to speak thai
Learning To Speak Thai
The main problem with learning to speak Thai is that the basis of the language is not European-based. English and the other Euro languages have Latin, Greek, Viking, etc., roots; Thai does not, so you have to memorize hundreds, if not thousands, of strange and unrelated sounds. This is difficult, unless you use some sort of memory trigger.
Speak Easy Thai is a low-cost (about US$25) CD-ROM that helps solve this problem by presenting a picture and a sound file; all words are spoken by a native Thai speaker, so you hear the correct tone.
Learning The Thai Language
Thai can be a difficult language to learn mainly because it is a tonal language. One word can have several different meanings depending on the tone used when speaking. Take, for instance, the word mai…depending on the tone when said it can mean: Not, new, burn, silk, and wood. In all there are five tones used in the Thai language and they are: Low tone, mid tone, high tone, rising tone, and falling tone.
If you are going to Thailand on your first trip, having a basic knowledge of the language and using some Thai words and or sentences will give a smile to the locals and can save you some baht when shopping at the markets. You’ll also find it easy to pick up on words when around the native speakers and you’ll hear the correct pronunciation. Don’t be afraid to speak the Thai that you learn because you may say something the wrong way and inadvertently offend someone, the Thai people know their language is hard to learn for foreigners and can usually figure out what you were trying to say.
Is it Worth Learning Thai?
It is amazing how many ex-pats you meet in Phuket and Thailand who have lived here for years and can barely string a sentence together in Thai. I know a few long-term ex-pats whose Thai vocabulary is less than 10 words. The simple fact is you do not need to learn Thai to live in Thailand, especially if you are in one of the tourist destinations such as Phuket. Does that mean it is not worth learning Thai?
I know a few ex-pats who insist it is a total waste of time to learn Thai. They say you do not need to speak Thai because there are always people around who speak English. They say they have wives or staff who can act as interpreters. They even claim to have the moral high ground as they say it is more important for Thais to learn English as it is a major international language. Therefore, by not speaking Thai and forcing Thais to speak English they are doing them a favour.