Learning Thai The Easiest Way

Aaron is from California, but lives in Thailand, north of Chiang Mai. He first came to Thailand 30 years ago as an amateur photographer. Aaron became fascinated with Thai culture and language. Since then, he has learned to speak Thai fluentlry.

Aaron has taught English to Thai students and Thai to English speakers. He is the author of two books, Thai Phrase Book with Tones, and Thai Language Course, Speaking and Listening, 4th Edition. Recently, Aaron received a Master's Degree in Economics from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Expats Guide: How important is knowing how to speak Thai when living in Thailand?

Aaron: Speaking Thai is useful the first moment you arrive at the airport. A little friendly hello (Sa-wat dee) will speed you through customs, help you get a taxi, and get you off to a good start in "The Land of Smiles".

As for living in Thailand, I don't know how a foreigner could live here without learning Thai. Yes, some Thais can speak a bit of English, but if you can speak Thai, even just a few words, doors begin to open for you like magic. Thais love it when a foreigner speaks Thai. You have instant friends. Prices suddenly become cheaper and everything is negotiable. You are less likely to get scammed and more likely to be treated with respect.

For men who speak a bit of Thai, you have an opportunity to meet some of the most stunningly beautiful women in the world. Foreign women who speak Thai are precious jewels. They will find kindness everywhere they go.

Outside of the tourist areas, Thai is essential if you want to order a cup of coffee, ask where the bus station is, or find your way back to your hotel. There are large sections of Thailand where nobody speaks English. A little bit of learning Thai makes life easier and a lot more fun.

Expats Guide: Is Thai a hard language to learn and pronounce?

Aaron: Some linguists believe that Thai is one of the most difficult languages in the world. On the other hand, I have met a few people who have "just picked up the language". However, these gifted souls are quite rare. For most of us humans, learning Thai requires effort.

Personally, I was never very good at learning foreign languages. When I first tried to learn Thai, I didn't make much progress. The turning point was learning how to learn. Almost by accident, I discovered the power of repetition. One day, a long time ago, I was alone in a cheap flophouse in Bangkok, practicing Thai. I remember that there were some Thai people eavesdropping on me outside in the hallway. They could hear me stumbling and struggling. Suddenly, the Thai people out in the hallway began clapping and cheering me on! Somehow, I had managed to hit the sweet spots of the five tones. Eureka! It was like spilling the contents of a test tube in a laboratory and accidentally inventing a new cure for cancer.

Once I learned how to learn, the rest was easy. I learned most of my Thai in about 30 days. I now use the same method for teaching Thai. I call it the "hammer and nail method". If you keep pounding that nail, eventually it will sink in. Yes, there is a lot of academic gobbledygook about how best to learn a language, but I know from my own experience what really works. Lock yourself in a quiet room and Drill Baby Drill! You will need a book that has tone marks. You must have sound -- tape, mp3, or CD. Focus on the tones, because that is our weakness. Your learning curve will be fast.

Expats Guide: What is unique about the Thai language?

Aaron: The Thai language is a mono-syllabic tonal language. Every syllable is pronounced in one of five tones. For westerners, this is our greatest obstacle. Although we speak in variable pitches, we are not really aware of it. We have a mental block when it comes to constraining all of our speech to one of five distinct tones. Once this mental block is broken, the floodgates open and out comes the Thai. Although learning thai tones is bit difficult at first, it's also a lot of fun. Thais enjoy jokes about their own language. If you say a word but use the wrong tone, it will have a meaning entirely different than what you intended. The Thais are likely to burst into laughter. You will be left wondering what you might have said that caused so much hilarity.

Expats Guide: Are there different Thai accents? Which one is most used?

Aaron: There are four Thai dialects, northern, southern, north-eastern, and central. Almost all Thais can speak the central dialect. This is the most useful dialect to learn. The northeastern dialect (Issan) would be helpful if you are traveling to Lao. But even in Lao, most Lao people can understand Thai, as the two languages are closely related. In the north, you may encounter Thai Yai language. This language belt stretches from India, Burma, and China to Vietnam. I have included a chapter on Thai Yai in my Thai Language Course, 4th Edition. Other braches of the Tai language family (of which modern Thai is a subset) include Thai Lue, Lanna, the Red Tai, Black Tai, and many obscure variants.

It's best to learn Central Thai. Bangkok Thai is fine and some consider it Central Thai. Whenever I travel to Ayuttaya, I notice that even the taxi drivers sound like university graduates. That's because they speak pure Central Thai-- with crisp consonants and clean tones, music to my ears.

Expats Guide: What about learniing Thai grammer, and how different is it from the English Grammer?

Aaron: Learning Thai grammar is not difficult. As in English, Thai sentences are usually constructed in the order of subject-verb-object-indirect object. Adjectives follow the noun. Adverbs follow verbs.

Strictly speaking, the Thai language does not have verb tenses. This makes Learning Thai grammar quite easy. (How well I remember suffering through my German classes in High School). In Thai, verbs do not change their form. An adverb of time can be added to show when something happens. Verb tense is also expressed by using time markers, special words that indicate time at which an action occurs.

I do not devote a lot of time to grammar when I teach Thai. Grammar is not our problem, tones are. Grammar comes naturally as you practice speaking. Actually, it is quite possible to learn to speak a language without knowing any grammar at all! Most English speakers could not tell you the difference between an adverbial clause and a split infinitive. Furthermore, who cares?

Expats Guide: Please tell us a little about the Thai writing system.

Aaron: Thai script has its origins in Sanskrit. If you take a look at the carved stone writing on Indian temples in Bangkok, you can see the similarities. Many of the same letters also appear in Lao and Cambodian. The Thais seem to have gotten a bit carried away with their 44 consonants and infinite vowel combinations. However, in some respects, Thai is easier than English. Words tend to be short, usually only one syllable. Pronunciation closely resembles the spelling. To borrow a computer term, Thai is WISIWIG. What you see is what you get. The tone of a syllable is determined by its spelling and by applying "tone rules" With few exceptions, Thai is pronounced as it is written.

Learning to write Thai letters is relatively easy and can be learned with a few days of practice. Learning to apply the tone rules is a bigger challenge. Most students of the Thai language learn to speak long before they learn to write. The ability write helps to improve speaking. Because so few foreigners can write Thai, those who can are highly respected.

Expats Guide: What would you recommend to someone who is planning on moving to Thailand in regards to learning Thai language?

Invest time and a little effort in learning Thai Language. You will be glad that you did. Learning Thai is not as difficult as you might think. For some, it helps to have a good teacher. Others learn with CDs and a good book. In either case, you will need to break the tonal barrier. Thai without tones is not really Thai. Put some effort into tone pronunciation right from the start. At some point, you will have your "Eureka!" moment, but only if you seek it.

Expats Guide: Thank you Aaron for your great tips and advice about learning Thai and the Thai language.

More information can be found at http://tlc.orgfree.com

Thai Language Course 4th Edition, Tiger Press
340 PAGES - 17 CHAPTERS - 2 CDs - 135 MINUTES

This book provides the tools for learning to speak Thai. It features word-for-word literal translation, complete transliteration with tone marks, and two CDs with speakers from Bangkok, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai.