When googling goes wrong…

Before I head out into Thailand, I learn what I can about my target subject. It usually works a charm, but this time my googling ended with a FAIL.

You see, finding outdated(?) information about the Joe Louis Thai Puppet Theatre set my heart on a traditional puppet show with… well… why don’t I just tell you what happened…

The Joe Louis Thai puppet theatre in Suan Lum Night Bazaar…

After visiting the workplace and home of a Thai puppeteer (post still to come), I started researching live puppet shows. It didn’t take long to suss that the top billing in Bangkok went to the Joe Louis Thai Puppet Theatre.

Hun Lakorn Lek ( Joe Louis), Sakorn Natasilp Troupe: In 1996, the Commission for National Culture nominated Sakorn for the title of National Artist (Performing Arts Category: Small Theatrical Puppetry). This nomination was made in the name of His Majesty the King, in whose name the honorific title of National Artist was bestowed.

This recognition enabled Sakorn and his children to raise enough money to open a small puppet theatre near their home in Nontaburi province. The theater was called the Joe Louis Theater. In May 2002, the theater was moved to its present and more central location at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok.

Right away my research fell flat. Why? For starters, because the information on TAT’s website (Thai Tourism), led me to believe that…

A visit to the theatre also includes an opportunity to witness the painstaking process of crafting a Thai traditional mask known as the Hua Khon, as taught by venerable artist Joe Louis to his students.

Before the performance starts, Joe Louis staff will take guests on a “Joe Louis Cultural Tour” featuring the “Puppet Gallery”, an exhibition on the history of Hun Lakhon Lek puppets and the theatre, puppet- making demonstration and the art of controlling the puppet.

And this video only reinforced it…

Wanting to know more (and because the theatre’s online ticket purchasing didn’t work), I contacted them via email. Nothing. Nadda. No reply. Darn. I do know better (I should have called instead).

No matter. After reading the below instructions from yet another website extolling the magnificent extras, I did what was suggested. I arrived early.

Thaizer.com: Arriving early enables visitors to go on a tour of the theatre and see how the puppets are made and witness a demonstration of how they are manipulated in the performance.

So there I was at Suan Lum Night Bazaar, all set for a fabulous traditional Thai puppet experience. Early. Yet ten minutes after getting in a line of two, I’m still behind a lady all upset about Thai double pricing.

Thai price: 400 baht
Expat price: 900 baht

Some expats resent the double pricing, but I can’t be bothered getting fussed (especially if a show/event it worth it). If I don’t want to pay double, I don’t go. Simple. For instance, I wouldn’t pay OTT to see a few fish at Siam Ocean World, but traditional puppets (for me) do have a pull.

Also, I was looking at it this way: 900 baht included an evening of Thai traditional puppetry, with a cultural tour showing how the masks are made, and how the puppets are manipulated. All with a bit of history thrown in. Nice.

Ticket finally in hand, I asked the staff where to go next. To, you know, attend the promised traditional mask making demonstration and cultural tour.

But the staff did not know what I was on about. Were they new hires? I don’t know. But I asked the same question in many ways, receiving the same answer. Nadda. Never heard of it. Not an option.

So, with time to waste, I wandered around the bazaar. And wandered, and wandered, and wandered, until it was almost time for the show. Once back in the theatre, I drifted around the ground floor, enjoying the puppets behind glass. That over with (and nothing else to do), I headed upstairs to my seat.

The light dimmed, and videos of the puppets came on. One on each side of the stage.

Darn. Compared to expectations due to my failed google abilities – a traditional Thai puppet making experience – getting videos instead was disappointing.

(see what I mean?)

But when the traditional Thai puppet dancers finally came out, I was chuffed. Immensely. The talented dancers wove in and out, three to a puppet. It was a wonderful/superb/exciting/wickedly fabulous presentation. And the performing puppeteers dancing with the traditional Thai puppets were just as promised. Amazing.

If pressed to share a preference between the puppet shows I’ve seen in my travels and these, the traditional Thai puppets would be it. No contest.

But… At the Joe Louis theatre, there are only a handful of traditional dances. The rest of the time is taken up by the story of Joe Louis’ life, as well as puppets created in the likeness of two western rock singers. And as I was there for the traditional Thai puppets, I felt that the unexpected extras took up too much time. I wanted the other puppets back.

And here’s another thing… perhaps minor…

When you are not being educated about Joe’s life, the disturbingly lifelike, life-sized puppet of the long dead puppeteer is left sitting on the side of the stage. In a wheelchair.

It was a bit macabre for my tastes, especially when my attention was (at times) drawn away from middle stage (where all of the action was going on), to the Joe Louis puppet moving his wheelchair around.

The show finished with a dancing, singing, Micheal Jackson puppet. And one other (who was that women?)

Note: Others in the audience raved about Micheal Jackson and what’s her name, so that section of the performance was not a loss for many (most?) And perhaps, just me. Did anyone here see the show? If so, what did you think?

Awhile later I discussed the show with a friend who had attended with (I believe) Joe Louis’s son gracing the stage. There, Joe’s son explained that he wanted to put his personal mark on the show by modernising the performance. Hence, the additional puppets: Joe Louis in a wheelchair, Micheal Jackson, and her who has not been named.

Fair enough. He’s had a lifetime of tradition and now wants to move on. And hey, maybe parts of Thailand would prefer to move on too?

Soooooooooo… I guess my next project will focus on finding traditional Thai puppets. On their own.

Only this time, I’ll do a better job of researching.

Wish me luck? Or even… help point the way?

Joe Louis Thai puppet resources…

You can attend the puppet show at:

• Suan Lum Night Bazaar: Naatayasala (Joe Louis) Theater
• King Power: Aksra Hoon Lakorn Lek Thai puppet show.

Other resources:

• Wikipedia: Sakorn Yang-keawsot
• Bangkok Insights: Joe Louis Puppet Show, Hoon Lakon Lek
• Thaizer.com: Joe Louis Puppet Theatre, Bangkok
• ThaiGuidebook.com: Joe Louis Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre

PS: A special thanks goes to my friend Kate for the photography.

Enjoy…

Tip Number 1: Take your time, enjoy your studies…

“Why does it have to be sooooooo hard?”
“Why does it have to take sooooooo long?”

Maybe we need a little attitude adjustment…? Maybe we need to listen more carefully…? Most of us do have nearly excellent hearing skills for normal conversational volume… BUT, most of us have very POOR LISTENING SKILLS for normal conversations… Just think of the last time you “nodded” your way through a conversation with a friend… But do we actually practice LISTENING???

Listening is the “hardest” part.
Get used to it.
Enjoy it.
LOVE IT.
GIVE yourself points for perfect listening scores.
Aim HIGH.
LISTEN AGAIN.
Play it again Sam.

Pud eek krang na krab?
Kawb khun mag krab!

Kaw tod na… Pud mai na krab?

Why is everyone so surprised that learning a new language is going to take you some time??? Such an attitude is really, really silly ~ if you think about it for any amount of time at all…

Come on! How long does it take for a young tike to learn English or their native language?

