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Thai Tales: Bananas, Papayas, and Angry Thai Feet

Catherine — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:45:34 +0000

Thai Tales: Bananas, Papayas, and Angry Thai Feet…

Last week I introduced a new section, Thai Tales. The first story introduced Mangoes, Mangosteen and Angry Thai Feet. In the comments Carsten pointed us to the full version, ทำไมกล้วยจึงเรียก Banana มะละกอจึงเรียก Papaya (megga thanks Carsten). As Carsten’s version went into more detail I took a stab at translation.

If you have anything to add, correct, whatever, please do.

Why กล้วย is called Banana and มะละกอ is called papaya…

This is the story of why กล้วย is called banana and มะละกอ is called papaya.
ทีมาของทำไมกล้วยจึงเรียก Banana มะละกอจึงเรียก Papaya
tee-maa kŏng tam-mai glûay jeung rîak Banana má lá gor jeung rîak Papaya

A long time ago
ประมาณว่านานมากแล้ว
bprà-maan wâa naan mâak láew

a farang tourist came to visit the floating market in Thailand
มี ฝรั่งนักท่องเที่ยว มาเที่ยวตลาดน้ำเมืองไทย
mee fà-ràng nák tông tîeow maa tîeow dtà-làat náam meuang tai

and saw various kinds of fruits.
และเห็นผลไม้มากมาย
láe hĕn pŏn-lá-máai mâak maai

The farang looked at bananas first.
ฝรั่งก็มาดูที่ กล้วย ก่อนอันอื่น
fà-ràng gôr maa doo têe glûay gòn-an-èun

And then the farang asked, “What is this?”
แล้วฝรั่งถามแม่ค้าว่า “What is this?”
láew fà-ràng tăam mâe káa wâa

The fruit seller didn’t know English so said nothing.
แม่ค้าไม่รู้ภาษาอังกฤษจึงไม่ได้ตอบอะไร
mâe-káa mâi róo paa-săa ang-grìt jeung mâi dâai dtòp a-rai

The farang tried to squeeze (the banana).
ฝรั่งเห็นดังนั้นจึงลองบีบดู
fà-ràng hĕn dang-nán jeung long bèep doo

By accident, the heavy-handed farang squeezed the banana until it became soft.
บังเอิญฝรั่งมือหนักจึงบีบกล้วยเละ
bang-ern fà-ràng meu nàk jeung bèep glûay

The fruit seller saw and yelled, “baen nâe nâe!“
แม่ค้าเห็นจึงร้องโวยวายว่า “แบนแน่ๆ”
mâe-káa hĕn jeung róng woi waai wâa “baen nâe nâe”

The farang heard, so answered, “Oh! Banana”
ฝรั่งได้ฟังจีงร้องอ๋อแล้วก็บอกว่า “Oh! Banana”
fà-ràng dâai-fang jeeng róng ŏr láew gôr bòk wâa “Oh! Banana”

After that the farang pointed to mangosteen and asked, “Is this mango?”
หลังจากนั้นฝรั่งก็มาชี้ที่ มังคุด และถามว่า “Is this mango?”
lăng-jàak-nán fà-ràng gôr maa chée têe mang-kút láe tăam wâa

The Thai fruit seller was angry with the farang because he made the banana mushy
แม่ค้าชาวไทยกำลังโกรธที่ฝรั่งทำกล้วยเละ
mâe-káa chaao-tai gam-lang gròht têe fà-ràng tam glûay lé

then replied “maeng goh sôn-dteen ná si”
เลยตอบไปว่า “แมงโกส้นตีน นะสิ”
loie dtòp bpai wâa “maeng goh sôn dteen ná sì”

The farang answered, “Oh Mangosteen!”
ฝรั่งก็ร้องอ๋อแล้วบอกว่า “Oh Mangosteen!”
fà-ràng gôr róng ŏr láew bòk wâa

Then the farang glimpsed a papaya.
แล้วฝรั่งก็เหลือบไปเห็น มะละกอ
láew fà-ràng gôr lèuap bpai hĕn má-lá-gor

