The best way to learn to speak Thai is ..........

[Rapid]

Gonzo is right. Learn to read first. I've just created a new post that discusses the importance of reading and how it will help you to speak/listen/communicate fluently in Thai relatively quickly and effectively.

If you are learning Thai, DON'T learn phonetically. It's wrong. You will develop "bad habits". And it will be almost impossible to unlearn. When you learn to read Thai script, you will also "see" the correct pronunciation. In fact, it is almost impossible to hear what native Thai people are saying accurately unless you can read (at least for adults).

Once you do have an accurate understanding of a Thai word or phrase, the next step is to train your mouth and tongue to speak. It's like going to the gym. Speak in a slow, exaggerated way at first. Practice saying the same phrase(s) over and over again until it becomes a muscle memory. It's the same process as learning to dance or becoming skilled at golf or taekwando... Podcasts are quite good for this.

And mimic the Thai way of saying things, even if you are speaking English! This is how you get the accent right. Be silly. Exaggerate. It may sound foolish to you, but it sounds perfectly natural and clear to Thai ears.

Mod comment: Your other topic post was deleted because it ended with what looked like an advertisement. You made many good points, but when you advertise something you are selling, please contact the advertising department of the Bangkok Post. Thanks.

[Rapid]

Thai is not a "tonal" language - at least not any more tonal than English

Don't think that Thai is difficult to speak because it is "tonal". Yes, Thai uses tones, but so does virtually every other language. In English, we use tones, but in a different way.

Here's how to say the tones correctly in Thai:

1. The Rising Tone. Think of this as the Question Tone. It is exactly the same as asking a question in English. "Is it mine?" "Is it sohng?" Be very careful not to use the rising tone when asking a question in Thai, unless you end a sentence with something like "mai?" Otherwise it will sound strange and confusing.

2. The High Tone. Think of this is the Skeptical Tone. It's the same tone we use in English when we feel a bit unsure about what we are saying: "Are you sure?" or "Really?"

3. The Falling Tone. Think of this is the Emphatic Tone. It's what we say when we want to emphasize or underscore a word: "Wow!" or "Yeah!". Start by actually making a fist when saying anything with a falling tone. After a while, make a fist in your mind. It will eventually become automatic and simply sound right.

4. The Low Tone. Think of this as a Monotonous Chant: "Ohmmmmm..."

5. There is no 5th tone. I call the "medium tone" the "no tone" or "boring tone". Just speak in a flat monotonous voice when there is "no tone"

[Jason McDonald]

To be honest Rapid,

You just need to practice and have a native Thai correct you all the time. When I first tried to get to my place in a very Thai area of Bangkok 90% of the taxi drivers couldn't understand me and just shock their head and drove off. Now 90% understand me and take me to where I want to go. They are even very suprised "Oh you speak Thai very clearly" they tell me. But from listening to radio TV and Thai people I think that Thai men do not use tones that much but speak middle tone mixed with a few rising tones (except when they sing). On the other hand Thai ladies use tones all the time and I love to listen to them speak.

Practice , practice, practice.
Now if I could only go into a shop and order a yellow shirt instead of a r*y*l tiger I will think my Thai is pretty good.

[stilljustbrowsing]

In any country, so far as I am aware, babies learn to speak simple words first... yes... no... want.... no want... etc.
Then they learn simple sentences..... I want that...... I like you.....etc.
Only then do we start to teach them how to read and write.
Why should learning a foreign language be treated any differenly?
I speak Thai, but cannot read or write Thai.
Too many academics never leave school, that is the problem.
My Thai students can read and write english, unfortunately, most cannot speak in english.
BTW, I do not teach english, I teach about aircraft and aviation.

[Rapid]

As adults, we learn very differently from children. So learning to speak first (by immersion) is time-consuming and sloppy. Adults are more cognitive in their thinking - and we already know a lot about the world and our own language. So it is far more efficient to build on what we have, rather than trying to start from scratch.