The Answer is: YEARS! So plan on putting some time in…
(Unless, of course, you are a super-genius listener and learner – 555)

Tip Number 2: Have fun – why be boring???…

Need I explain more?

Tip Number 3: Do it with others…

Socially mediated learning (See Lev Vygotsky)

Have FUN WITH FRIENDS – WHY BE BORING??? EEK KRANG – once again…

Tip Number 4: Explore different parts of your personality in your Thai learning (or any language learning)…

For example, do you have a Thai personality and a Farang personality???

How about different personas in your larger personality?

You are what you express… Do not limit yourself to “just one” way of expressing yourself…

Tip Number 5: Learn to play in your new language…

Tell jokes; play the “dting dtong”
Be “baa-baa baw-baw”
Act a little crazy; be childish; be adolescent AND be an adult!

Tip Number 6: Be creative, write songs, make up poems; be emotional in your learning…

Argue with yourself in Thai. Dream in Thai. Tell stories to yourself in Thai. Sing Thai songs. Do you know at least a couple of songs by Pi Bird?

This ain’t all just “book learning” baby!

Paying attention
Is something to mention
When you’re in dissension
Of your reality!

Be like a Buddha
And please use your noodle
Don’t disagree with the
Sights that you see!

Your investigation
Stokes your imagination
Your appreciation
Gives a kinder reality!

© 2001-2009 Daniel Murphy
4/7/01, 4:44 am on Waisok, Buddha’s Birthday

Tip Number 7: Makes lots of different kinds of friends…

Diversify! Sure BG, good, maw nuad, fine, students, good, neighbors EVEN BETTER… Be willing to make a fool of yourself, sometimes… Be a sport, have fun with it, mate!

LET GO OF YOUR EGO!!! Let GO of your MISCONCEPTIONS OF YOUR OWN LIMITATIONS!!! YES, that is RIGHT! LET GO OF YOUR misconception that you are doomed to failure…

Make friends with nice people… Yes, everyone wants to be respected and appreciated… Are your best friends and best Thai teachers loving and kind???

Yes, all of it can be done!

Daniel T. Murphy, Ph.D.
Facebook: Daniel Murphy

Talking Thai on the telephone…

It probably took me ten years before I could understand anything anyone said on the telephone here in Thailand. It’s not the language. My wife had the same problem in English when she got to America. It is just really hard dealing with a disembodied voice and not seeing the person who is talking. We quickly realize how important body posture, facial expressions, and mouth movements are when we are talking to someone on the phone, especially in a foreign language.

One way to make things easier is to be able to use telephone-specific speech correctly. Every language has its own special telephone phrases. Below are some useful Thai phone words and phrases.

Note: Thai ending particles or หางเสียง /hăang sĭang/ (e.g. ครับ/คะ /kráp/ká/) are very important in everyday life and even more so over the telephone. I have even heard someone comment on the undesirability of a person because they didn’t use หางเสียง /hăang sĭang/ appropriately. When it comes to telephone conversations, especially when we are talking to someone on the other end of the line who we may not know, you can never overuse หางเสียง /hăang sĭang/. The more the better. Never underestimate the importance of Thai ending particles; try to make liberal use of them in any telephone conversations we have.

Saying Hello…

Thais will typically answer the phone with สวัสดีครับ /sà-wàt-dee kráp/. But occasionally they will use the English loan word ฮัลโล /ha-loh/. As native English speakers, we usually answer the phone in Thailand simply by saying “Hello”. As innocent as this may be it can lead to some problems.

If you answer with “Hello” the caller will almost invariably know that you are not a native Thai speaker no matter how good your Thai pronunciation is. I am always a bit disgruntled when I answer the telephone and the caller knows immediately that I am not a native speaker. I mean, I work really hard at my pronunciation and I have only said one word, “hello”. How do they know? Well, it turns out that a Thai “hello” (and this is officially a Thai word now and can be found in the dictionary) and an English “hello” are different animals.

When I answer the phone with “Hello”, often the person calling will stutter and try to speak English to me, or they sometimes hang up altogether.

Here is how that kind of conversation usually goes (taken from an actual conversation I had just this morning). You may have encountered something similar.

Telephone: Ring
Me: Hello.
Caller: (after hesitating) ฮัลโล /ha-loh/.
Me: Hello?
Caller: (longer hesitation) ฮัลโล /ha-loh/.
Me: Hello!
Caller: Hangs up.

What’s the story? I think I have discovered the reason. Native speakers of English usually say the word “hello” like this, /hel lôw/, stressing the second syllable which makes it sound like a falling tone. The Thai way to say “hello” is ฮัลโล /hel loh/ where both syllables have a mid tone. I have even heard this word used with a rising tone and an elongated vowel on the second syllable. Also, the English “hello” ends with a “w” sound. The Thai “hello” has a more elongated second syllable with maybe a hint of an “h” at the end.

So you see, when a native English speaker says “hello” in Thai we are usually using the incorrect tone and sometimes even an incorrect ending sound. Since the caller often doesn’t want to hassle with speaking to a foreigner over the phone they just hang up. Now I stick with สวัสดีครับ /sà-wàt-dee kráp/ when I answer the phone.

Typical telephone-specific speech situations…

May I speak to…
ขอพูดกับ… ครับ /kŏr pôot gàp… kráp/

I would like to speak with …
ผมอยากจะพูดกับ… ครับ /pŏm yàak jà pôot gàp… kráp/

Who is this.
นี่ใครพูดครับ /nêe krai pôot kráp/

This is…
นี่…พูด ครับ /nêe… pôot kráp/

Hold on a minute.
โปรดถือสายไว้สักครู่ครับ /bpròht tĕu săai wái sàk krô kráp/

One minute please.
กรุณารอสักครู่ครับ /gà-rú-naa ror sàk krô kráp/

When will he be back?
จะเข้ามาเมื่อไรครับ /jà kâo maa mêua-rai kráp/

He’ll be right here.
เดี๋ยวมาครับ /dĭeow maa kráp/

Voice mail (message)
ข้อความ /kôr kwaam/

Can I leave a message?
ขอฝากข้อความครับ /kŏr fàak kôr kwaam kráp/

Would you like to leave a message?
จะฝากข้อความไหมคะ /jà fàak kôr kwaam măI ká/

Please leave a message.
กรุณาฝากข้อความคะ /gà-rú-naa fàak kôr kwaam ká/

How may I help you?
ให้รับใช้อะไรคะ /hâi ráp chái à-rai ká/

I am sorry. Mr. Wallace is not available.
ขอโทษค่ะ Mr. Wallace ไม่อยู่ค่ะ /kŏr tôht ká/ Mr. Wallace /mâi yòo ká/

Put you through, connect you.
ต่อให้ /dtòr hâi/

I will call you back.
จะโทรมาใหม่ค่ะ /jà toh maa mài kâ/

Extension 411.
ต่อ 411 /dtòr 411/

I’ll fax you.
ดิฉันจะส่งแฟกซ์เอกสาร /dì-chăn jà sòng fâek àyk-gà-săan/

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
Retire 2 Thailand: Blog

Learning the Thai language with Benjawan…

It is an undisputed fact that Benjawan Poomsan Becker of Paiboon Publishing is the top producer of Thai language products.

