Learn Thai From A White Guy

One of the most frustrating things (primarily because of how time consuming it is) I experience as both a teacher and a learner is finding bodies of text that are somewhat related and contain crossover words and phrases.  Back in the days when I would occasionally get roped into teaching private English lessons I would buy a bunch of those Penguin Readers (out of my own pocket of course) and force my students to choose whichever one looked interesting to them and read it on the days between lessons.  Then they’d have to come back and tell me what it was about.  If their English was still on the low end I would tell them what it was about in different words over and over again while asking them questions to keep them involved and confirm that they were actually trying to read.   While the majority of these students faded out after a while,  a few of them actually put in some effort and improved dramatically in a short time.  It was just a matter of gradually letting them build up the vocabulary and perhaps more importantly confidence to talk about something.  When they didn’t know a word, I’d just tell them to use one from their language and then I’d note down what words they didn’t know so I could pummel the learner with them over and over in future lessons if they were important for telling the particular story.  If they started to get bored or frustrated with a book we’d start a new one,  but we would always come back to the previous one.  I’d spend a few minutes during each lesson asking them to tell me the story of The Murders in the Rue Morgue or whatever stories we had already read.  This significantly reinforced the whole process because I didn’t give them the opportunity to completely forget anything.  Many people do not have the slightest amount of discipline for doing flashcards so I would just sit and do the cards with them.  This allows me to to have them read it or turn the screen away so I can turn a card into a production card (where the learner is producing something as opposed to just reading/understanding) on the spot to check if they truly know it or are just able to recognize it.  Admittedly this is a pricey way to do flashcards (as I’m being paid for my time), but people tend to work harder when people are watching them.  I can’t stress enough how well this stuff works.  This is of course affected by how much effort the student and the teacher put into it.

It’s be pretty awesome if Penguin translated some of these books into other languages so more people could benefit.  Me for example.

The other day I read 3 headlines in the Thai wiki that were perfect for this post.  Enjoy.

These days, the only dictionary I use for Thai is http://dict.longdo.com/.  It is very possible that there are better dictionaries out there.  I know that there are a few others that access the same information as the above site, but I haven’t spent any time looking because there hasn’t been any need.  If anyone knows of better ones, please let me know.

Here are the main reasons why I’ve been using this one -

1. No transliteration + it usually has the Thai phonetic spelling for words with multiple or odd pronunciations.
2. Search results for definitions at the top are in Thai.  Often times the Thai def will give you a much better idea how to use the word as opposed to the Eng def.
3. Many of the words have usage examples.
4. Many words also have entries in Japanese and Chinese (as well as French and German) that occasionally appear in the results.

As an example I’ll use อึมครึม which I SRS’d fairly recently and haven’t seen again since.

I often feel that the greatest weakness of the blog format is that old content tends to be forgotten and needs to be repeated. Regular readers rarely access old materials for whatever reason.  I am not much different.  On sites in my rss feeds, there are a handful of posts that contain information that I want to go back to and I will usually email them to myself, but aside from that I only go back to most sites when there is new content to read.  While I hope to continue creating good content, I feel that I’m nearly always asked the same questions.  People learning their first 2nd language tend to ask the same questions.  They don’t really know what to do and simply telling them isn’t enough for them to believe it and find the discipline to actually do it.  I completely understand this as I often feel that I spread myself far too thin by always dabbling in a too many languages and could always be spending more time than I actually do.  So in order to streamline the process for newer readers, I’m going to provide links below to older posts that should anticipate and hopefully answer some of those questions that come up while you are climbing the language mountain.

Sometimes people seem to want me to tell them exactly what to do.  I then expend a lot of time and energy creating routines and flashcards for them, but then they don’t do it.  While this can be frustrating, it doesn’t really matter as long as you are doing something.  Chances are there will always be ways to improve on what you are currently doing so it doesn’t hurt to experiment.  If one way up the mountain seems impassable, go back down and find another way.  Master the basics, don’t fly through them.  Don’t just learn them.  Absorb them, conquer them.  Be able to run circles around the bottom of the mountain with ease before trying to make it all the way to the top.  This isn’t a race.

Don’t let anyone discourage you.  They will try.  This is normal as people tend to be pretty lame and rarely actually know what they are talking about.