He picked up the papaya with his dirty hands
ก็เอามือที่เลอะกล้วยไปจับ
gôr ao meu têe lúh glûay bpai jàp

and then asked, “What is this?”
แล้วถามว่า “What is this?”
láew tăam wâa

The fruit seller saw and was very angry that the papaya was dirty.
แม่ค้าเห็นดังนั้นก็ยัวะมากที่มะละกอเลอะเทอะ
mâe-káa hĕn dang-nán gôr yúa mâak têe má-lá-gor lúh túh

So she took a pestle to hit the farang.
จึงคว้าเอาสากขึ้นมาจะตีฝรั่ง
jeung kwáa ao sàak kêun-maa jà dtee fà-ràng

But another person shouted to stop her “bpâa, bpâa yàa”
แต่มีคนตะโกนห้ามแม่ค้าว่า “ป้าๆ อย่า”
dtàe mee kon dtà-gohn hâam mâe-káa wâa “bpâa bpâa yàa”

The farang overheard, thinking someone was saying the name of the fruit má-la-gor
ฝรั่งได้ยินดังนั้นจึงนึกว่ามีคนบอกชื่อมะละกอ
fà-ràng dâai-yin dang-nán jeung néuk wâa mee kon bòk chêu má lá gor

so he said, “OH! papaya!”
จึงร้องว่า “OH! papaya!”
jeung róng wâa “OH! papaya!”

Useful vocabulary…

The vocabulary is listed in the order of its appearance in the text. To help with understanding, I’ve attempted to keep both the translation and the vocabulary list as close to the actual meaning as possible.

story (implied): ทีมา /têe maa/
of: ของ /kŏng/
why: ทำไม /tam-mai/
banana: กล้วย /glûay/
then: จึง /jeung/
be called, named: เรียก /rîak/
papaya: มะละกอ /má-lá-gor/

approximately: ประมาณว่า /bprà-maan-wâa/
for a long time: นาน /naan/
very much: มาก /mâak/
already: แล้ว /láew/

have: มี /mee/
farang (westerner): ฝรั่ง /fà-ràng/
tourist, traveler: นักท่องเที่ยว /nák-tông-tîeow/
to go out: มาเที่ยว /maa tîeow/
floating market: ตลาดน้ำ /dtà-làat náam/
Thailand: เมืองไทย /meuang-tai/

and: และ /láe/
see: เห็น /hĕn/
fruit: ผลไม้ /pŏn-lá-máai/
a lot: มากมาย /mâak-maai/
then: ก็ /gôr/
come see: มาดู /มา doo/
at: ที่ /têe/
first: ก่อน /gòn/
other (kinds): อันอื่น /an èun/

and: แล้ว /láew/
asks: ถาม /tăam/
female (fruit) seller: แม่ค้า /mâe káa/
mother: แม่ /mâe/
trade, do business: ค้า /káa/
that: ว่า /wâa/

not: ไม่ /mâi/
know: รู้ /róo/
English language: ภาษาอังกฤษ /paa-săa ang-grìt/
didn’t: ไม่ได้ /mâi dâai/
answer, reply: ตอบ /dtòp/
what, anything: อะไร /a-rai/

like that: ดังนั้น /dang-nán/
try and see: ลอง … ดู /long … doo/
squeeze, press: บีบ /bèep/

accidentally: บังเอิญ /bang-ern/
hand: มือ /meu/
heavy-handed farang (westerner): ฝรั่งมือหนัก /fà-ràng meu-nàk/
hard: หนัก /nàk/
mushy: เละ /lé/

shout, yell: ร้อง /róng/
cry out loud: โวยวาย /woi-waai/
flat: แบน /baen/
certainly, surely: แน่ๆ /nâe-nâe/

listened: ได้ฟัง /dâai-fang/
say out loud: ร้อง /róng/
Oh!: อ๋อ /ŏr/
say that: บอกว่า /bòk-wâa/

after that: หลังจากนั้น /lăng-jàak-nán/
come: มา /maa/
point: ชี้ /chée/
mangosteen: มังคุด /mang-kút/