With that jewel in mind… while I was working on the Benjawan Poomsan Becker Interview, I came up with a way to show just how proliferate she is.

Not only would I list each of her language courses, but I would share the details of each product. Most important? The table of contents and vocabulary count.

Vocabulary count is a popular way of keeping score. I don’t do it, but many language learners do. And when I contacted Benjawan about the vocab count in some of her courses, she kindly obliged (thanks Benjawan!)

A special thanks also goes to Amy Praphantanathorn from Expat Women in Thailand, for helping me fill in the information on the courses I don’t have: Thai for Lovers and Thai for Kids.

Products from Paiboon Publishing…

Benjawan is constantly adding new products; below is what she has so far. And when her new products hit the market, I will edit them in too (foo foo to the ‘no editing of blog posts’ rule).

Thai for Beginners

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 1995
Pages: 262
Size:8-1/4 x 5-3/4 x 5/8″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 880 vocabulary words + sentences
Dictionary: No

Overview: Thai for Beginners teaches speaking, listening, reading and writing at the beginner level.

Table of contents:

• Guide to Pronunciation
• Lesson 1: Greetings; polite particles; yes-no questions; personal pronouns; cardinal and ordinal numbers; the Thai writing system; consonant classes; determining tones in written Thai; middle consonants; long vowels; tone marks
• Lesson 2: bpen, yuu (to be); more vowels; live and dead syllables; tone rules for middle consonants
• Lesson 3: Colours; ja (future tense); daai (can) more vowels; complex vowels; final consonants; seven vowels that change their forms; tone rules for middle consonants (cont.)
• Lesson 4: Telling time; high consonants; tone rules for high consonants
• Lesson 5: Days of the week; months; tone marks with high consonants; low consonants introduced
• Lesson 6: ao, yaak (to want); gamlang (to be …ing); tone rules for low consonants
• Lesson 7: dai-yen (to hear); jam (to remember); noon-lap (to fall asleep); moong (to look); tone rules for low consonants (cont.)
• Lesson 8: Body parts; everyday life’ special )))); silent hhhh
• Lesson 9: Family and kinship terms; occupations; animals; how to use ddddd; other features of written Thai
• Lesson 10: Comparisons; adjectives; classifiers
• Appendix 1: Summary of the Thai writing system
• Appendix 2: Test and writing exercises

Purchase: Thai for Beginners

Thai for Beginners Software

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2003
Note: Microsoft Vista and XP only
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: 3,000+ recordings (male and female)
Vocabulary: 880 vocabulary words + sentences
Dictionary: No

Overview: The contents are similar to the book version, only with interactive exercises.

Purchase: Thai for Beginners Software

Thai for Intermediate Learners

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2007
Pages: 211
Size: 8-1/4″ x 5-3/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: 2 CDs
Vocabulary: 1200 vocabulary words + sentences
Dictionary: No

Overview: Teaches vocabulary, sentence structure, and conversation.

Table of contents:

• Guide to Pronunciation
• Lesson 1: Directions; Thai place names; public holidays; provinces
• Lesson 2: More directions; Bangkok place names
• Lesson 3: Using
• Lesson 4: using
• Lesson 5: Using
• Lesson 6: Using
• Lesson 7: Thai names; food; desserts; English names used in Thai
• Lesson 8: More about kinship terms; pronouns
• Lesson 9: Using particles
• Lesson 10: The twelve year cycle; words from English
• English translation
• Test answers

Purchase: Thai for Intermediate Learners

Thai for Advanced Readers

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2000
Pages: 208
Size: 8-1/4″ x 5-3/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: 2 CDs
Vocabulary: 950 vocabulary words + sentences
Dictionary: No

Overview: Thai reader with vocabulary list, definitions, and pronunciation guide.

Table of contents:

• Guide to pronunciation
• Part one: Passages in Thai: My family, When I was a student, Thai food, Thai geography, My hobbies, Songkran Day, My university life, Muay Thai, religions in Thailand, Loy Kranthong Day, Thai language, climate of Thailand, Hill tribes of Thailand, education in Thailand, Thai people in America, a brief history of Thailand
• Part two: Practice reading the newspapers: Brief news, world news, horoscope, help wanted, advertisement
• Part three: Miscellaneous Thai: Thai National Anthem, Buddhist prayer, tongue twister, Ai Mai Muan, Thai songs, Thai proverbs, Provinces in Thailand, the ten Asean countries
• References

Purchase: Thai for Advanced Readers

Practical Thai Conversation 1

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2005
Pages: 81
Size: 7-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ x 1/2″ (hard case with booklet)
Sound and video files: 1 DVD
Vocabulary: 430 vocabulary words
Dictionary: No

Overview: See and hear Thai conversations. You are given a choice of subtitles: English, transliteration, and Thai.

Table of contents:

• Guide to pronunciation
• Conversation 1: Greetings and introductions
• Conversation 2: Asking for directions and taking a taxi
• Conversation 3: Asking for directions II
• Conversation 4: Asking for personal information
• Conversation 5: In a Thai restaurant
• Conversation 6: On the telephone
• Conversation 7: Shopping
• Conversation 8: In a hotel
• Conversation 9: Talking about yourself
• Conversation 10: Talking about Thailand

Purchase: Practical Thai Conversation 1

Practical Thai Conversation 2

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2006
Pages: 52
Size: 7-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ x 1/2″ (hard case with booklet)
Sound files: 1 DVD
Vocabulary: 211 vocabulary words
Dictionary: No

Overview: The conversations are targeting intermediate Thai learners. As with volume 1, there is a choice of subtitles: English, transliteration, and Thai.

Table of contents:

• Guide to pronunciation
• Conversation 1: At the bank
• Conversation 2: Making phone calls
• Conversation 3: Talking about work
• Conversation 4: At the tailor
• Conversation 5: Directing the secretary
• Conversation 6: At the doctor’s clinic
• Conversation 7: Looking for a place to rent
• Conversation 8: Describing people
• Conversation 9: Going to Songkran Festival

Purchase: Practical Thai Conversation 2

Speak Like a Thai 1

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2007
Pages: 80
Size: 7-1/2″ x 5-3/4″ x 1/2″ (hard case with booklet)
Sound files: 1 CD
Vocabulary: 500 key words and phrases
Dictionary: No

Overview: Basic and common expressions in Thai.

Table of contents:

• About the book
• Politeness
• Characteristics of the Thai language
• Guide to pronunciation
• 500 Thai phrases

Purchase: Speak Like a Thai 1

Speak Like a Thai 2

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2006
Pages: 52
Size:4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 250 key words and phrases.
Dictionary: No

Overview: Thai slang and idioms. Includes 320 bonus words (not recorded on the audio CD).

