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Can you read and write Thai?



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Can you read and write Thai?
Coffee Break Offline
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Can you read and write Thai?

Most of our members probably speak a fair amount of Thai but can you also read and write Thai? If so, how did you learn to read and write?

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10-23-2007 03:43 AM
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Sarathi Offline
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RE: Can you read and write Thai?

admin Wrote:Most of our members probably speak a fair amount of Thai but can you also read and write Thai? If so, how did you learn to read and write?

I can read it fine. Understanding what I read is something else.

I could never get the pronunciation of the words until I learned to read them first - my logical brain (and non-musical) needs something concrete to associate with the sounds.
10-23-2007 07:46 AM
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posttenebraslux Offline
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RE: Can you read and write Thai?

I can read and write Thai quite well but understanding is really something else. In daily life I get along well and am now trying to widen my vocabulary. My wife is never too tired to teach and to explain and she is quite successful with her insistence.
10-23-2007 10:51 AM
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Frank Offline
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RE: Can you read and write Thai?

I can read Thai at approx. the 4th to 5th grade level. My handwriting is quite pretty, but I don't spell Thai very well.

I taught myself to read basic Thai, but I needed a professional teacher to really get me reading well. It has also helped me a great deal with my vocabulary and pronounciation. As someone else noted, it is sometimes difficult to be sure of the correct pronounciation of a Thai word until you have seen it written. The Thai written language is very phonetic, though there are very very many rules that must be learned.

I recommend using a Thai language school which has a proper and professional language course appropriate for your level of study. I had a number of pretty good teachers whom I enjoyed, but they were just using the Thai gradeschool reading books. Adults don't learn language the same way as kids do, and quite frankly our vocabulary needs are somewhat different. I highly recommend the TLA school (http://www.tlaschool.com). They have a good curriculum and great teachers.

Right now I am living and working on the Eastern Seaboard and can't manage to schedule weekly Thai lessons in Bangkok. To keep my language development alive, I am reading Harry Potter in Thai. The Harry Potter series is written for teenage kids, so the vocabulary and content is somewhat appropriate for adults. Another huge advantage is that I have the English version to refer to also. K. Sumalee was very rigorous when she translated this book -- it follows the English version almost sentence by sentence (to the extent possible with two very different languages). Occasionally I am sure I understand every word in a sentence and still can't quite tease out the underlying meaning. A quick reference to the English language always solves the problem, and gives me excellent insight into the workings of the Thai language.

I also love the CyberDict 11 pocket electronic dictionary. It is a bit expensive, but the Thai English and English Thai dictionaries are much better than ThaiSoft (the common Dictionary installed on office PC's throughout Thailand). I carry the CyberDict 11 everywhere, and anytime I have time, I open a local newspaper or my Thai Harry Potter and start reading.

Now if only my aging brain could absorb the language as efficiently as my young children.

Frank T.
10-27-2007 02:48 AM
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