Rosetta Stone - Thai

Has anyone used this language system. If so, comments.

Has anyone used this language system. If so, comments.

Comments, please. A little politeness never hurts when you're asking people for help.

Has anyone used this language system. If so, comments.

Comments, please. A little politeness never hurts when you're asking people for help.

IтАЩve had a few comments on comments ! Basic tutorial in how NOT to comment on comments ! :flower:

ock at the pot calling the kettle black BG. Bit hypocritical eh!

[Bob]

WD, I have it and have used it a little bit. I can't really say it's great or really helpful because I haven't used it that much.
My thai is rather poor but passable to get where I need to get and I probably can read it better than I can speak it. Most of this was learned by getting and translating many emails (1000+) for several years and actually studying one book (Teach Yourself Thai - A Course for Beginners). I still have little clue about the right tones other than I probably have some of the tones right by sheer mimmickry.

[Dboy]

I was not impressed with Rosetta Stone, but keep in mind that we all having different learning styles. So what works for you might not work for someone else. I've just completed 'Thai Conversation I' at AUA Pattaya. And I've been studying on my own as well, for about 3 years now. In my opinion you should do the Pimsleur Thai course first, then Thai For Beginners, by Becker. If you can attend courses in Thailand, then I would suggest do the Pimsleur Thai course, then Thai Conversation I (AUA Pattaya), then Thai For Beginners by Becker. The AUA courses use the same tone marking system as Becker uses, and after taking the AUA course, Becker is alot easier to get a handle on. The Becker course was a big challenge for me until AUA. If you can attend AUA, I'd do Conversation I,II,III and then start in on their reading/writing courses. Keep in mind that AUA Pattaya (where I went), uses a completely different course structure than AUA Bangkok. In Bangkok, they have a program where you basically sit and listen to spoken Thai for several hundred hours. I have not done that course so cannot comment on it. So in answer to your question, check out Pimsleur (amazon has it).

On a side note, if you have a friend/boy friend etc who "helps" you learn Thai, be careful. They might be teaching you Lao, Essan, or who know's what, and THEY might not even know that it's not
Thai. This could be a big problem if you're (for instance) going to an Embassy party or something and decide to show off your "Thai" and end up just looking like a hillbilly.

Also, try to keep your dirty word knowledge/use to a minimum. It's hard for non-natives to judge the relative offensiveness of various profane words.


Dboy

[jimnbkk]

I bought it couple years ago. What it seems to be is a series of short video clips of, (say) a boy walking down the street. Then, the voice says something in Thai. It doesn't say in English what the voice is saying; you must assume because of the video that it's saying "boy walking down the street". Then there's a similar clip of a little girl walking down the street, and the voice comes back on and says something that you must assume means "little girl walking down the street". There's a number of these little clips; I never found out how to make it translate the words into English. So, it may have been saying "boy walking down the sidewalk" or similar.

I got tired guessing and quit. It also had things like horse jumping a fence, kids playing on and under a picnic table (as I remember) and similar. Never a translated statement.

I'm gonna learn it, but will take my time and will try Rosetta Stone anyway, see how it goes. Love Dboy's comments re: dirty language, yep, the thing is we all need a little of this to get the point over sometimes.

ock at the pot calling the kettle black BG. Bit hypocritical eh!

I always say "please" when asking someone for help. Common manners, which you obviously don't have.

This could be a big problem if you're (for instance) going to an Embassy party or something and decide to show off your "Thai" and end up just looking like a hillbilly.

Dboy

I am cetain that 99% of those frequeneting these boards need not worry about being invited to an Embassy party unless of course they are short of car park attendants on the day.

Embasssies tend to check the backgrounds of guests so that would eliminate most of the board :bounce:

I get invited to coffees at the US Ambassador's house about three times a year. Never been, mostly because I am loath to put on a suit.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

"I get invited to coffees at the US Ambassador's house about three times a year. "

where you the CIA officer Mrs O'Booze and I met there last year?

