is the sign in Thai, master?" "Yes, the sign is in Thai, Grasshopper." "What does the sign say, Master?" "The sign does not speak, Grasshopper." "Master, if the sign could speak, what would it say?" "We cannot know the mind of a sign, Grasshopper." "Master, if someone reads the sign to you, will you understand the message?" "Grasshopper, go do your chores!" Learning to read and speak the Thai language may be the single most important task an expat can undertake for his life in Thailand. Actually, it's not simply a matter of whether or not you should learn the language, rather how well you learn to communicate with the 60 million Thais who are sharing their country with you. Learning Thai gives an expat who makes that effort a distinct advantage. A greater degree of respect Life gets an order of magnitude easier You will save money Learn things, places & opportunities that non-speaking foreigners will not Will help toward a deeper understand of your new home ..and many more The language is difficult for the non-linguists among us .. especially those of us who are mono-lingual. Taking a structured approach to learning Thai is even more difficult in the short term, but when the lights finally do come on, you will leap ahead of the "transliterators". Thai Language Transliteration Transliteration is approximately the "Romanization" of the Thai language, accounting for (5) tones, aspirated and non-aspirated consonants and glottal stops. Any number of dictionaries are available that provide transliterations for common Thai words. Transliterated Thai is fine for tourists, short term travelers, and lazy expats; but learning the Thai alphabet is a much better approach. Thai Alphabet The Thai alphabet has 44 consonants and 36 vowels. There are high class and low class consonants .. not to be confused with hi-so and low-so. Learning the Thai alphabet by rote seems the best approach. Computer CD's with interactive exercise and audio instructions by native Thai speakers are available. Don't limit yourself to the the "phrases" courses. If you are serious about Thailand beyond hotels, restaurants and bars, learn to read and write Thai. I surely wish I had done so. This page has a number of resources for learning Thai. I can personally recommend Courage Software for learning the Thai alphabet. Benefits of Learning to Read and Write Thai Script Respect from Thais. They will take you seriously Reading road signs, street signs, information signs Asking how a word is spelled clarifies the sound that you may have missed. It's a great conversation starter as well. Any contract in Thai takes precedent over a translation when a disagreement is adjudicated. Read the Thai classifieds in newspaper to see the best deals on sales and rentals. "Thai price" is usually better than "farang price". Sitting and reading a Thai newspaper gives serious bragging rights. Studying Thai A structured course of study should deal with vocabulary training, alphabet, pronunciation, class and tone rules. As an example, a consonant at the end of some syllables will have a different tone than the same consonant at the beginning of a syllable. Yes, it gets crazy! Find a well respected school with hours that work for you. Ask around at the University nearist to where you will be staying. Uni profs are so underpaid that many do tutoring as a sideline. Practice, practice, practice. Thais tend to be very appreciative of someone making an effort to learn their language. They also tend to be very helpful and will often correct your annunciation, tone and pronunciation .. more so than they would a tourist babbling a few standard phrases. Universities are a good place to practice. If you can find uni students to practice with, you may get a "Thai for English" tradeoff. You might even get a date. Tips for Learning to Speak Thai Learn "Bangkok" Thai first Even if you will be living in a region where dialectic Thai is what the locals usually speak. Thais watch TV and most TV is "Bangkok" Thai. Don't Speak "Market Thai" Would you recommend that new immigrants to the west go down to the docks in New Jersey or Liverpool to learn English? Market Thai won't get you better prices, but it will make you sound a bit foolish when you are speaking to middle-class Thais. Strive for Clarity in Your Spoken Thai Speaking clearly is important. A foreigner mumbling his Thai sounds a bit like nails on chalkboard. If you don't have Thais saying, "Phut chat," to you .. you aren't there yet. Use Appropriate Context When Speaking Thai If you walk up to an English speaker in the west and say, "bear," you will usually get a blank look. Are you warning them about a "bear" .. or asking them to "bear" with you .. and since your word is spoken instead of written, are you stating that your cupboard is "bare". Communicating in the Thai language is no different. Thai's communicate in phrases rather than distinct words. Learn to Speak Thai in Phrases "I (pause) want (pause) go (pause) Chiang (pause) Mai." Sound a bit robotic? How do you think that would sound to a Thai? When you're learning Thai, concoct an entire sentence or phrase in your head before blurting out a staccato burst of syllables. Speak Thai Quietly At First For some reason, westerners who are in he beginning stages of learning Thai tend to speak it too loudly. Maybe they are proud of their ability and want to brag a bit. Maybe they think that speaking loudly make them easier to understand. Perhaps some anxiety about using this strange language pumps a bit more adrenalin to their vocal chords. Just remember that if you are in the beginning stages of learning to speak Thai, your command of the language is probably terrible. Do you really want everyone within earshot to know that?
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