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Guide to pronunciation
• Practical Thai conversation

Purchase: Speak Like a Thai 2

Speak Like a Thai 3

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date:
Pages:
Size:4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 400 key words and phrases
Dictionary: No

Overview: Common Thai proverbs and sayings.

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Guide to pronunciation
• Thai proverbs and sayings

Purchase: Speak Like a Thai 3

Speak Like a Thai 4

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2008
Pages: 89
Size:4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 300 key words and phrases
Dictionary: No

Overview: Thai heart words. Includes 160 bonus words (not recorded on the audio CD).

Table of contents:

• Guide to pronunciation
• 300 Thai heart words
• Featured ‘jai’ word
• Review of Thai phrases, slang and sayings with the word ‘jai’
• Other Thai phrases and sayings with ‘jai’
• Thai names with the word ‘jai’
• Thai last names with the word ‘jai’
• Thai songs with the word ‘jai’

Purchase: Speak Like a Thai 4

Speak Like a Thai 5

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date:
Pages:
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 500 key words and phrases
Dictionary: No

Overview: Phrase book for the Northeastern (Issan) dialect. Includes 190 bonus words (not recorded on the audio CD).

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Guide to pronunciation
• Northeastern dialect
• Bonus Issan words

Purchase: Speak Like a Thai 5

Speak Like a Thai 6

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2009
Pages: 83
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 525 key words and phrases
Dictionary: No

Overview: Twenty real-life conversations.

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Greetings and introduction
• Directions 1
• Directions 2
• Personal information
• Restaurant
• Wrong number
• The telephone
• Shopping
• Seeing a friend
• Describing yourself
• Thailand
• Directing your secretary
• The bank
• Small talk
• Teaching English
• Doctor’s office
• Internet shop
• Describing people
• The election
• The museum
• Good luck

Purchase: Speak Like a Thai 6

Thai for Kids

Authors: Benjawan Poomsan Becker and Naam Sheakley
Date: 2008
Pages: 51
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: Yes
Vocabulary: 626 vocabulary words
Dictionary: No

Overview: The twelve lessons teach Thai language and culture. It is a perfect gift for a Thai child living overseas.

Table of contents:

• At Koon Ta’s and Koon Yai’s house
• Homecoming party
• The bedroom
• The bathroom
• The kitchen
• At a Thai farm
• Counting in Thai
• Colours
• Klong Tom flea market
• Clothing
• Fruit and vegetables
• At school

Purchase: Thai for Kids

Thai for Lovers

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 1999 (an update is in the works)
Pages: 190
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: 2 CD’s
Vocabulary: 1500 vocabulary words + sentences
Dictionary: No

Overview: A language guide to romance in Thailand.

Table of contents:

• Guide to Pronunciation
• Tips on Using This Book
• Chapter 1: Greetings
• Chapter 2: General Conversation
• Chapter 3: Courting
• Chapter 4: Romantic Conversation
• Chapter 5: Making Love
• Chapter 6: Love Letters
• Chapter 7: Getting Married
• Chapter 8: Breaking Up
• Chapter 9: Night Life

Purchase: Thai for Lovers

Thai for Gay Tourists

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2001 (an update is planned)
Pages: 220
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 1500 vocabulary words + sentences
Dictionary: No

Overview: A fun way to communicate. Includes slang and phrases.

Table of contents:

• Guide to Pronunciation
• Tips on using this book
• Characteristics of the Thai language
• Thaiglish
• Part One – Instant Thai Language
• Useful phrases
• Expressing basic needs and feelings
• In a hotel
• in a restaurant
• Getting around
• Shopping
• Making friends
• Romantic talk
• Breaking up
• Quick facts about Thailand
• Part Two – Thai gay culture
• How can I obtain information?
• Where can I meet gay men?
• Visit gay bars
• In a gay bar
• Gay talk
• In the bedroom
• Inoffensive language
• Offensive vocabulary
• Other useful words
• Gay words
• Slang used by Thai gays
• Thai gay stories

Purchase: Thai for Gay Tourists

Improving Your Thai Pronunciation

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2003
Pages: 44
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 94 vocabulary words
Dictionary: No

Overview: This book is guaranteed to help improve your listening and pronunciation skills. The low number of new vocabulary words in this product assumes the student already knows vocabulary words and is seeking to improve their pronunciation skills.

Table of contents:

• Guide to pronunciation
• The five tones
• The vowels
• The consonants
• Clusters
• Confusing words
• Poly-syllabic words
• Thai intonation
• Tongue twisters
• Thaiglish

Purchase: Improving your Thai pronunciation

Thai for Travellers Phrase book

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2006
Pages: 182
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: CD
Vocabulary: 1450 vocabulary words
Dictionary: A vocabulary in the back of the book is arranged by subject.

Overview: Phrase book with sound files.

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Guide to pronunciation
• Greetings and introductions
• Often used phrases
• Language difficulties
• At the hotel
• Getting around
• Shopping
• Services
• Phone conversations
• Food and drinks
• Health matters
• Emergencies
• Small talk
• Love and romance
• Vocabulary

Purchase: Thai for Travellers Phrase book

Three-way Thai-English Dictionary

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker and Chris Pirazzi
Date: 2009
Pages: 982
Size: 5-4/4″ x 4-1/4″ x 1-1/2″
Sound files: No
Vocabulary: 26,000+
Dictionary: :-)

Overview: Three way dictionary Thai-English English-Thai English-Thai transliteration

Table of contents:

• How to use the dictionary
• Speaking and understanding Thai
• Reading and writing Thai
• Section one: English
• Section two: Thai
• Section three: Thai sound
• Appendices
• Quick reference

Purchase: Three Way Thai-English Dictionary

Thai-English English-Thai Dictionary

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2002
Pages: 658
Size: 5-3/4″ x 4″ x 1″
Sound files: No
Vocabulary: 16,000+
Dictionary: :-)

Overview: Dictionary with transliteration for non-Thai speakers.

Table of contents:

• Guide to pronunciation
• Thai writing system
• Dictionary abbreviations
• Section one: English-phonetic-Thai
• Section two: Phonetic-English-Thai
• Appendix

Purchase: Thai-English English-Thai Dictionary

Thai Hit Songs Vol. 1

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2009
Pages: 96
Size: 4.8″ x 7.1″
Sound files: Yes
Vocabulary: Unknown
Dictionary: No

Overview: The idea is to learn Thai language while singing songs.

Table of contents:

• Thailand fever
• Bangkok
• Thai proverbs
• I My Muan
• Thai slang
• Learning Issan
• Thai consonants
• Heart words
• Abbreviations
• Abbreviations song explained
• Bangkok music
• Thailand fever

Purchase: Thai Hit Songs Vol. 1

Thai-English Dictionary Palm OS

Author: Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Date: 2005
Size: 4-5/8″ x 3-1/4″ x 1/2″
Sound files: No
Vocabulary: 21,000+
Dictionary: :-)

Overview: Thai dictionary with Thai script, transliteration and English. For more detail, check out the review at Word in the Hand.