Found a free copy (MP3 files) on one of the file sharing boards. It's definitely the immersion theory. No english. Pictures and recognition and repetition. Seems easier then Pimsleur which is just audio and seems to go way to fast.

[Dboy]

Found a free copy (MP3 files) on one of the file sharing boards. It's definitely the immersion theory. No english. Pictures and recognition and repetition. Seems easier then Pimsleur which is just audio and seems to go way to fast.

It's all about learning styles. You have to find the techniques that work for you.

Dboy

Found a free copy (MP3 files) on one of the file sharing boards.

Free, maybe, but 100% illegal. Have you no conscience?

yes, that appalling! my conscience is much better after having paid 250B for a copy at MBK. I have a suspicion it may not be genuine, as the online price is something like $175 USD!!!!!!!!
It seems pretty good for practicing with, I can definitely tell you what colour a car is now, small boys with dogs are easy too.

[Wesley]

This could be a big problem if you're (for instance) going to an Embassy party or something and decide to show off your "Thai" and end up just looking like a hillbilly.

Dboy

I am cetain that 99% of those frequeneting these boards need not worry about being invited to an Embassy party unless of course they are short of car park attendants on the day.

Embasssies tend to check the backgrounds of guests so that would eliminate most of the board :bounce:

I get invited to everything they do, I am sure they know who and what I am. I like BG hate to put on the suite but as embassy warden I have little choice.

Wesley

[Sen Yai]

....... paid 250B for a copy at MBK. I have a suspicion it may not be genuine, as the online price is something like $175 USD!!!!!!!!.

dave_syd if you paid 250 baht for software at MBK then you were ripped off - the going rate is 130baht per disc! (or were there 2 discs?)

Anyway, no reason to suspect it is not genuine just because the original is $175. That is irrelevant - many software available at MBK are worth $x,000's and are always fully functioning copies, in my experience.

The 'value' of these items to the Thais selling them is the price of the blank disc, the colour photocopy of the packaging and perhaps a few baht for the time spent cracking the security code and burning the CD. The intellectual content is worthless, apparently!!

[quote="dave_syd":2yj1sw8u]....... paid 250B for a copy at MBK. I have a suspicion it may not be genuine, as the online price is something like $175 USD!!!!!!!!.

dave_syd if you paid 250 baht for software at MBK then you were ripped off - the going rate is 130baht per disc! (or were there 2 discs?)

Anyway, no reason to suspect it is not genuine just because the original is $175. That is irrelevant - many software available at MBK are worth $x,000's and are always fully functioning copies, in my experience.

The 'value' of these items to the Thais selling them is the price of the blank disc, the colour photocopy of the packaging and perhaps a few baht for the time spent cracking the security code and burning the CD. The intellectual content is worthless, apparently!![/quote:2yj1sw8u]

Yes, there are 2 disks. One has the application, the other has the language data files. Works fine anyway.
Have even seen a different version that has the files for all 20-odd languages that Rosetta have on a single CD. Does anybody really want to learn that many languages?

ock at the pot calling the kettle black BG. Bit hypocritical eh!

I always say "please" when asking someone for help. Common manners, which you obviously don't have.

I repeat, ock at the pot calling the kettle black

does this CD come with a manual or book or is it just CD based? Cheers.

does this CD come with a manual or book or is it just CD based? Cheers.

The MBK version is just 2 disks. no books.

[Bob]

There is a User Manual and there is also a text for Level I Thai (I have them both in PDF format). The User Manual isn't that necesary (you can figure out how to use the program, I would think) and the text for Level I is completely in Thai (I've used it very little....sorta boring to read along). I'd guess there is a text for Level II Thai (I don't think there is a Level III for Thai) but I don't have it.
If somebody wants either of the PDF files I have (whoops....I too ripped it off the internet somewhere), let me know via PM.

Found a free copy (MP3 files) on one of the file sharing boards.

Free, maybe, but 100% illegal. Have you no conscience?

Nope, and neither does anyone else in Thailand as evidenced by all the bootleg DVDs and Software for sale. I assume you have NEVER bought any such merchandise in thailand? LOL