Is it just me?

I know it's usual for people from one country to take on the accent of the 'natives' of another country when they spend a certain amount of time living with their hosts. However, I have started talking Thai/English. I have started mixing sentences up with (mainly) English words and the occassional Thai word thrown in. That's ok, I quite like doing it, but I have also started talking in that certain 'Thai speak' that throws all rules of grammar out the window, offering up such things as:

'Me no go ladybar, me no like'

'Room me good, cheap, have air'

'Friend you, he go back Angrid?'

'Him no good, low class, ting tong'

'Me like whiskey too much'

I don't know if this comes off as condescending when I talk with a Thai guy, but it certainly confuses the hell out of some Farang when I chat with them!

Me spend time with Thai guy too much, me no speak good!

Whatever the temptation, PLEASE do not speak in pidgin. How do you expect anyone to learn to speak English correctly if you're providing this model for them? It is also EXTREMELY insulting when you speak that way to a foreigner who CAN actually speak English correctly.

same same

me no know if my friend me mean my loom or loom he friend. But i know it not far and near near.

Trouble is when you use a few thai words some of them assume you are fluent and gabble away at you for minutes before you can explain you didnt understand a word lol

[Aunty]

I know it's usual for people from one country to take on the accent of the 'natives' of another country when they spend a certain amount of time living with their hosts. However, I have started talking Thai/English. I have started mixing sentences up with (mainly) English words and the occassional Thai word thrown in. That's ok, I quite like doing it, but I have also started talking in that certain 'Thai speak' that throws all rules of grammar out the window, offering up such things as:

'Me no go ladybar, me no like'

'Room me good, cheap, have air'

'Friend you, he go back Angrid?'

'Him no good, low class, ting tong'

'Me like whiskey too much'

I don't know if this comes off as condescending when I talk with a Thai guy, but it certainly confuses the hell out of some Farang when I chat with them!

Me spend time with Thai guy too much, me no speak good!

Dharling you forgot one.

"Me like dick licking too much".

Whatever the temptation, PLEASE do not speak in pidgin. How do you expect anyone to learn to speak English correctly if you're providing this model for them? It is also EXTREMELY insulting when you speak that way to a foreigner who CAN actually speak English correctly.

I do actually agree with you entirely Boygeenyus. However, I have found that it is a trap I have gradually fallen into. On my last long stay here, over many months, I began recognising that I was speaking in this fashion and since returning to LOS I have again quite easily reverted back. Of course, I started off speaking my version of the Queen's English, but spending most of my time with Thai's rather than Farang, I found my version of English waning, partly due to the fact that the Thai's I mixed with were often confused when I spoke. I, almost without thought, began using pidgin and found I was better understood. Not good for the Thai's I mix with I know but so much easier to get along without excessive blank stares and repetition.

I don't know your level of proficiency in the Thai language Boygeenyus, but have you never been tempted to adopt pidgin when in similar situations?

I speak Thai fluently, but I understand the temptation. Just speak more slowly, and keep the vocabularly simple.

... Dharling you forgot one.

"Me like dick licking too much".

My dearest Aunty, in my experience it has been 'Me like dick licky too much' ;) same same! And here I was thinking 'love' was the universal language when actually it's dick licky/licking!

I speak Thai fluently, but I understand the temptation. Just speak more slowly, and keep the vocabularly simple.

Sage advise Boygeenyus, I do want my closest Thai friend to be able to talk with other Farang unhindered by my pitiful sloppyness.

[Aunty]

... Dharling you forgot one.

"Me like dick licking too much".

My dearest Aunty, in my experience it has been 'Me like dick licky too much' ;) same same! And here I was thinking 'love' was the universal language when actually it's dick licky/licking!

My dear we only live once. My advice, licky all the dicky you can! :cheers:

... Dharling you forgot one.

"Me like dick licking too much".