Purchase: Thai-English Dictionary (Palm OS)

Resources…

Study Aids for the “Thai for Beginners” books

PS: There are no affiliate codes attached to this post.

Enjoy…

How to quiet your life…

There is no doubt about it, 2010 is MY year for personal improvement. And as my 30 Day Thai Language Trial was successful, I decided to follow with Vern’s 22 Day Meditation Course.

When I asked Vern how it came about, he replied:

In 1997 I began to meditate. I discovered meditation by reading some Buddhist books and a book on Vipassana by S.N. Goenka.

But, I was not religious. I did not have a belief in any “ism” (Buddhism, Catholicism, Deism, Theism, Christianity, Islamism, Hinduism). None of it.

I was not ant- any of these religions, but I found that I was more of a “free thinker” so to speak. Not believing in a certain God, and yet not at all sure that one doesn’t exist.

I found the books on meditation to be full of extra “fluff” that I wasn’t sure I needed. The essence of Buddhism is in trying things out for oneself and seeing what your experience is.

I decided to try meditation without the Buddhism. Without any -ism, if that’s possible.

It was. So I wrote about the basics in this free ebook…

… and my experience with meditation in the late 1990’s led to my moving to Thailand… where I’m destroying the Thai language daily…

I intended to get to Vern’s course at the beginning of February. But as usual, time got away from me. Then, when my good friend Mark McGuinness wrote What Daily Meditation Can Do for Your Creativity, I was reminded of my plan to quiet my life.

Checking my calendar, it looks like I’m fairly free (no weekends running around) starting next Monday, the 8th of March.

If you want to learn how to meditate too, download Vern’s Free EBook – 22 Day Meditation Course.

In the meantime, I’ll gather all I can about the benefits of a regular meditation schedule and language learning. And get back to you.

Note: If you are interested in more ebooks about Thailand, head over to Vern’s site, Thailand eBooks: Living and Working in Thailand

Enjoy…

How you YOU learn languages?…

Much depends on your own understanding of your own skills in “learning how to learn” for yourself… That is, are you aware of your own learning “style”?

1. Do you know how you learn fastest/ easiest in most subjects?
2. Are you a visual or auditory or kinesthetic learner, or what kind or combination thereof?
3. What is your own level of fluency in your mother tongue?
4. Have you studied other languages and how has your success been for those other languages?
5. What emotional connections have you made in your language studies?

All of these factors interact within an individual level – so individualized language learning programs should TRY to consider these different factors – but as an adult, it is up to you to monitor and guide your own learning…

You KNOW when you “get it” and you should also know when “you don’t get it.” If you are not sure, that is a tip that you need to review that same material again – maybe in a different way…

Seek out help frequently, but remember you are your own master as you move towards language mastery… No one “program” is going to do it for you…

How I learn languages…

The answers you provided for yourself will help to guide you in your language studies…

For myself, I have had high success in English (my mother tongue), and I have also studied: Spanish, Latin, German and Swedish to and beyond the university level. I am a polyglot and I have applied my successes in my other languages to my studies of Thai…

I KNOW that I am an auditory and musical learner, who enjoys learning practically and passionately. Like learning how to play guitar or sing Jazz – I enjoy learning how to express myself but also how to listen and repeat what I hear others (e.g., language speakers or musicians) are “saying.” I have a very good “ear” – that my be genetic – but that is also a skill that I have practiced and developed…

Listen and repeat, listen and repeat, listen and repeat …

When I advise Thai speakers on how to improve their English listening and repeating skills, I say: “Faang leh puud muen nok” = “Listen and speak like a bird.” (Do not “think too much” but repeat like a “bird”…)

This is essential from my perspective… It is very important to listen carefully and repeat identically…

In the beginning, it is very hard to accurately repeat the Thai phonemes (sounds) the same as a Thai speaker… You need a good teacher who has lots of patience and you must have lots of patience, too! And, repeated listening and repeating speaking along with Thai language tapes / CDs/ TV/ radio/ music is ESSENTIAL…

There are no “shortcuts” – this takes THOUSANDS of HOURS of listening and repeating… It is not particularly hard, but discipline, diligence and accuracy are needed…

A few years ago, I spent many hundreds of hours listening and repeating the tape series for “Thai for Lovers” and “Thai for Beginners/ Intermediate Learners/ Advance Learners” (see Benjawan Poomsan Becker et al). It is a good audiotape series for the Thai portion… I listened to those tapes for more than a year while I commuted to and from work… I viewed it almost as a musical exercise in repeating for precision, tone, accuracy for the whole phrase and for individual consonants and vowels…

The process that I describe is basically what toddlers and preschoolers of all languages do “naturally” while they begin to master the sound system of their native language and learn the “accent” of their native language… Listen and repeat like a bird – there is no replacement for that – until you are confident of your mastery in the language. You will know when you are reaching mastery because people will understand what you are saying…

It is also OK if you speak “wrong” as long as you are open to being taught by your friends and acquaintances in Thai (or whatever new language you are practicing). And as long as you encourage Thai speakers to correct you whenever needed…

Do NOT worry about making mistakes – this IS how we truly learn!!!

The IPA: International phonetic alphabet…

And, by the way, many years ago, I took two graduate courses in Linguistics and this gave me the tools via an international phonetic alphabet (IPA) – which I have used to break down Thai sounds so that they could be “parsed” and intelligible for me – I have a rather accurate IPA writing system that I use for myself when I write down a new Thai word that I have not heard before…

All of these studies I basically did on my own without direct supervision of a Thai teacher… If I was not sure of my accuracy, I would repeat the tape over and over until I mastered that tape… Then I felt I could move on to the “next level.”

Immersion, immersion, immersion…

The first year that I lived and worked in Thailand (8/2004 – 8/2005), I intentionally placed myself in an immersed language setting. I moved into a 100% Thai neighborhood. I avoided Farang (English speaking) friends during this time – to avoid relying on English for communication… (Yes, give up on your Farang friends for a while if you can… ;-)

I shopped at the local Thai markets and local Thai businesses. I made many Thai friends. I ASKED QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME: “What is this? What is that? etc.”

I only listened to Thai TV and radio… I turned on Thai TV first thing in the morning and listened to the news, etc., and then went to work… When I returned home in the evening, I turned on the TV and listened to that until I fell asleep a few hours later…

With this approach, I amassed about 4-5 hours a day of listening to Thai mass media X 365 = ~ 1,865 hours per year of semi-active listening for the gist of the story… At first this was very frustrating, but I was patient with the fact I could not expect myself to understand every word… …but my progress was cumulative with time…

During lunch, I sought out my Thai coworkers and listened to their stories and talked and ate with them… It is not important to “know” and understand every word – instead, it is more important to understand the “gist” of the story and the “music” of the language – the song that is being sung – so to speak…

Also during that year, I had two Thai girlfriends in succession… The first girlfriend spoke some English, but soon we switched over to nearly 100% Thai ~ this frustrated her: because she wanted to improve her English ~ but I more or less insisted that we speak Thai… (Yes, I am quite stubborn when I have a goal…)

And, of course, I carried a dictionary with me at all times!!! REALLY!!! This is also essential as you begin to internalize your new language skills…

The relationship with the first girlfriend ended after about 5 months… Later, I met another nice Thai lady who spoke NO ENGLISH at ALL! With the basic conversational Thai I had learned and practiced already, my new girlfriend and I spoke ONLY Thai together… (It may have also helped greatly that my new girlfriend at that time also spoke varying amounts of about 6 different Thai and hilltribe dialects (glang, nuea, isaan, meow, some Chinese and Burmese – she was from Mae Hong Song – her life story is very interesting…).

