Important news from the world of wordplay. The latest edition of the Collins international Scrabble dictionary lists 2,862 new words, most of which I have never heard of. But most importantly for us in Thailand, a significant newcomer is one we are familiar with … farang.
Apparently farang is used so much it is now a proud member of internationally recognised words, and thus deemed fit for daft word games. Adding to the Thai flavour, the word sriracha, the popular Thai sauce, has also been accepted, having gained worldwide fame amongst those who enjoy a taste of the hot stuff.
Some might argue there are already several Thai words used in Scrabble, with "shopping", "chocolate", "cartoon", "pizza" and "bank" among those that immediately spring to mind.
One of the more debatable new words is "plogging", the act of picking up litter while jogging. Can't say I've seen too many "ploggers" in Thailand. Then there is "ew", that disgusting feeling when you've trodden on something unspeakable.
Despite these new entries, I suspect my chances of winning at Scrabble are as remote as ever. A key to success is to dream up seven-letter words, which just about rules out my chances for a start. I have learnt from bitter experience that three-letter words are unlikely to make you a champion. The two-letter words are very useful, however. Unfortunately, I always seem to come up against devious people who produce two-letter words I haven't heard of -- things like a "three-toed South American sloth" or some obscure letter from an ancient alphabet.
However, the next time I play Scrabble, on a matter of principle I will endeavour to use the word farang. It won't earn many points, but there will be a certain irrational sense of satisfaction.
Blame the birds
I remember the Thai wife of an English colleague was not at all surprised when Neil Kinnock lost the 1992 British general election. The reason was that his name, when pronounced in Thai, comes out like "kee nok" as in that endearing observation, farang kee nok. The precise meaning of this expression has prompted many letters to PostBag over the years. Apart from the rather crude literal translation which most people are aware of, it refers to foreigners who are "shabby" or, heaven forbid, "not always sober''.
The most appealing explanation is that originally it was directed at foreigners who turned up in unusual places. This began with birds eating seeds from the guava which happens to be called "farang". The seeds were later passed to earth in another area through bird-droppings and after a while, a guava tree would sprout in a place it was not really supposed to be. In the same way, foreigners who suddenly appeared in remote places like Nakhon Nowhere, were farang kee nok. These days, of course, foreigners show up everywhere, so Thais can call them what they want, which can be entertaining.
Alien thoughts
Now and again in the Bangkok newspapers, we see headlines like "Crackdown on aliens" or "Aliens rounded up''. I must admit to being a little uncomfortable with the word "alien" no matter what country I am in. It is not a very friendly-sounding word is it? Mind you, neither is "foreigner".
I recall having to fill out forms where you had to tick whether you were a Thai or an alien. It felt like you had come from some distant planet and should have a green face with horns sticking out and talk like a Dalek. Of course, having a hit movie like Alien -- in which a hideous flesh-eating, acid-spitting space creature gobbles up most of the cast -- didn't really help us aliens with our image.
In everyday life, most foreigners are called farang which ought to be straightforward enough, even though some think the word is derogatory. Frankly, I'm happy being called a farang or even a "fat, big-nosed farang".
After all, there are a lot more unpleasant names you could be called -- hua lahn (baldy), for a start.
Those were the days
When I was first in Thailand an expression heard quite often was "poo dee Angkrit" which roughly translates as "polite English person". In those days the Thais genuinely believed that English people had good manners. That was probably because at that time most of the English tourists were elderly mums and dads enjoying what was then a truly exotic holiday in a place hardly anyone back home had heard of. They were usually quite polite and gave a good impression, their idea of a "wild night" being a sundowner on the terrace of The Oriental.
However, over the years, reality set in with mass tourism and Thais were exposed to a much broader spectrum of English society. Not surprisingly it is heard rarely these days and it won't be long before it becomes totally extinct.
Reliably boring
Many years ago the informative Bangkok magazine BigChilli carried an article on what Thai people thought of the British (not just English) based on a survey by the British embassy. According to the survey, Thais remarkably still regarded most British people as polite, ethical and reliable. So there was still some hope. However, the Thai people also found the British incredibly boring and old fashioned -- which frankly, I'll settle for.
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