Thai people: ชาวไทย /chaao tai/
to be angry: กำลังโกรธ /gam-lang gròht/
to do, to make: ทำ /tam/

therefore: เลย
answer that (inferred): ตอบไปว่า /dtòp-bpai-wâa/
heel of the foot: ส้นตีน /sôn-dteen/
shows emphasis: นะสิ /naa-see/

glance, glimpse: เหลือบ /lèuap/

take, want: เอา /ao/
hand: มือ /meu/
dirty: เลอะ /lúh/
to catch, to hold: ไปจับ /bpai-jàp/

very angry: ยัวะมาก /yûa-mâak/
to be dirty, soiled: เลอะเทอะ /lúh-túh/

seized, grab: คว้า /kwáa/
pestle: สาก /sàak/
upwards: ขึ้นมา /kêun-maa/
to hit: จะตี /jà-dtee/

but: แต่ /dtàe/
someone: มีคน /mee kon/
shouted: ตะโกน /dtà-gohn/
forbidden!: ห้าม /hâam/
aunty: ป้าๆ /bpâa bpâa/
don’t: อย่า /yàa/

heard: ได้ยิน /dâai-yin/
like that: ดังนั้น /dang-nán/
think that: นึกว่า /néuk wâa/
name: ชื่อ /chêu/

If you too have Thai Tales please leave suggestions in the comments below or contact me.

The Common Koel & Why I’d Make a Lousy Buddhist

Catherine — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:48:53 +0000

The Common Koel and why I’d make a lousy Buddhist…

Around November of last year a longtime member of my neighbourhood bird community, the Common Koel (lovingly known for his stealth gliding through the trees), transformed his pleasant warbling into an incessant, high-pitched shrill. Right outside my bedroom window. All of my windows actually. And all day and all night.

Throughout the day and 11pm, 12pm, 1am, 2am, 3am (especially 3am), this is what I hear:

[See post to listen to audio]

The Koel’s mating calls started in November, ran through the month of December, and now here we are at the end of January. That’s stamina. It’s also crazy making (for insomniacs especially).

Earphones didn’t work to cut the noise so drugs (of some sort) were up next. And Nootropics are said to fit the bill. Remember those?

I first tried Melatonin. A mistake. I now know that Melatonin is great for switching timezones but if you are too enthusiastic, you’ll start waking up in the early hours. And stay up. My up lasted two weeks plus.

I then dipped into even more Nootropics and found a (hopefully) permanent fix. So if you too are the recipient of the Common Koel’s randy call, here’s my personal mix:

At around 9pm I quiet my body and mind with Bacopa Extract. Three to four pills does it for me. Around 10-11pm I down 500 mgs of L-Tryptophan. After the L-Tryptophan, sleep comes fast.

Once I got my sleep sorted I went looking for information about the Common Koel in Thailand. My Thai friends all professed a love for the blasted thing (as I once did and will again) but after three months of radically disturbed sleep I was ready to kill. Or at the very least, singe his feathers with one of those super duper lazer pens easily acquired in Thailand.

So there you have it. The proof that I’ll never ever make anything but a lousy Buddhist. Because yeah, it’s not over ’till it’s over and it’s clearly not over yet.

Anywaaaaay, in a nutshell, the Common Koel is an oversized member of the Cuckoo family. Brood parasites, the momma Koels turf eggs from the nests of black birds and others, laying their own eggs in place. Once the Koel chicks have been nurtured by the host parents and are ready to fly, the Koel(s) come back and off they go (this last point I’m not 100% sure of).

Thai Poetry: The Common Koel, the Black Crow, and motherhood…

Not ready to give up on knowing more about the Common Koel and Thailand, I found an old Thai lullaby that briefly touches on the Koel’s attributes. The poem (with translation and transliteration) is below. As is a YouTube video. Note: the singing style is not to my taste but it has to be someone’s. Enjoy.