My dearest Aunty, in my experience it has been 'Me like dick licky too much' ;) same same! And here I was thinking 'love' was the universal language when actually it's dick licky/licking!

My dear we only live once. My advice, licky all the dicky you can! :cheers:

Reminds me of an old joke my mother told me when I was ten:
The Chinese cook ran to tell the captain. "Sailor fucky-fucky sailor!" he gasped.
"How do you know?" asked the captain.
"Shitty on dicky me licky."

[Aunty]

... Dharling you forgot one.

"Me like dick licking too much".

My dearest Aunty, in my experience it has been 'Me like dick licky too much' ;) same same! And here I was thinking 'love' was the universal language when actually it's dick licky/licking!

My dear we only live once. My advice, licky all the dicky you can! :cheers:

Reminds me of an old joke my mother told me when I was ten:
The Chinese cook ran to tell the captain. "Sailor fucky-fucky sailor!" he gasped.
"How do you know?" asked the captain.
"Shitty on dicky me licky."


Wow that's some Mom you had! And how old were you when you told her you were a vagina decliner?

You know I was just thinking, everybody speaks in pidgin English when they are in a non-English speaking country. It facilitates and makes communication so much easier when language is stripped back to its bare essentials.

I use to do it in America all the time.

You know I was just thinking, everybody speaks in pidgin English when they are in a non-English speaking country. It facilitates and makes communication so much easier when language is stripped back to its bare essentials.
I use to do it in America all the time.

In your case, that's the most sensible thing to do...wherever you go.

[bedbugy1-old]

my me satang

[bing]

If you are concerned when you hear, "you friend me", open purse strings and send friend to Mim at NS Travel for some English lessons. Your friend will thank you for the thoughtful gift.

..... everybody speaks in pidgin English when they are in a non-English speaking country. It facilitates and makes communication so much easier when language is stripped back to its bare essentials.

Not us Americans! When foreigners don't understand us ... WE JUST TALK LOUDER! :director:

..... everybody speaks in pidgin English when they are in a non-English speaking country. It facilitates and makes communication so much easier when language is stripped back to its bare essentialsDoubtless really ignorant people like Aunty practise such a thing, and I've certainly heard more than one Westerner speak English with a Thai accent to his boyfriend. It does no-one any favours, and is patronising. The French, the Italians and certainly the Thais don't make any such concessions when speaking to foreigners. I think about how I will phrase what I want to say to someone who doesn't speak English (I have to do it with Americans when I am there too) so it fits within their vocabulary or conceptual framework, but I definitely do not, under any circumstances, speak pidgin. One simply example - if a Thai asks me if I enjoyed the meal I always reply "delicious" (since that is the way the Thais think) rather than a typical Western response such as "lovely". I think there are five or six really basic Thai concepts that you have to use as the basic English vocabulary when dealing with Thais - polite, comfortable, delicious, good/bad heart, sincere, fun - and the only "pidgin" concession I make is about "heart", where I can say "He has a good heart" which is not at all how I would use the same concept with an English speaker (or even an American), when using "heart". Good hearted, I suppose would be the nearest equivalent. And for us, we'd say "hot-headed" rather than "hot-hearted". But pidgin - never!

"Not us Americans! When foreigners don't understand us ... WE JUST TALK LOUDER!" quote

and when they do understand you you STILL TALK LOUDER :)) ***

Oh for the dulcet well modulated tones of LMTU

*** Why can't I get any of the facilities on this board to work?

Why can't I get any of the facilities on this board to work? ... you're spending too much time on cut'n'paste and not learning simple formatting tricks. I, after all, am a simple citizen (ask anyone) and I can format successfully. Here's what you were trying to achieve:


Not us Americans! When foreigners don't understand us ... WE JUST TALK LOUDER!

and when they do understand you you STILL TALK LOUDER :)) ***

Oh for the dulcet well modulated tones of LMTU

*** Why can't I get any of the facilities on this board to work?