Yes, many people do only learn how to read and write in a foreign language, but can't speak it. There is another reason for that: lack of physical practice. Speaking is a muscular ability and you have to train your mouth & tongue muscles to enunciate correctly. It's more like learning to dance than learning a language. There's nothing academic about that (and perhaps that's why it's not usually part of language teaching).

What reading does is to accelerate your ability to hear the language. If you learnt simply by listening (i.e. by immersion) then you probably communicate in a fairly approximate "street-wise" manner. That's probably okay for you - but can you express your emotions, or discuss politics or have a business discussion...?

I strongly recommend that you learn to read Thai (writing isn't really important). If you can already understand and speak Thai then you will find that your fluency in Thai and mastery of the language will improve dramatically.

[stilljustbrowsing]

Hi rapid, your explanations make sense to me because I can read english, write the same in Thai and I would have no idea about what you are trying to explain.
your assumptions of the difference in learning technique between adults and children is without foundation and as such should be treated as such.
the best Spanish teacher I had was english who had learnt spanish and understood the problems. The worst spanish teacher I had was a Spaniard who learnt to speak english easily.
Assumptions and ignorance of the big picture is the bane of educational societies for all spend too much time talking to actually listen to others.

Do I care if what I say is 'past, present, or future tense? No, understanding of meaning is far more important and we leave the absolute correctness to the lawyers who make a lot of money out of twisting words and meanings.

[Rapid]

Actually, stilljust... you are more or less supporting my view, although it appears that you vehemently disagree with it. I am not advocating the traditional learn-grammar-and-read-from-text-books approach. Quite the opposite. Nor am I talking about "academic" correctness as measured by language ability tests.

The best teachers are those who have learnt the language themselves; and yourself - through reading stuff that interests YOU. Start by reading pulp fiction, magazines, etc. that write in a colloquial style. Business and political texts use a slightly different language, perhaps not so colloquial - but you'll need to know how to express yourself if you want to have a business conversation. That will come from reading industry journals and articles...

You are absolutely right when you say that meaning is more important than correctness. When you develop a "stamina" for reading then you begin to develop more subtle ways to communicate meaning accurately (in the sense of geting the message across clearly, not the grammatical correctness of your sentences).

There's plenty of research that shows 1) that people learn much more quickly and deeply through "recreational" reading rather than tradtional schooling (e.g. Stephen Krashen) and 2) that adults think and learn in a completely different way from children. I am currently doing research in this area: I advise on "anti-school" approaches to learning (children learn more effectively by not attending school), I teach people to read Thai in 12-15 hours using ancient memory & visual thinking techniques, design "mathematical thinking" courses that don't involve numbers or algebra, and help "uneducated" teenagers to understand graduate courses in a quarter of the time it takes adults to study the same material.

It would be an interesting experiment if you learnt to read Thai using my methods - and then report back in six months to see if your conversational abilities have improved siubstantially as a result - or not!

[sulasno]

if many Thais can't speak "Thai", do I, as a foreigner, stand a chance of speaking "Thai" like a Thai ?

[NorDevil]

and do they teach Thai over there ?

Just as well as the teach English, but don't get your hopes up about either, will ya?

If you're looking for a good kindergarten, the Australia is the place for YOU!

Looks like you also need a trip to Australia . . . . . . . .
Learning Thai can be difficult as one word can have so many meanings.I think that anyone coming to live here or in any country should atleast learn a few words . . . . just to show respect.I love Thai people and have found that they are very forgiving and willing to help you pronounce the words . . . . . . .
The best way to learn is to listen and try to speak with your neighbours or friends,they will all help I'm sure.
Most Thais are very nice and polite,unlike a few here in BPforum.

[prajna]

If you're a male farang, learn Thai from Thai guys. No, no, not those lady boys. I mean, like Thai men off the street. Just like in your own native language, males and females have different speech patterns and vocabulary.

In reality, you can first have a Thai girlfriend teach you. But you should move on to improve your Thai with native Thai speakers of the same gender.

Good luck! โชคดีคร่า