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Home » Reader question » Reader question: How can I better understand the Thai language?
Dear readers,
I am trying to learn Thai. Have taken courses and studied the necessary books. Can read Thai reasonably well and even the modern fonts without the circles become a bit clearer to me. And when I pronounce some Thai sentences, everyone thinks that's keng. But now it comes.
Every year on holiday in Korat area I find out that understanding conversations just doesn't work. Everything goes too fast and sounds just a bit different than on the courses and on the many youtube videos. Who knows how that understanding can be better learned?
Regards,
Do
There is only one method to learn to understand Thai and that is a lot of talking and listening. I don't know how long you've been learning Thai. It took me 2 years of living in Thailand and speaking only Thai before I could properly follow most conversations. Videos only help partially. Practice is the magic word.
It's training and patience.
The courses on youtube are probably adapted to people who have not grown up with the Thai language.
The Thai probably do that automatically too, because a conversation between Thais is more difficult for me to follow than when they say something to me.
I myself assume that for learning a language, a new part of the brain is used, because at a certain point you also think in that language, and you no longer translate from Dutch.
It is possible that new norms and values will even be built up there.
That will become more difficult as the years go by.
Maybe take a class in Korat. Thai lessons are given near Madam Yamo.
That's a good tip Martin. Thanks. I'll go by tomorrow. So I'll be here for another two weeks.
Thai lessons are given close to the Farthai Hotel, on the street opposite Madam Yamo. You can probably also get cenversation lessons there.
Hello Wil, have you learned Thai as it is spoken in and around Bangkok? In Korat they speak Isaan, which is a dialect with influences from Laos and Cambodia. I am from Brabant, when I speak to a friend from Groningen we understand each other fine. When two people from Groningen speak to each other it is inimitable to me.
An acquaintance from Korat is unintelligible when he speaks the usual “Tai Berng”, local Thai dialect. (Is different from Isan, Lao or Kampuchea)
I started taking lessons in primary school in the first grade. This as a volunteer and help from the eh (handsome) teacher of 52 years.
By talking to small children you have to. children have the patience and enjoy interacting with a crazy white nose. Oh cost me a lot of ice cream and candy. After 4 years I can hardly save myself. Although I speak 6 European languages.
Oh because we're talking about groningers.
Well now that I was born as a race ex Groninger on the highland but grew up in the woldstreek great difficulty with the westerkwartiers (grootegast and further) or someone from Ter Apel.
Oh and 80% of those who think they still speak gronings are unintelligible because 80% already think they should speak Dutch (Haarlem dialect).
Yes, that's what you say… Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima). Can't understand the locals. How they talk there is also a mystery to me.
I have been trying to speak Thai for over 20 years. Can write and read it.
In the big city and where people are better developed I can get by quite well.
Might look like Volendam where they also speak their own language. Indeed, it is not Isan that they speak in Korat, as many think, but a dialect of Thai. I personally have no problems with my Thai because where I go or stand speaks to me in Thai. I notice that this dialect of Thai is spoken in Korat and regions of Chayaphum province.
As a resident of Korat, Khon Kaen and Roi Et I know the differences. In my opinion, the Isaan starts behind Khon Kaen, so to the north of it and to the east of Khon Kaen.
Surrounding Korat, a dialect is spoken which is Thai but very difficult to follow for Bangkok.
Yes, Jos, I'm sure, but I'm looking for a solution.
There's only one way to improve your listening skills and that's a lot of practice. Take lessons, ask the teacher to have conversations with you and make sure you often find yourself in situations where you need to communicate in Thai. It can be very frustrating, but you will have to persevere.
If a dialect is spoken locally, that is an additional difficulty. Can't you get a lesson in that, so that you get to know the difference with regular Thai?
Korat speaks a kind of dialect that you cannot learn in books.
That is the case all over the globe, in Belgium, for example, people speak next to "civilized"
Dutch dozens of Flemish dialects. So don't worry.