Except for knowing what type of Thai poem this is (อาขยาน /aa-kà-yaan/ – a narration of sorts) I know little else. I do know that in Thai poetry words are added to make the words flow. Personally, I found that the unnecessary words made translation difficult so only the gist of the poem is below. And yes yes yes, I had to yell, scream, and holler for help.

Overview of the poem: A Common Koel lays an egg in a crow’s nest. The crow hatches the egg, taking care of the baby bird as her own. The momma crow feeds the baby and then takes it for an outing along a river. After eating, the crow and the baby fly back, landing on a nearby tree. A hunter spots the birds, bagging the mother crow for dinner. End of story.

The Common Koel …
กาเหว่า เอย
gaa-hăy-wâa oie

leaves an egg for the mother crow to hatch.
ไข่ ไว้ ให้ แม่ กา ฟัก
kài wái hâi mâe gaa fák

The mother crow falls in love (with the chick).
แม่ กา ก็ หลงรัก
mâe gaa gôr lŏng rák

She believes the egg came from her belly.
คิดว่า ลูก ใน อุทร
kít-wâa look nai u-ton

Carries food in her mouth.
คาบ เอา ข้าว มา เผื่อ
kâap ao kâao maa pèua

Carries food to feed (the chick).
ไป คาบ เอา เหยื่อ มา ป้อน
bpai kâap ao yèua maa bpôn

Takes care of the baby in the nest.
ถนอม ไว้ ใน รัง นอน
tà-nŏm wái nai rang non

Works hard getting food.
ซ่อน เหยื่อ มา ให้ กิน
sôn yèua maa hâi gin

The chick’s wings are still weak.
ปีก เจ้า ยัง อ่อน คลอ แคล
bpèek jâo yang òn klor kaen

It’s not time yet for the chick to fly.
ท้อแท้ จะ สอน บิน
tór-táe jà sŏn bin

Mother takes the chick to look for food.
แม่ กา พาไป กิน
mâe gaa paa-bpai gin

At the mouth of the river …
ที่ ปากน้ำ พระ คงคา
têe bpàak-náam prá kong-kaa

the baby steps on algae …
ตีน เจ้า เหยียบ สาหร่าย
dteen jâo yìap săa-ràai

and uses her mouth to catch fish.
ปาก ก็ ไซ้ หาปลา
bpàak gôr sái hăa-bplaa

Eats shrimp and mantis shrimp.
กิน กุ้ง แล กิน กั้ง
gin gung lae gin gâng

Eats shellfish and horseshoe crab.
กิน หอย กระทั้ง แมงดา
gin hŏi gràtang maeng-daa

After eating they fly to …
กิน แล้วก็ โผ มา
gin láew-gôr pŏh maa

a Jambolan tree.
จับ ที่ ต้นหว้า โพธิ์ทอง
jàp têe dtôn-wâa poh-tong

Yet there is a hunter.
ยัง มี นายพราน
yang mee naai-praan

He’s out looking, stalking.
เที่ยว เยี่ยม เยี่ยม มอง มอง
tîeow yîam yîam mong mong

He lifts his rifle.
ยก เอา ปืน ขึ้น ส่อง
yók ao bpeun kêun sòng

Aims at the mother crow.
จ้อง เอา แม่ กาดำ
jông ao mâe gaa dam

He’s thinking of boiling one of them.
ตัว หนึ่ง ว่า จะ ต้ม
dtua nèung wâa jà dtôm

The other to make into a salad.
อีก ตัว ว่า จะ ยำ
èek dtua wâa jà yam

Eat the mother crow …
กิน นาง แม่ กาดำ
gin naang mâe gaa-dam

tonight. Sad for mother crow.
ค่ำ วันนี้ อุ แม่ นา
kâm wan-née u mâe naa

There are a few iffy spots in the translation so please don’t be shy; go ahead and share corrections in the comments below. Also, as per usual, there’s a moral to this lullaby. Do you know what it is?