This method allowed me to gain even more time practicing Thai every day ~ 4 hours per day talking with girlfriend X 365 = 1460 hours per year…

As you can see, the thousands of hours really start to add up 1865 + 1460 = ~ 3,325 hours of Thai practice in that year alone…

To add “excitement” (passion) to my language learning process, I also bought and drove an old car – which required frequent repairs by local Thai mechanics… This gave me deep experience in the “auto world” in Thailand for repairs but also for making trips and negotiating with locals for directions and also dealing with Thai police – all of which was also invaluable for improving my Thai fluency…

For that year, it turned out that my second Thai girlfriend was a “hilltribe” Thai who did not have proper Thai ID (mai mee baht bra-cha-chon Thai) and I hoped that we could fix this problem by working with the local bureaucrats at her amphur… (LONG story on that…) That experience (which elapsed over about 2 years) taught me greatly about Thai bureaucracy, Thai government, Thai lawyers and Thai “rigidity” about who are “true Thais” and not “true Thais.” Sadly, I had to abandon that relationship because with inadequate Thai identification papers, that lady would never be able to travel outside of Thailand… Yes, there are many hundreds of thousands of Thai people who do not have adequate documentation – so they are not “true Thais” in the eyes of the Thai government… That is a truly sad story for many “Thai people” in Thailand…

In Spring 2006, I met some new Thai friends who worked with Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. At that point, I was ready to learn a more “professional” level of Thai language skills…

For almost three years, I dated a Chula U. ajarn who helped me to become even more proficient in my Thai language skills, politeness and cultural awareness… Much of this learning came out of the natural friendship and fun that comes with new friends and a new girlfriend… As this relationship and process unfolded, my Thai became more fluent all the time…

From end of 2007 to the end of 2008, I worked as an active lecturer in my field at Chula University… As I began teaching my courses, I quickly found out that my students preferred my teaching in Thai more my teaching in English. (Most young Thais study English in school but English is not a language that they use every day to converse and study…) So, it was MUCH easier to teach and hold discussions in Thai as the language of instruction (Yes, I did give my Chula Nisit / students readings in English but the discussion was always in Thai…).

As you might guess, my Thai improved greatly during my year of teaching at Chula…

I quickly realized that EVERY Thai person speaks with their own accent and many young Thai university students speak in very quiet (low volume) respectful Thai that varies in accent based on where they grew up and their experience with middle Thai (Bangkok Thai AKA “passa glaang”)… Listening and talking with hundreds of different Thais speakers on a WIDE VARIETY of TOPICS greatly improved my daily language skills…

At the same time, I was also involved with several research committees and in developing a new international center for Chula U. These discussions with my Chula colleagues were ALWAYS in Thai… I also advised a number of students about their masters’ levels theses – again, in Thai… Of course, I also maintained my friendships with my GF and other Thai friends at the same time…

All of these activities reinforced and extended my Thai language and cultural skills…

You can start to imagine how intense this level of IMMERSION has really been for me if you think about it… Just for the 2007 to 2008 year, I probably accrued 16 X 365 = ~ 5,840 hours of Thai practice and study just for that year alone… Of course, the level of intensity varies from activity to activity…

As I said before, I highly recommend teaching the subject matter of your field in Thai ~ not many better ways to improve your own Thai ~ chai mai krab???

Oh, by the way, I almost forgot: that I _often_ fell asleep in my room with my TV on ~ yet again adding hundreds more hours of passive study of Thai language…

So, in summary, if I include all extraneous studies and conversations, etc., in the last 7+ years, I have probably accrued about 15,000 HOURS of Thai study and conversation to date since I first visited Thailand in 2002… Most Farang have not yet accrued 10% of that same amount of study time using true immersion methods…

I am not criticizing most Farang, the reality is that most Farang do not have the time or the interest to study Thai so deeply… A SMALL percentage of Farang DO invest this LARGE amount of time and those Farang DO reap the benefits and rewards of learning Thai language, Thai culture and Thai people at a very deep level…

As you can see, gaining fluency with Thai language, Thai people and Thailand is very much an individual journey… Thanks for reading and listening…

And, keep in mind that you will be creating your OWN version of Thai language for YOURSELF… Like playing a musical instrument with fluency and dexterity, you will learn to improvise best by playing with other people… It is very much like JAZZ!!!

Good luck to everyone for all of your Thai studies…

AND YES, I AM _STILL_ LEARNING!

Chok dee na krab!

Daniel T. Murphy, Ph.D.
Facebook: Daniel Murphy

A trusted native speaker is essential….

You may have noticed by now that learning Thai takes real effort and discipline. No two ways about it. Expect to put in long hours tweaking your pronunciation, expanding your vocabulary, solidifying your grasp on the grammar.

One of the best — and most necessary — language resources you have is a trusted native speaker. Someone who will put up with your questions. It could be a spouse, a friend, or that Thai language teacher you pay good money to.

Ideally, this person will be introspective and inquisitive about his or her own language. In practice, this means that you’ll get answers besides “that’s just how we say it” (though sometimes that’s a legitimate answer, too). And when they don’t know the answer, they’ll be interested in figuring it out for you.

That’s the ideal situation. But you’ve also got to be comfortable asking complete strangers, while being appropriately critical about the advice you receive.

Asking for help with the language is like asking for directions. Sometimes there’s one clear way to go. Just as often, there are varying opinions on the best route to take.

It’s happened to me many times in Thailand where a stranger has given me incorrect directions. Not just “I think it’s somewhere up there on the left” when it was actually on the right; I’m talking specific, detailed, wrong directions.

This kind of experience can be bewildering, even infuriating, but it helps if you put yourself in their cultural shoes. It’s not mean-spiritedness, or the natives having a laugh at your expense. Rather, in a face-driven culture, fulfilling the request is as important as being legitimately helpful. Very often Thais will smile and say what they think you want to hear, which means that it can be hard getting genuine criticism out of them.

Here’s a phrase to know:

ต้องพูดว่าอย่างไร /tawng phuut waa yang-ngai/ “How should I say it?”

Everyone has those experiences where they are able to make themselves understood, but only with much repetition and gesticulating. Some of us do it every day. (“I said ‘can you turn down the radio’, not ‘I’d like two baked potatoes’!”) For Thai learners, once you’ve made yourself understood, this is a perfect time to ask your unwitting victim how you should have said it in the first place.