Basic Tips/Concepts -

The Rules of the Game

Be a Cheater

Consistency -

Don’t Stop

Remembering Stuff -

Spaced Repetition System

Stages of Learning

Thai Tips -

Rhythm

De-Farang-ify

Reading Stuff -

How to Start

News

While I was in Korea I started doing something a little bit different and it seems to be working really well.  First, I take a piece of audio.  Usually from a short conversation from a podcast or whatever.  Than I put the whole clip on the front of an Anki card.  I put the text on the other side.  No English, so it’s stuff I kinda know, but might not catch because I’ve never really heard anybody say it before.  Then I break the clip into a bunch of pieces.  Usually an entire sentence, sometimes more if the context calls for it.  I make cards for all the individual pieces.  Then I take all the little audio clips and I throw them on my ipod and I loop it.  If a sentence pops up that I don’t really understand, I make a note to pay more attention to the card next time I see it.  This almost never happens though.  I kinda get the gist of it when making all the audio clips and typing up the conversation.  Then the repeated audio makes sure I can’t forget it.  After the audio has been floating around in my head for a while – the sentences just pop up in my head and I can say them.

I realize that while I have created a number of resources here, much of it isn’t very useful for a beginner that doesn’t know where to begin.  So I’m offering myself to you, dear readers.

Reading is ez!  It takes 1-2 weeks to go through the alphabet and all the tone rules, however, it will take a bit of regular practice before you are able to fully master/internalize everything.   From there we start reading the Wimpy kid books. We start easy with captions and go back and forth with that while drilling essential phrases until you can handle longer passages.  Then I keep feeding you useful language bits while you keep reading and working out the class/tone rules until you no longer need to think about them. I supply you with flashcards with audio for everything so you can review it.

Once you are ready for longer passages, we jump around in the Wimpy Kid books with you reading while I create flashcards for the more useful phrases and tell you what things mean. After you have a decent vocab and have begun to figure out how the language works, you can go off on your own or you can cut back your time spent with me and we can go through the whole book together.

It works slightly better in person because the internet in Thailand isn’t what I would call reliable, but via the magic of skype or google voice/vid chat distance really isn’t much of an obstacle.

Key Points/Strategies in my Method -

• No Textbooks
• No Phonetics/Transliteration
• Only Authentic Material that is Interesting (Wimpy Kid books!)
• SRS Flashcards (So you can’t forget)
• No Word Lists
• Fun Super-Useful Phrases (ie – 100 sentence project)
• No Pressure
• More Bang  for your Baht

Some genius has created something that has loads of potential.

Basically, I am completely sold on the fact that audio SRS cards are soooo much more effective than reading alone. The problem has been getting audio for the sentences you want. Our native speaker friends don’t always want to sit around recording loads of sentences for us. I usually cut up things using Audacity and have the text on the back of the card.

Anyways, Rhinospike is a site where users can submit text to be recorded and others in the community record it. I’ve put up the 2 pages form the Wimpy Kid book that I typed up and broke down in the hopes that I’d get a good reading of it. I was a bit disappointed with the results, but that doesn’t stop me from realizing the potential of this tool. As the recordings are made by error-prone humans, quality will vary, but it is still worth looking into.

I’ve been getting a lot of emails lately about people wanting to study with me. I am not in CM at the moment. I have come to Korea for 6 weeks to improve my Korean. It’s slow going, but I think a video of my busted Korean will be happening very soon.

I’m in the US at the moment just in time for the snowstorm.  My first time back in many years.

Anyways, I did a couple more breakdowns for some of the more recent vids.  As before, if there is a request for a particular vid I can always do that first.

I’d say nearly everything in these 2 vids is worth SRS-ing.

http://learnthaifromawhiteguy.com/2009/09/10/i-cant-remember-transcript/

http://learnthaifromawhiteguy.com/2009/09/18/what’d-you-do-today-transcript/

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6D7RVVa9tQ]

ก็อักษรกลาง อักษรกลางภาษาไทยจะมีทั้งหมด 9 ตัว ก็จะมี ก จ ด ต ฎ ฏ บ ป อ ซึ่งการจะจำแบบนี้ มันจะเป็นเรื่องที่ยาก Brett ก็เลยแนะนำวิธีการจำเป็นเรื่องเป็นราวให้ง่ายๆ ดังต่อไปนี้ ก็คือ มีเด็กอยู่ 1 คน เค้าชอบเลี้ยงสัตว์ซึ่งสัตว์ที่เค้าเลี้ยงจะมีอยู่ 3 ชนิดก็คือ มีปลา มีเต่า แล้วก็มีไก่ ซึ่งทั้ง 3 ชนิดเนี่ย เด็กคนนี้ก็เลยต้องเลี้ยงให้มันสามารถดำรงชีวิตอยู่ได้ ก็เลยเอาไปใส่ไว้ในอ่าง ซึ่งเป็นอ่างน้ำที่ใหญ่ๆ แล้วก็จะต้องเลี้ยงอาหารให้กับมันเพราะว่าไม่งั้นมันก็จะไม่มีชีวิตรอด ซึ่งอาหารที่เค้าจะให้ก็คือ ใบไม้ แล้วถ้าเกิดว่าเราเลี้ยงมันแล้วเราไม่ ไม่ปิดมันเงี่ย มันก็จะทำให้มันสามารถหนีออกไปได้ใช่ไหม หลบหนีออกไปได้ ฉะนั้นเราต้องหาอะไรสักสิ่งหนึ่งมาปิด ซึ่งฝามันก็หายไปแล้ว ก็เลยใช้จานที่มีอยู่ที่บ้านมาปิด ก็จะทำให้มันสามารถที่จะดำรงชีวิตอยู่ในบ้านเรา ที่เราเลี้ยงได้ก็ จบ ก็จะมีครบหมดเลยทั้ง 9 ตัวลองไปหาดูในเรื่องราวเมื่อกี้ (อืม…)

