Accents and dialects

[KDNG]

I am new to learning Thai, but not to a different language. For those you have good proficient levels to full on fluent, when you were learning and practicing in Thailand, were you able to pick up on the different accents from the various regions? My second language is Spanish and when I started to hear other accents (not to include dialects) it was very odd to me, especially hearing Old World Spanish accents. When I learned Arabic (suck at it now lol) I picked up on different accents even if I could not understand the person fully and be able to identify what country they were from.

 

I know dialects can screw things up, especially if the girl may talk in Lao, since it is very similiar to Thai. Basically all I am asking is for your experiences with accents and learning them in Thai. Are you able to distinguish the accents and what province they re from? I do understand of other factors such as slang and phrases that are lost in direct translation, etc.

[Dr.Winston]

I am new to learning Thai, but not to a different language. For those you have good proficient levels to full on fluent, when you were learning and practicing in Thailand, were you able to pick up on the different accents from the various regions? My second language is Spanish and when I started to hear other accents (not to include dialects) it was very odd to me, especially hearing Old World Spanish accents. When I learned Arabic (suck at it now lol) I picked up on different accents even if I could not understand the person fully and be able to identify what country they were from.

 

I know dialects can screw things up, especially if the girl may talk in Lao, since it is very similiar to Thai. Basically all I am asking is for your experiences with accents and learning them in Thai. Are you able to distinguish the accents and what province they re from? I do understand of other factors such as slang and phrases that are lost in direct translation, etc.

 

It will take quite a bit of time before you can distinguish different accents. It's not so hard to pick up on different dialects though because quite often they use different words. The pace is often a give away, they tend to speak Thai very quickly in the South, it often seems to have an "Indian" twang to it.

 

My advice is just concentrate on Central Thai for now. Don't try to get ahead of yourself. You will be doing well just to hear the different tones in standard Thai to start with (unless you already have some knowledge of another tonal language).

[Ajay75]

I've just been learning Bangkok thai as seems to be the safest option (plus my teacher is from there).

 

I have enough trouble trying to understand some English dialects let alone Thai ones.

[LaaMok]

I dont think i notice accents, just tend to find poorer people harder to understand... listening to people on TV speaking clearer and BKK Thai is notably different.... except they speak to fast

 

I have been watching a lot of thai tv recently, i would guess that i am able to understand 10% and guess at least another 20%. However when i watch dubbed films and that guy with the deep voice speaks the Thai, I find it very difficult.

[barney]

My advice is just concentrate on Central Thai for now.

I wish I could, but I spend half of my time in LOS up by the Laos border (Mukdahan way) - so I don't get to hear too much Central Thai.

[Dr.Winston]

I wish I could, but I spend half of my time in LOS up by the Laos border (Mukdahan way) - so I don't get to hear too much Central Thai.

I know Mukdahaan but I haven't been there since they built the new bridge over the river. When I said concentrate on Central Thai I assumed that the OP was studying via some kind of tape/CD course. I've never really been into the "just pick it up" approach but of course we all have our preferences.

[barney]

I know Mukdahaan but I haven't been there since they built the new bridge over the river. When I said concentrate on Central Thai I assumed that the OP was studying via some kind of tape/CD course. I've never really been into the "just pick it up" approach but of course we all have our preferences.

 

I did buy the linguaphone course to get me started and it worked pretty well, but hearing the same thing over and over drains the will to live after a while........I'm happy to know enough to get by at the moment, as I've got the missus for in depth stuff, and I'm sure it'll all fall into place eventually - baw pen yang.

[Dr.Winston]

I did buy the linguaphone course to get me started and it worked pretty well, but hearing the same thing over and over drains the will to live after a while........I'm happy to know enough to get by at the moment, as I've got the missus for in depth stuff, and I'm sure it'll all fall into place eventually - baw pen yang.

khoop jai lai lai

[barney]

khoop jai lai lai

 

Jao wow lao reu plao?

[Dr.Winston]

Jao wow lao reu plao?

Boo pen dook

[barney]

Boo pen dook

 

Daw laer.

[Dr.Winston]

Daw laer.

 

ee yang

[barney]

ee yang

 

Ee yang? Daw laer plae wah goh hok, mai chai lor?

[Dr.Winston]

Ee yang? Daw laer plae wah goh hok, mai chai lor?

boo go hok dook

[barney]

boo go hok dook

 

So how do you get on with khmer?

[Dr.Winston]

So how do you get on with khmer?

moi, pii, bai, buan, bram, bram moi, bram pii, bram bai, bram buan, top.

[lincslad]

Just in case anyone is having trouble understanding this I have translated the conversation.

 

 

 

 

khoop jai lai lai

 

My penis is very small

 

Jao wow lao reu plao?

 

So is mine

 

Boo pen dook

 

Its embarrassing.

 

Daw laer.

 

I know

 

ee yang

 

3 inches.

 

Ee yang? Daw laer plae wah goh hok, mai chai lor?

 

Thats terrible, I've heard Lincslads penis is massive and the Thai chicks love it

 

boo go hok dook

 

Thats correct.

Edited December 2, 2008 by lincslad

[Dr.Winston]

Sussed!

[barney]

You didn't pick up on the bit about warts then?

[barney]

moi, pii, bai, buan, bram, bram moi, bram pii, bram bai, bram buan, top.

So the bar girls really are never going to be able to talk about you without you sussing it then?

[Dr.Winston]

So the bar girls really are never going to be able to talk about you without you sussing it then?

No, I don't know much khmer. The bar girls don't lose me very often though Still think you're better off with Central Thai, then you can just pick up the dialects as you go along.

[barney]

No, I don't know much khmer. The bar girls don't lose me very often though Still think you're better off with Central Thai, then you can just pick up the dialects as you go along.

 

My wife speaks Central Thai mostly, as do the more well-to-do members of her family...... but nobody else, and it's not helped by the fact that everybody is arseholed on lao kao most of the time! I feel like someone that's trying to learn English and then goes to stay in Glasgow or Belfast.

[Dr.Winston]

My wife speaks Central Thai mostly, as do the more well-to-do members of her family...... but nobody else, and it's not helped by the fact that everybody is arseholed on lao kao most of the time! I feel like someone that's trying to learn English and then goes to stay in Glasgow or Belfast.

Yeah, there's some serious piss heads up that way. Always drunk or stoned in the Pineapple plantations! A mate of mine who lived there wanted a well dug. He said he would pay the locals the going rate. A few turned up and did sod all, so after a few days he gave up on paying them and offered free lao khao to anybody who wanted to help. Got it finished in two days. Anyway better leave it now, this must have been the mother of all threadfucks! khoop jai der.

[Gobby]

pum yak ut toot puop kun..... dai mai krup?

 

5555

[herds]

Correct me if i'm wrong but don't all schools in thailand only teach 'thai language' i.e. bangkok thai? so people only speak their regional dialect at home with their families and/or friends?

 

If that's right then why bother learning a regional dialect if everyone (bar the people that didn't go to school) speaks thai?

 

I met some guy in a bar in patts that was speaking a little issan to the bg's but had lived for 4 years in bangkok, when i asked if he could speak central thai he said only a little bit (which he was right about), didn't get that myself, งง.

Edited December 2, 2008 by herds