Your experience does indeed give your opinion lots of credibility, thanks.Originally Posted by boygeenyus
However, those experiences I had, the Southerners did not seem capable of switching to standard Thai, and my ex bf really couldn't understand them.
So, maybe I should be much less concerned about the region, and look for a higher education level.
I understand the point about dialects. In the US, lots of people have dialects but can also speak "NBC English" of standardized American English.
Yes, look for someone with at least a high school education -- regardless of where they are from -- if you wish to learn any language correctly.
Thaiquila, IтАЩd have to say that it depends on what you are defining a HAYSEED as тАУ Many years ago, I was in Army basic training. One of the guys in my platoon was from West Virginia. It took me about 3 weeks before my virgin West Coast ears could understand anything he was saying. And by then IтАЩd found out that he wasnтАЩt a HAYSEED HILLBILLY, but was a Rhodes scholar (drafted) and was a hell of a lot smarter than IтАЩll ever dream of being. It taught me to be careful about judging people by their accent.
Later (mid 70тАЩs), I spent a couple of years in Udorn тАУ and IтАЩve never met any better people anywhere in the world. They were often dirt poor, but were honest, friendly, and werenтАЩt violent or trying to murder me. Well with one exception тАУ I attended a wake in a small village for the father of one of my Thai military friends, and IтАЩm sure the village elders were trying to kill me. They made me sit and talk with them, smoke homemade cigars, eat Thai(Isaan) food and drink homemade moonshine all night! Those were the days.
While I was in Udorn, I also hung out with a group of Thai military. They were from all over Thailand, and they had no problem understanding the locals or each other. And as my Thai improved, I didnтАЩt have any difficulty understanding them either.
Look at most countries in the world, and youтАЩll find regional dialects. DonтАЩt look at it as a problem, see it as a chance to expand your knowledge. Pick any common Thai phrase. YouтАЩll usually find that people in Udorn, Chiang Mai, Pattani and Bangkok will all say it a little differently. Or, ask someone from Boston Massachusetts to say тАЬpark the car in Harvard yardтАЭ. Then ask someone from Texas and from Seattle or San Francisco to say the same thing. As for our English friends, why in the heck do you insist in calling the trunk of the car a boot, and the hood of the car the bonnet? That really confuses people.
Besides, there are enough similarities between Thai and Lao, that with just a little more work you can be tri-lingual, rather than just bi-lingual!
IтАЩve also got to take exception to your comment regarding тАЬthe flat, wide noses that are common to Isaan peopleтАЭ. A wide range sizes and shapes of noses are common to Isaan people. Believe me, over the last 30 years IтАЩve made an extensive study of Thai noses, Isaan and non-Isaan. Keep looking, youтАЩll eventually find a nose you like!
Boygeenyus has a very good point regarding the educational level. You wouldnтАЩt try to learn English from someone with no education. DonтАЩt expect it to be any different in Thailand.
Good responses.
But to be clear, in my case, I wouldn't expect a boyfriend to be a Thai teacher, just a reinforcer and someone to practice pronunciation with.
I am a typical American. Language challenged. I have been struggling with Spanish for years. Thai is more difficult. If I manage to even learn basic Thai in my life, that would be quite an accomplishment for me. Becoming multilingual in Thai dialects is an absurd goal for me or most farangs!
Not sure you are right about the noses, as a generality, I think there might be validity to it. Obviously, there are lots of exceptions, noses aren't everything, and lots of other appendages that might compensate for nose aesthetics.
Now about those damned tatoos....!!!!
Interesting that this thread has evolved into a discussion about Thai language regional variations.
During the last full winter season I spent there a few years ago, my Thai buddy (not exactly a boyfriend, more like a sidekick) that I spent a lot of time with came from the deep South, right on the Malaysian border. He insisted that he didn't speak or understand central Thai very well, only Malay, Cantonese, and English. He would always insist that other Thais converse with him in English, often with amusing results. I became pretty sure that it was really a reverse snobbery affectation, as if to say "Well, if you guys look down your noses at me because of the way I speak Thai, I'll up the ante and insist on English".
The thing is, his English was not as good as he thought it was, and frequently not as good as other Thais we encountered in Bangkok and Pattaya. One time at the Cafe Royale, he asked the waiter for "cheh-choo" (meaning "tissue").
The waiter, who spoke perfect English just gave him a perplexed look and said something like " 'Cheh-choo', what is that?".
I translated "Tissue, please, or a paper napkin", being accustomed to my sidekick's linguistic peculiarities by then.
The waiter just looked at my friend and said "Oh, you mean "tissue".
My friend corrected the waiter, "No, it "cheh-choo".
The waiter just smiled and walked away to get a napkin for him, shaking his head, saying something like "OK, fine, 'Cheh-choo', then".
I have studied Thai at an intensive Thai language school in BKK, but after many months of studying,
I decided to take a break..It is very impressive to me that Boygeenyus completed the whole program
and passed the government test..Wow!!
I had an Isan bf living with me and he spoke perfect Thai except when he was with his friends from his village or
village area and then they spoke Lao.. All TV, radio, newspapers etc. are in Thai language and Thai is taught in all
government schools..Funny, the flat noses came up as the ex had a flat nose, as did his some of his friends..Several of them had nose jobs to unflatten the noses and my ex was pushing me to pay for him to have one but it didn't happen, even thou the nose jobs were very inexpensive by western standards..
The better educated boys, those finishing high school, will have much better English skills than those who dropped out
years earlier and of course, those with some university background will generally be strongest..If their English is good, you will find it very frustrating to try to speak in Thai with them and will fall back into English..
It is a myth that you can learn Thai in bed or from karaoke songs..Either go to an intensive school or live somewhere
without farangs and immerse yourself but really only for missionaries or college age students..
BTW, Spanish is very easy compared to Thai and if you are challenged by Spanish , learning Thai will probably just be a dream for you.If you are musically talented and have a good ear, then you might have a chance, and if you are young, that will be a plus as well....
A friend's lady-boy affects his being "high" and Isan boys (Bar-boys.) are "low," therefore; he pretends not to understand them. (And they, therefore; believe he's stupid--Which he has yet to figure out.) Is there a fine line between being a bar-boy and a non-bar-boy sopaynee?
He also believes his English is perfect. Oh, brother!
When the first French person told me I speak French with a Japanese accent I didn't think much about it. After hearing the same comment several more times, I stopped carrying the Fuji camera around my neck and no one said another word about my 'Japanese accent'--But I wonder who made the damn Berlitz recordings....
Edith - I told you to stop putting wasabi in your mouth before giving head!
I gave that up long ago--For habanera chilies.
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