Thai Tales: Mangoes, Mangosteen and Angry Thai Feet

Catherine — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:14:01 +0000

Thai Tales: Mangoes, Mangosteen and Angry Thai Feet…

My good friend Khun Phairoh, giggling away, told me a cute story this weekend and I just had to share it with you. Here you go… (and may there be many more).

A tourist in Bangkok stops at a fruit stall along a crowded footpath. Wanting to try out his limited Thai skills, he asks the female fruit seller about one of the items.

Tourist: What is this?
นี่ อะไร ครับ /nêe a-rai kráp/

Fruit seller: It’s called mangosteen.
เรียกว่า มังคุด /rîak-wâa mang-kút/

Tourist: Mango?

Fruit seller: No it’s not… this is mangosteen!
ไม่ใช่… นี่ มังคุด! /mâi-châi… nêe mang-kút/

Tourist: Mango?

Fruit seller: I said mangosteen!!
บอก ว่า มังคุด!! /bòk wâa mang-kút/

Tourist: Mango?

Fruit seller: Mango, Mango… feet!
Mango, Mango… ส้นตีน!!! /sôn-dteen/

Tourist: Oh! I see! Mangosteen!

So, what’s this feet thing?…

As you might know, I don’t make a habit of sharing cuss words in Thai. But as the story made me laugh I went to Hugh Leong for advice.

The word ส้นตีน /sôn-dteen/ is not a curse word as we think of it – four letter words, f-words, etc – but it is quite vulgar. It is a really gross way of referring to the foot, especially when used with a person, like, “I stick my foot at you, you uncouth character”.

If we were referring to an animal the word ตีน /dteen/ is used for foot. ตีนเป็ด /dteen bpèt/ means duck foot but can also mean webbed foot (as used with frogs).

So don’t refer to your foot as ตีน /dteen/ but use the regular เท้า /táo/.

Oh, and when we do talk about our feet (or shoes or socks, etc) we usually ask forgiveness first, as in ขอโทษ /kŏr-tôht/ (excuse me) followed by the reason.

Sample: ขอโทษเท้าเจ็บ /kŏr-tôht táo jèp/
Excuse me, my feet hurt.

KP also reminded me that in polite Thai, if you need to touch someone’s head for any reason, you would first say ขอโทษ /kŏr-tôht/ then state the reason (or not).

Sample: ขอโทษค่ะ มีใบไม้บนหัวคุณ /kŏr-tôht kâ mee bai-máai bon hŭa kun/
Excuse me, you have a leaf on your head.

Useful vocabulary to know…

ตีน feet, foot (rude)
เท้า /táo/ feet, foot (polite)
ส้น heel

footpath: ทางเท้า /taang táo/
stall: แผง /păeng/
fruit: ผลไม้: /pŏn-lá-máai/
female fruit seller: แม่ ค้า ขาย ผลไม้ /mâe káa kăai pŏn-lá-máai/

this: นี่ /nêe/
what: อะไร /a-rai/
it’s called: เรียกว่า /rîak-wâa/
mangosteen: มังคุด /mang-kút/
no (it’s not): ไม่ใช่ /mâi-châi/
I said: บอก ว่า /bòk wâa/

duck feet: ตีนเป็ด /dteen bpèt/
excuse me: ขอโทษ /kŏr-tôht/
have: มี /mee/
leaf: ใบไม้ /bai-máai/
on: บน /bon/
head: หัว /hŭa/
you: คุณ /kun/

polite particle (m): ครับ /kráp/
polite particle (f): ค่ะ /kâ/

A megga thanks goes from me to Khun Phairoh and Hugh!

Thai Language Thai Culture: Thai Golf Vocabulary Words and Their Stories

Hugh Leong — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:10:40 +0000

Thai golf vocabulary words and their stories…

I have always been active in sports. I’ve played college basketball, was on a championship softball team, ran marathons, climbed mountains and got a black belt in karate. And I have never done anything so difficult as to play golf. The game of golf is difficult enough to play in one language, Why try to do it in another?

