Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand August / September 2015 - Art & Education Issue | Page 27

Education meanings to that single word. My Thai teacher explained from day one that whilst the five tones are very much part of the Thai language, they are not something to worry about and definitely should not put us off learning Thai. We rarely speak in one-word sentences, so even if we try speaking Thai and get a tone of a certain word wrong, most Thais will be able to figure out what we want to say given the context of the sentence. 5 “WHENEVER I TRY TO SPEAK THAI, THE THAIS JUST SPEAK ENGLISH BACK.” don’t have to speak in English. Many Thais are just as shy or lazy to speak English as we are to speak Thai. Yet, they know it’s kind of expected from them with any foreigner. They feel the pressure, too. WHY PEOPLE DON’T LEARN THAI: MYTH OR FACT? I have heard many reasons for not wanting to learn Thai, too. Some of them are valid and some are not. 1 “EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH, SO I DON’T FEEL I NEED TO.” Fact. Most Thais do speak a degree of English, especially in parts of Thailand where more foreigners visit or live, so it is every easy in these areas to get by with English. 2 speakers sound to us when they speak English. There’s no need to feel embarrassed. 3 “I DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT ME.” Generally a myth. I can only speak from personal experience and can wholeheartedly say that, even when I have been in situations where no one knows I can understand, I have only ever heard good things said about me! 4 “I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO WORK OUT THE TONES.” Fact, but an unimportant one, in my opinion. Indeed, we know that one word can be said in five different tones, giving five completely different Fact but unimportant. Yes, often Thais will speak English back if you try speaking Thai. They want to practice their English! I have held many conversations where I speak Thai and the Thai speaks English. We both get to practice. TOP TIPS FOR LEARNING THAI 1. To be able to speak basic Thai requires approximately 20 hours of lessons. The quicker you do this, the faster you learn. 2. Don’t let the fear of the tones put you off! 3. Take your Thai skills out of the classroom. The best practice is out there with real people in the real world. THE PERKS OF SPEAKING THAI My partner and I have lived in Thailand now for 6.5 years. Only when “WHEN I E%