On the flip side of this language coin, you’ll also find that as a second language learner, Thais hold you to a higher standard than they hold themselves. I don’t think there’s anything peculiar about this; it’s probably true for most languages. For example, in my native accent, I tend to pronounce the word “sandwich” as “samwich” — but I don’t think they should teach Thai schoolchildren to say it that way.

Expect to be corrected for things that native speakers would get away with. For example, the Thai word อย่างไร /yaang-rai/ is regularly reduced to ยังไง /yang-ngai/, and even just ไง /ngai/. So the (very informal) phrase เป็นไงมั่ง /pen ngai mang/ “How are you?” is short for เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง /pen yaang-rai baang/.

This won’t stop the schoolmarm types from insisting you speak like Thailand’s answer to Walter Cronkite, though. In these situations, accept the criticism politely. The real lesson to be learned here is in knowing around whom you can let the rules slide, and around whom you should speak more like a textbook.

To give another example, some time or another you’ll meet some well-meaning person who tells you that you don’t use the polite particles ครับ /khrap/ or คะ /kha/ enough. And then a couple days later, after you’ve been careful to use the polite particles every other word or so, someone else will tell you that you’re overusing them.

So who is right? Well, both are. Thai society is highly stratified, so you need to be a bit of a linguistic chameleon. Age, education, social standing, and profession are all factors you’ve got to consider when choosing which parts of the language you should and shouldn’t use with someone.

This is where your trusted native speaker becomes essential. Ask them for the dirt on what works best for which situation, so you don’t end up talking to a five-year-old like he’s an abbot, or an aristocrat like she’s a peasant.

It takes a long time to learn all the ways in which “polite Thai,” “street Thai” and other varieties differ, but there are lots of resources at your disposal. The new series “Thai Language Thai Culture” by Hugh Leong, for one, is not to be missed. Especially this installment, which delves into the different levels of the language in good detail.

I said it wasn’t easy. Now get to work, and โชคดี!

Rikker Dockum
Thai 101

Tips and suggestions needed…

Last week I received an email asking for help:

Question: I’m currently an exchange student living in Thailand. I’ve had an issue where I can’t seem to learn any more Thai, and when I try my minds strays and I get tired very quickly. I was just wondering, do you have tips to help overcome this mind block I’ve developed?

I took a stab at the answer, and then went one step further: I put the question to those interviewed in WLT’s Successful Thai Language Learners series, and more…

Tips and suggestions to overcome mind block…

Benjawan Poomsan Becker
Paiboon Publishing
Interview: Benjawan Poomsan Becker

He/she should find a girlfriend/boyfriend who can’t speak English. That will help expedite the learning and the mind won’t stray.

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand | Retire 2 Thailand: Blog | Thai Language Thai Culture
Successful Thai Language Learners: Hugh Leong

You don’t really have a mind block. What you are experiencing is what we call a “Plateau”. This is a very normal experience with all learning and especially with language learning. Basically, your mind is telling you that it has had enough input for a while and it needs time to process what it has taken in (which is one reason I hate language testing).

Plateaus can last for a considerable time, or they can be quite short. I once plateaued for more than a year. It all depends on how much and how quickly your mind processes all that stuff it is storing. But it is no reason to stop studying. You may want to focus your studies differently, such as using what you already know to develop a fluency at that level, or simply practice your tones, or if you have been speaking mostly then change to reading, or vice versa. That way you’ll be using a different part of your brain.

Here is the good thing about plateauing. There is always another, and higher, plateau up ahead that you will eventually get to if you don’t give up. There is another interesting experience in language learning that I call “quantum leaping” where one day everything just seems to click and you instantly know so much more than you did yesterday. It’s like a dark veil has been lifted. It comes from all that studying you did while you were sitting around on your plateau, and your mind telling you, “OK, processing complete. More input!” Those days are fun. Just have patience, don’t give up, and wait for those “quantum leap” days ahead.

David Long
AUA Language Centre | The AUA Thai Blog | twitter: @auathai
Successful Thai Language Learners: David Long

In fact, most of us have low limits when it comes to benefit from study. We quickly reach that point where we’re forgetting old things as fast as we’re remembering new ones. We then patch up our feelings with a new course, or extra effort. So you’re not alone.

For me the important thing is to assess what you’re doing. Below is a list of areas to assess with some goals I find helpful for myself.

What do you consider learning to be? With language, we must gain exposure to its natural use. The problem for many of us is that it’s very difficult to find Thai used in understandable contexts. So when we don’t understand, we tend to tune out. We may also believe that if we don’t study, we won’t learn anything.

- Goal – realize that life is the classroom – soak up what’s happening around you every day without being too focused on what the language is. You’ll begin to see and hear much more.

What are your expectations for yourself? Often, we can be very cruel taskmasters to ourselves! :) It’s important to set realistic expectations.

- Goal – children are the best language learners ever and they don’t even have expectations about how much they’re learning. Develop a child-likeness on the inside. You’ll be a lot happier and releasing yourself from these expectations will open the door for you to really learn.

Are the practical things you’re doing to learn the language fun? – Study can be very hard work – and language study is one of the hardest sorts of study there is for most of us.

- Goal – Quit the study, and learn to play. Have fun with the process by turning every situation you don’t understand into a guessing game. Through watching expressions, body language and with the understanding you already know, make guesses about what’s being talked about.

Do you have Thai friends you talk with? Usually, Thais want to learn English, and foreigners want to learn Thai. This can turn into very boring exchanges that are focused on language.

- Goal – Turn your conversation to things you enjoy, and let the language be there. Use what you know, and find other ways to communicate what you don’t. They need to develop their English skills so use English with them. Encourage them to use Thai with you. Because language acquisition is input based, you need to hear Thai and they need to hear English. This makes for the perfect combination for improvement.

Peter Montalbano
montalbano.org/peter (out of date!)
Successful Thai Language Learners: Peter Montalbano

It’s not clear what this person is studying, or at what level. But it sounds as though the formal studies are not in the Thai language, as she/he seems to be going the self-teaching route here. In that case, I would suggest that she/he take a real course in the language, with homework, the whole nine yards . . . having a teacher looking over your shoulder is a great incentive to get past the mind-straying stage, and also having other students to interact with and compete with. As I noted before, the Chula course is a great one, and you test into it and get put at the appropriate level from the beginning.

Chris Pirazzi
Slice of Thai | Thailand Fever | Word in the Hand Inc.
Successful Thai Language Learners: Chris Pirazzi

Certainly an abrupt change of environment, especially to one where there are even fewer people who can speak English (where the student will need to speak more Thai for everyday survival) would be effective for resetting the student’s enthusiasm/motivation, if possible.

Josh Sager
Learning Thai (My Story) – Navigating the New Culture Frontier

Go back to basics.

Every January in my martial arts class is “basics month.” We cover only the fundamentals and refine our foundations specifically to start over and work with a fresh perspective.

Try reading and speaking for fun for a few weeks. Don’t TRY to learn anything, just enjoy the language for the sake of communication. Absolutely do not force it. Plateaus can only be broken in their own time, not by force.