Hey, if it were easy, why do it in the first place? So, just to give yourself another challenge, and to make your time on a Thai golf course just a little more fun, here are some basic Thai golf vocabulary words, with a bit of annotation to help with remembering them.

Enjoy your walk in the sun.

Thai golf vocabulary words…

Golf: กอล์ฟ /góf/
The Thais use the borrowed word for golf (borrowed from Scottish, just like the English language does) although it is pronounced with a final “p” sound as there are no final “f” sounds in Thai. The “l” can be dropped also. And for some reason it is given a high tone.

Play golf: ตีกอล์ฟ /dtee góf/
In Thai, the term is “to hit golf” (ตี /dtee/ – to hit). You can also say “play golf” เล่น /lên/ as is used in other sports. I’ve heard it used both ways.

Golfer: นักตีกอล์ฟ /nákdteegóf/ or ตีกอล์ฟ /dtee góf/
The term นัก /nák/ usually is a prefix meaning “a person who…” In this case it is pretty clear in Thai that a golfer is “a person who plays golf”.

Golf course: สนามกอล์ฟ /sà-năam góf/
The term สนาม /sà-năam/ basically means “field”. It is used with many Thai words such as:

Airport: สนามบิน /sà-năam bin/ (the flying field)
Football pitch: สนามฟุตบอล /sà-năam fút bon/ (football field)
Stadium: สนามกีฬา /sà-năam gee-laa/ (sports field)

Golf club (the stick): ไม้กอล์ฟ /máai góf/ or ไม้ตีกอล์ฟ /máai dtee góf/
The word ไม้ /máai/ means “tree” or “wood” or “stick”. For example ไม้กวาด /máai gwàat/ means “broom” or literally the stick used for sweeping. So ไม้ตีกอล์ฟ /máai dtee góf/ literally means “The stick used for hitting (playing) golf”.

Golf club (organization): ชมรมนักตีกอล์ฟ /chom-rom nák dtee góf/ or นักตีกอล์ฟ /nák dtee góf/
The word ชมรม /chom-rom/ means organization or association. The first syllable of the word is ชม /chom/ which means “to admire” or “to look at with pleasure”.

Irons: เหล็ก /lèk/
This word is usually followed by a number, as in “Nine iron” เหล็กเก้า /lèk gâo/ or “Five iron” เหล็กห้า /lèk hâa/. For a long time I got this word confused with the similar sounding เลข /lâyk/ which means “number”. I thought people were saying “number nine”. They sound very similar although the correct term “iron” is said with a low tone and the incorrect one, “number” is said with a falling tone. Who said tones in Thai aren’t important?

Woods: ไม้ /máai/
As with “irons” the Thai word for “wood” is also usually followed by a number, as in ไม้สาม /máai săam/ “3 wood”. The exception to this is the Thai word for “driver” (normally a “1 wood”). As is so often heard in Thai, we use a loan word here. The Thai word for “driver” is ไม้ดรายเวอร์ /mai drai-wer/ or simply ดรายเวอร์ /drai-wer/ (not sure of the spelling on this one but the “v” always changes to a “w” sound).

Rescue club (sometime called a hybrid club): ไม้กะเทย /máai gà-toie/
The term กะเทย /gà-toie/ literally means “gay” or “homosexual”. So this term means “homosexual or gay golf club”. In the west the term homosexual can often be derogatory but in Thailand it is simply just another way of being. The “gay golf club” describes this club quite colorfully as being neither one nor the other. Neither male nor female and neither wood nor iron. I always think the caddie is going to laugh when I ask for the ไม้กะเทย /máai gà-toie/ (gay golf club), but they just act like I am asking for any other club. Wish the rest of the world saw things so clearly.

Round (of golf): รอบ /rôp/
The word รอบ /rôp/ literally means “around” as in “go around”. Here is one thing that might be different on a Thai golf course. Many courses are only nine holes. Because it is so hot here many people limit a “round” of golf to only nine holes. On a short course like this, 18 holes would then be “2 rounds” or สองรอบ /sŏng rôp/. You might think playing only nine holes is for wimps, but wait until you’re playing in 40 degree Celsius heat. See how you feel then. One round, or หนึ่งรอบ /nèung rôp/ will probably be more than enough.

