Learning the local language and an "intellectual debate"

[bkkguy]

Thinking about it, there isn't even a F sounding character in the Thai alphabet

what is the thai word for tooth, dream or boyfriend?

and here was I thinking this thread was 'Learning the local language and an "intellectual debate" '

bkkguy

[cdnmatt]

Oh right, "fan", just different tones. Sorry, my bad. It's been a while for me.

Still don't know what the hell "fung" means.

[bkkguy]

Oh right, "fan", just different tones

ฟ (ฟ ฟัน - fo fan) is a consonant in the Thai alphabet and while it may modify the tone of a syllable it can't conveniently be dismissed as "just different tones" after claiming there is "no F sounding character in the Thai alphabet"

but a quick joke before I leave you to the delights of your "deer in the headlights" Thai discussions about not speaking Thai or dreaming about trips to the dentist with your various Canadian and Lao friends:

Q: What do you call a person that speaks three languages?
A: Tri-lingual

Q: What do you call a person that speaks two languages?
A: Bi-lingual

Q: What do you call a person that speaks one language
A: Canadian

though to be fair this is often also said about Brits and Aussies

bkkguy

[sglad]

Thinking about it, there isn't even a F sounding character in the Thai alphabet, so not sure where you got that sentence from.

You don't even have to think about it. Anyone who's been to Thailand or at least watched Thai movies would have heard of the following VERY common and FREQUENTLY used Thai words that begin with an F-sounding consonant of which there are two in Thai, ฝ and ฟ.

The word for rain: ฝน fŏn

The word for raining: ฝนตก fŏn dtòk

The word for fire, light or flame: ไฟ fai

The word for lighter: ไฟแช็ก fai-cháek

You don't even have to be a Thai speaker to know these words. And as a regular smoker, you would certainly know ไฟแช็ก fai-cháek. You even started a thread about the price of cigarettes

https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showt...ght=cigarettes

where you got all your facts wrong, again. Sometimes you need to actually have lived the experience to write about it.

[cdnmatt]

Yes, yes, I made a mistake.

"fon dtok" = heavy rain
farn = boyfriend / girlfriend
"mii fan dii kap" = sweet dreams, basically.


And so on. I guess I've just been blind too long, and can't remember what the F sounding Thai character looks like anymore.

Actually, thinking, I think I remember now. Starting at the bottom in the middle, it's a slight vertical curve, followed by a horizontal line across with a small downwards curve in the middle. I can't remember, but is that right?

[gerefan2]

I guess I've just been blind too long, and can't remember what the F sounding Thai character looks like anymore.

?

Is that F...as in Fake?

[neddy3]

Yes, yes, I made a mistake.

"fon dtok" = heavy rain
farn = boyfriend / girlfriend
"mii fan dii kap" = sweet dreams, basically.


And so on. I guess I've just been blind too long, and can't remember what the F sounding Thai character looks like anymore.

Actually, thinking, I think I remember now. Starting at the bottom in the middle, it's a slight vertical curve, followed by a horizontal line across with a small downwards curve in the middle. I can't remember, but is that right?

No

[frequent]

No

Surely cdnmatt remembers how to play Scrabble in Thai?

[cdnmatt]

No

Oh shit, right, I was thinking of "roh rua", the R / L sounding character.

Oh, I think I remember. It's one of the 4 W shaped characters, but the right most line is really long. Is that right? I don't know, I can't remember, as I haven't seen any of the Thai alphabet in over 2 years.
n

[christianpfc]

I have a real life one for Bangkok called “don’t learn Thai”. Given the banal conversations I can hear in English around me together with the posts of the third-rate minds of some that lurk here (on my Ignore list) I’m confident I miss nothing of importance

For me, being able to read the local language (more important than speaking and listening) is crucial when I spend long time somewhere.

Then you arrived in Thailand where you settled down, followed the immigration laws, paid taxes, met “husband” number two (without divorcing #1) and of course learned the local language.

He (cndmatt) did not follow the immigration laws.

What utter hypocrisy. You’re going to expect the people among whom you live to use a foreign language when they converse with you, but you believe that I am wrong because I do precisely the same thing

By the way in Laos they are Lao people and speak Lao. They do not speak “Laos”

I think Thai and Lao are mutually intelligible in spoken form. In written form, there are differences, but as I can understand a bit of written Lao when I make an effort, I assume a native speaker can even better.

Or you could just learn the language, and talk with ordinary folk who are just living their day-to-day lives, and enrich yourself. Up to you.

I did learn Thai to be able to use buses and taxis, buy things at local market, deal with restaurant and hotel staff, and most importantly do meet gay boys who speak no English.