My thanks for their tips and suggestions go to: Benjawan Poomsan Becker, Hugh Leong, David Long, Peter Montalbano, Chris Pirazzi, and Josh Sager.

As an insomniac, I fight similar battles studying Thai. When I got bogged down last year, my 30 Day Thai Language Trial in January eventually injected what was missing. You see, I had to keep studying no matter what, or fail. Potential embarrassment. Yeah. Along the way, I found the needed reserves and a few new tricks too. A language challenge might not work for everyone, but it worked for me.

Note: If you too have questions, just drop me a line via my contact form, and I’ll see what I can do about getting someone in the know to share some tips. And while I’m at it… if you are a successful Thai language learner and would like to answer a few questions, please let me know (and I’ll make it so).

Enjoy…

Free Download: Thai Reader Project…

If your Thai learning adventure has come to a halt due to the lack of intermediate to advanced materials, the University of Wisconsin’s Thai Reader Project could be a fine fit:

The authors have attempted to create effective lessons in the reading of Thai that will help learners progress from the level of basic literacy to reading at the advanced level.

The lessons are based on authentic readings of the sort that learners of Thai will encounter in daily life in Thailand, ranging from basic informational texts to such as menus, timetables, newspaper advertisements and the like, to more complex texts such as news articles, editorials and short narratives.

There are two readers with 76 lessons. Volume I is for beginners up to high readers, Volume II is for intermediate to advanced readers. I am sooooo chuffed that the lesson materials are not tourist Thai, but actual Thai one would find living in or visiting the Kingdom.

As mentioned, this is a free resource, no purchase required. Just download the many PDF files here:

Lesson Volume I: Download page
Lesson Volume II: Download page

Note: I have added this resource to WLT’s growing Learn Thai for FREE section. There you will find other intermediate resources such as Hugh Leong’s Advanced Thai Reading and Vocabulary Building downloads.

PS: My thanks goes to Bankei for this great find.

Enjoy…

Wats are full of turkeys and frogs, and sometimes storks too…

If you are an animal lover, one of the first things you notice in Thailand are the decaying dogs laying around scenic Wats.

Their scabby bodies make my heart hurt. Yours too?

Disregarding the sickly canine and healthy cats – why is that? – Wats are wonderful places to find animals; if not actual wildlife.

Amongst the shady trees at Wat Chalerm Pragiat (วัด เฉลิม พระเกียรติ์), I counted turkeys, rabbits, guinea fowl, chickens, and peacocks: Thai Turkeys for Thanksgiving.

There’s even a fruit bat Wat in Chachoengsao Province (I’ve been, so expect a post sometime soon): The Bat Temple.

The reason I said, if not wildlife, is because this post was supposed to be about the Openbilled Stork Temple at Wat Phai Lom (วัดไผ่ล้อม).

To explain… Reading Richard’s instructions to the temple, I planned out my day. Then, loading into Khun Pissout’s taxi, Khun Phairo, Chris(tine) (a newcomer to Thailand), and myself drove quite a ways to the stork temple.

But instead of hearing thousands of storks circling above, only stragglers were to be found.

Why? Two months before the storks were due to arrive, the Thai government sprayed poison throughout the protected grounds. Why? The bird flu. Sigh… So I’ll just have to head back to Wat Phai Lom next year…

Storks were still showing up in ones and twos, but they’d leave the very same day. Sad.

Frog, frogs and more frogs…

Done out of my grand stork adventure – the lost photo opportunities were a grrrrrrrrr – I looked for a replacement. Logical, or no.

Storks eat frogs, so here you have it. A close enough fit:

Friendly Frogs Draw Tourists to Temple: Phrakhrupradit Kijjarak, 46, the abbot of Wat Rachpraditthan in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayudhaya District, said the temple’s frog community started out with two baby golden frogs that appeared in the lotus pond around the end of Buddhist lent in October..

The day after the story of the frogs was published in the Thai press, around 500 tourists came to pet the animals.

As the story was first published in the Thai press, I’m guessing that tourists = Thais. Now, as people go Thais are pretty small (shooting envy their way), but I still can’t imagine people of any size 500 crammed into this quiet strip of tiling at Wát Râatbpràdìttǎan (วัดราชประดิษฐาน). Can you?

Please excuse the driving in that video. I haven’t found my way around the knobs on the camera, so sometimes I’m zooming out when I should be zooming in.

Not knowing what type of frogs they were (and always wanting to know WHY?), I put the question to Hugh from Retire2Thailand.com. Hugh lives surrounded by a garden in Chiang Mai, which is closer to wildlife than most parts of Bangkok (where I am).

I did some reading on the frog farms and a very popular frog to raise here, and the one that might be in your picture could be the r.catesbeiana variety, or the introduced American Bullfrog. But that has a lot of green coloration in it. They also raise the r.tigerina and r. rugulose or tiger frogs. But they look really different from your picture.

In the market they tie the frogs together at the waist, about four or five to a bundle. They tie them so tight that I think it breaks their backs. I bought a bundle once thinking that I could release them. One couldn’t walk at all and the others were so injured that they just floated on the water.

I’ve eaten them too. They taste OK though and the Thais eat the whole body whereas the Americans, and French of course, seem to eat only the legs.

I use to eat “fried frog skins” (หนัง กบ ทอด – năng gòp tôt). They peel the skin off the frog and deep fry it like a potato chip. They come out exactly in the shape of a frog. But those were during my drinking days. Since I stopped that, potato chips are enough for me now.

The Asian Giant Toad (a close relative?) can be around 4″ – 8″ long and really fat like the one in your picture. I have seen (with my eyes) a cobra eating one. If you have a lot around your house you may also have cobras since that is what they like to eat. I don’t know anything else that eats them.

I sometimes find them in my shoes in the morning.

Here’s a list of things found (so far) in my shoes:

• Toads (คางคก – kaang-kók)
• Bull frogs (อึ่งอ่าง – èung-àang)
  The ones that sound like a herd of cows coming down the road in the rainy season.
• House geckos (จิ้งจก – jîng-jòk)
• House gecko eggs (ไข่จิ้งจก – kài jîng-jòk)
• Scorpions (แมงป่อง – maeng bpòng)
• Centipedes (ตะขาบ – dtà-kàap)
• Millipedes (กิ้งกือ – gîng-geu)
• Earth worms (ไส้เดือน – sâi deuan)
• Cockroaches (แมลงสาบ – má-laeng sàap)
• Spiders (แมงมุม – maeng mum)

Advice: Always shake your shoes out in the morning because you’ll never know what went in there the night before.

And now I know even more about Hugh. He has roomy shoes.

Like Hugh mentioned, in Thailand frogs are called กบ (gòp). At ObOb Farm, they are also known as dinner. If you click on that link, be sure to scroll down to see hundreds of the beautiful creatures.

Note: Frog photos will be going up at: Catherine Wentworth: Photography: Frogs. And no worries, I won’t post the many barbecued frogs in my collection. Not there anyway.

Enjoy…