หมายเหตุ….ตัว ฎ ฏ จะไม่มีเพราะมันออกเสียงเหมือน ด ต ตามลำดับอยู่แล้วเลยไม่มีในเรื่อง

Breakdown

ก็อักษรกลาง – So, these middle class consonants…

อักษรกลางภาษาไทยจะมีทั้งหมด 9 ตัว Thai has 9 middle class consonants.

ก็จะมี – They are..ก จ ด ต ฎ ฏ บ ป อ

ซึ่งการจะจำแบบนี้ – and so remembering them like this

มันจะเป็นเรื่องที่ยาก – can be difficult

Brett ก็เลยแนะนำวิธีการจำเป็นเรื่องเป็นราว – So Brett came up with a story

ให้ง่ายๆ – to make it easier.

ดังต่อไปนี้ – As follows…

ก็คือ มีเด็กอยู่ 1 คน – So there is this kid…

เค้าชอบเลี้ยงสัตว์ – and he likes keeping pets.

ซึ่งสัตว์ที่เค้าเลี้ยงจะมีอยู่ 3 ชนิด and he has 3 different pets (kinds).

ก็คือ มีปลา He’s got a fish.

มีเต่า a turtle

แล้วก็มีไก่ and a chicken

ซึ่งทั้ง 3 ชนิดเนี่ย and so all 3 of these animals

เด็กคนนี้ – so this kid

ก็เลยต้องเลี้ยงให้มันสามารถดำรงชีวิตอยู่ได้ – takes care of all of these animals

ก็เลยเอาไปใส่ไว้ในอ่าง and keeps them in a basin (that shower bucket thing)

ซึ่งเป็นอ่างน้ำที่ใหญ่ๆ a big bucket/basin

แล้วก็จะต้องเลี้ยงอาหารให้กับมัน – and of course he needs to feed them

เพราะว่าไม่งั้นมันก็จะไม่มีชีวิตรอด because if he didn’t how would they survive?

ซึ่งอาหารที่เค้าจะให้ก็คือ and he feeds them

ใบไม้ leaves

แล้วถ้าเกิดว่าเราเลี้ยงมันแล้วเราไม่ so if we have these animals

ไม่ปิดมันเงี่ย and we don’t close/cover (up the basin)

มันก็จะทำให้มันสามารถหนีออกไปได้ใช่ไหม they’d be able to get out (of the basin where they are kept) right?

หลบหนีออกไปได้  they’d be able to escape

ฉะนั้นเราต้องหาอะไรสักสิ่งหนึ่งมาปิด – so we need to have something to cover the basin with

ซึ่งฝามันก็หายไปแล้ว – but we lost the lid

ก็เลยใช้จาน – so we use a plate

ที่มีอยู่ที่บ้านมาปิด from the house to close it up

ก็จะทำให้มันสามารถที่จะดำรงชีวิตอยู่ในบ้านเรา which allows them to stay in the house

ที่เราเลี้ยงได้ก็ จบ so we can take care of them.  That’s it.

ก็จะมีครบหมดเลยทั้ง 9 ตัว Oh, and there are actually 9 letters in all.

ลองไปหาดูในเรื่องราวเมื่อกี้ (อืม…) But if you check the story I just told…

หมายเหตุ….ตัว ฎ ฏ the reason the othe other 2 letters ฎ ฏ

จะไม่มี are left out

เพราะมันออกเสียงเหมือน ด ต  because they sound the same as ด and ต

I came up with this story the other day while making flashcards for one of my students.  Mnemonics are great.

In order for this mnemonic to work properly, you should try to imagine the story in your mind.  Pictures you make in your head are easier to remember than actual images.

To reinforce it you might make SRS cards to quiz you on the story.   Ex – Q – What pets does the middle class kid keep?  A ปลา ไก่ เต่า

There is a middle class kid (เด็ก) who likes to keep pets.

He has a fish (ปลา), a turtle (เต่า) and a chicken (ไก่).

Where does he keep these pets?  In his basin (อ่าง) of course.  (Actually try to imagine a big bucket with a chicken, a turtle and a fish swimming around inside it always bumping into each other)

He needs to feed the pets.  They eat leaves (ใบ ไม้).

