On Language

When I got into my morning taxi with my usual driver, I had about 5 transliterated sentences written in Thai. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the questions meant because I forgot to write the translations in English my teacher gave me the night before.

After settling in to the cab with my usual swadeeekup, sabai dee mai krup “how are you” greetings I decided to go for broke and ask him the other five questions. When he answered all of them (I have no idea what he said or what I said for that matter) I was in a state of shock. He actually understood something I said. The absolutely first time!!!!!

Usually, when I speak using my language book, he looks over and sees the word written in the Thai language and responds after he sees the word, not when I ask it.. This time, he just undersood…WOW! This is no mean feat considering Thai is a tonal language and even though you might think you are saying the correct word, because you are pronouncing it wrong people have no idea what you are talking about. Furthermore, there are lots of sounds we simply do not make it English and it has taken me about 6 months to literally get my tongue around some of these.

It reminds me of the time in grade 12, after playing the violin for 4 years, my music teacher stopped me and said; “ Michael, that note sounded like a violin should sound!” I was in heaven at the time, just like yesterday morning. Imagine, a Thai person actually understanding a question I was asking them. Never mind that I did not know what the question meant or the answer he gave. Perhaps there is hope.

As I said, Thai is a tonal language and even though you could be saying the right word, no-one may understand you. For example, when Josh and I were on our bike ride getting lost I asked someone to point to ‘sip sip gow’ or 49 Sukhumbvit. He did not know what I was talking about even though I had given my address to taxi drivers millions of times. That day was a low point when I could not even get a guy to understand me when I said a number. Yesterday was a high point with the taxi driver.

Thai is such an interesting language. I just wish I knew an Asian language when I was still teaching and could then understand what I would have to work on with my students in writing exercises. For example, there is no verb conjugations or verb tenses. If you want to say you are going to the store tomorrow you put a ja in front of store and after ‘bpai,’ going. You do not change the verb. If I knew why my Asian students kept using one tense, I could have figured out some way of helping them, I am sure. By the way, you would never bother saying’ I’ am going because that is obvious who is speaking and they would look at you like you were crazy if you identified yourself by saying ‘I’ am going. You would simply say bpai chop-bping to say I am going shopping.

Thai is a very straightforward and simple language. For example, toes and fingers, our appendages have the same word, ‘niu’ which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Similarly with the classifiers. For example, the name for room is hong ,so you have words like bathroom hong nam, bedroom hong noon etc. When you want to order water you say nam and every other drink is either nan som, orange juice, nam deng, something like cream soda and so on. It even makes a lot of sense since ‘deng’ is red and it is a red drink. Really makes a lot of sense, right?

This does not extend to all things Thai, however. For example, I could never understand why people could not understand me when I was talking about the time. I do know my numbers perfectly and can say most of them correctly 90% of the time. Why weren’t they getting it when I was discussing time with them in the afternoon or the night? I used to ask ‘wee-la tao-rai’ and when they told me the time it did not sound like anything I had ever heard of. Now I know why. I had never heard of it!

Thai language divides the day into three 8 hour blocks and uses a different classifier for each block. Seven pm is one of those dividing times when they begin the second set of 8 hours so 7 pm is nung tum, or one. 8 pm is song tum or two, whereas 7 am is jet or seven mon for hour. So, to summarize, not only do I have to memorize the words, then learn the right tones to say it in so that I am understood: I also have to have a higher degree in math to figure out from 7 pm I have to start counting from 1 again. By the time I could figure this out, I would forget why I was even asking. And, if you are invited to a formal party, guess what. When they put the time, it will be written in the 24 hour clock. Go figure!!

If you think that is difficult, wait till I tell you about numbers. Everything was going smoothly for me (relatively) until I got to 10,000. muen. What is the big deal, you are asking. How do you say 10,000 baht? Muen. So, what is the big deal right? 10,000 is nung muen or “1” 10,000. Makes sense, right. Now 15,000 what would you say? Using western logic you would say ‘ha’or 5 muen right? Wrong. What you would say is nung muen or one 10,000 plus the 5 thousand or ha pan. Clear as mud, yes?

I know language reflects the culture and I know the numbering system is saying something very clearly about how numbering was developing in the east as opposed to the west, but I certainly don’t know enough about numbers to comment on what. If you understood the last paragraph, hopefully you can give me some insight.