Also, he needs to make sure they don’t get out so he keeps a big plate (จาน) on top of the อ่าง.

Yes, I left out the other 2 as they aren’t vital when you first start reading.  If you are solid on this story its easy to add in the other ones.

So in a recent post I posted a brief excerpt from a book I’m reading at the moment.  I was hoping somebody had read the book or seen the movie and remembered one of the more famous lines, but perhaps not.

Getting the book was a bit of a hassle.  Not for me, but for my student, Boo, who is often roped into being my speaker for the Language Space vids.  You can hear about some of the adventure in this vid.  As it turns out, there were only 2 sets (sold as a trilogy) left in Thailand.  Now there is only 1.

Anyways, I often look through the wikis of stuff that I like or used to like so I thought I’d break down the really short wiki on Dune in Thai because there is some great SRS stuff inside if you ever end up digging into this kind of stuff.

Remember, it is only hard because you have no experience doing it.  You can study for 10 years and it will still be hard.  The only way it will get easier is if you actually start doing it.  I’m not just referring to language here.  You only suck at something because you haven’t put in enough time yet.   Don’t let the nonsense that comes out of other people’s mouths affect how you think about yourself and what you are (in)capable of.  Everything gets easier with practice.  Don’t wait for the right time or the right setup.  Just get started now.  Figure out how to make it better along the way.  Just do something and stop whining.   You certainly can’t get worse by doing it.

I expect it to take me at least a year to finish the Dune trilogy in Thai.  Thai is pretty low-priority for me these days, but I keep plugging away to keep the new words coming in.  I’ll sit down 2-4 times a week and set a min time limit.  Usually 15 minutes.  Then I just read.  There are always words I don’t know, but I know whats going on in the story.  It tends to be the more artsy descriptive language that I end up guessing with.  I allow myself to write down 1-2 words/page that I may want to look up later, but only if a word really jumps out at me.    After 15 min is up, if I feel bored, tired or whatever I stop then and move on to something else.  If I am into what is going on in the story and want to keep going, I give myself another 15 min.  Its rare that I get past 30 min in one sitting.  The Thai version is nearly 700 pages and I think I’m in the 70s at the moment.   The thing that keeps me going is that I want to read the story and my Thai reading ability is passable enough that I can do this.  But I also know that by the time I am halfway through the book, I will be used to the style of writing, have a better idea what a lot of those funny descriptive words mean making the whole process worth it.  It will get easier and more fun.  The first book will take the longest for sure.

http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/ดูน_(นวนิยาย)

ดูน (อังกฤษ: Dune) เป็นนิยายวิทยาศาสตร์โดยแฟรงค์ เฮอร์เบิร์ต ตีพิมพ์ครั้งแรกเมื่อ ค.ศ. 1965 จำหน่ายได้มากกว่า 12 ล้านเล่มทั่วโลก ^[1] ได้รับรางวัลเนบิวลาประจำปี ค.ศ. 1965

ดูนมีเนื้อหาเกี่ยวกับโลกอนาคต กล่าวถึงการดำรงอยู่ของมนุษย์ วิวัฒนาการ สังคมวิทยา นิเวศน์วิทยา โดยอ้างอิงถึงเรื่องศาสนา การเมือง และอำนาจ ได้รับการยกย่องให้เป็นหนึ่งในสองวรรณกรรมวิทยาศาสตร์ที่ดีที่สุดในโลก เทียบเท่ากับ เดอะลอร์ดออฟเดอะริงส์ ของเจ. อาร์. อาร์. โทลคีน ^[2] (จากการสำรวจเมื่อปี 1975)

นิยายวิทยาศาสตร์ Sci-Fi

ตีพิมพ์ครั้งแรกเมื่อ ค.ศ. 1965 – first printed in 1965

จำหน่ายได้มากกว่า 12 ล้านเล่ม sold more than 12 million copies

ทั่วโลก worldwide

ได้รับรางวัลเนบิวลาประจำปี ค.ศ. 1965 –  received the annual Nebula award in 1965

เนื้อหา –  content

เกี่ยวกับ – about; concerning

โลกอนาคต – a future  world

กล่าวถึง – telling of; talking about

การดำรงอยู่ของ – the exsistence of..

มนุษย์ – human

วิวัฒนาการ – evolution

สังคมวิทยา – sociology

นิเวศน์วิทยา – ecology

ศาสนา – religion

การเมือง – politics

อำนาจ – power

ได้รับการยกย่อง – received praise..

หนึ่งในสอง – 1 of 2

วรรณกรรมวิทยาศาสตร์ – sci-fi

ที่ดีที่สุดในโลก – best in the world

เทียบเท่ากับ – compared with