Stroke: แต้ม /dtâem/
The word แต้ม /dtâem/ in Thai is usually used to mean a “point” in a sports contest. In golf, a “stroke” is the equivalent to a “point” except, unlike in other sports, the person with the fewest “points” in golf is the winner. If it were the other way around I would be lots more successful in this game.

Hole: หลุม /lŭm/
หลุม /lŭm/ literally means “hole” as in “hole in the ground”. Rounds of golf in Thailand are usually either 9 Holes เก้าหลุม /gâo lŭm/ or 18 Holes สิบแปด /sìp bpàet/.

Water (hazard): น้ำ /nám/
น้ำ /nám/ is simply the Thai word for “water”. To be more descriptive you can say ตกน้ำ /dtòk náam/ to “fall into the water”. When said in Thai it sounds more like it is the ball’s fault because it “fell” in the water, and not because someone hit it there.

Flag (pin): ธง /tong/
ธง /tong/ is the Thai word for flag as in ธงชาติ /tong châat/, “national flag”.

Provisional (stroke): ลูกเช็ค /lôok chék/
This word probably comes from the English for “to check”. After hitting a ball so badly that you aren’t sure if you’ll ever find it, you have to hit a provisional ball, a ลูกเช็ค /lôok chék/, before you can go “check” to see if you can find your first ball.

Handicap: แต้มต่อ /dtâem dtòr/
My handicap is “the game of golf” itself.

Lay up: วาง /waang/
The term วาง /waang/ is usually translated as “put down” or “lay down” something, as in to lay something down on a table. Strangely, in Thai golfing vocabulary it means “lay UP”.

Go for it: สู้ /sôo/
When I am 200 yards from the pin and something (idiotic) in me tells me to “go for it” Thai uses the word สู้ /sôo/. สู้ /sôo/ also means “to fight” and, more appropriately, for my game, “to struggle”.

Putting ball: ลูกพัด /lôok pát/
A western golfer might ask what this is. In Thailand many golfers use a special ball for putting. Once you hit your ball onto the green you exchange it with your ลูกพัด /lôok pát/. Putting balls can be distinguished from a normal ball by their iridescent colors. Your caddie will often ask you for your ลูกพัด /lôok pát/. Just tell her you don’t use one. That is, unless you really get attached to those bright colors.

Borrowed words…

The word “golf” in Thai is a borrowed word of course but you‟ll hear many other borrowed words on the golf course. Like so many other borrowed words (English to Thai), once the word is borrowed it takes on Thai characteristics – usually in the form of tones and Thai pronunciations. Below are some approximations of the, Thai not English, golfing terms.

Putt: pat
Quite often you will hear “sŏng pat” (2 putt), or “săam pat” (3 putt). Any more than that and I don’t want to hear about it. (see สองพาร์ /sŏng paa/ – “2 pars” below).

Par: paa
The final “r” is usually dropped. A big joke on the course, when I play that is, is when I get an 8 on a Par 4 hole. The caddie will then say, “You did good. You got 2 pars (สองพาร์ /sŏng paa/) on that hole.”

Pitching wedge: pi-ching
Leaves out the superfluous word “wedge”.

Caddie: ca-dee
Most courses require a golfer to hire a caddie and will not let you carry your own clubs. Even when you rent a golf cart the caddie will often do the driving. It is customary to give the caddie a nice tip no matter how terribly you played. It probably wasn’t their fault anyway. For various “Thai” reasons, almost all caddies are young females.

Birdie: bir-dee, bir-dêe
The second syllable is often given a falling tone especially when you are really excited when you are saying it. I hear this word so infrequently that it has almost fallen out of my vocabulary. But when I say it I am usually pretty excited.

Bogie: bo-gee, bo-gêe
Another falling tone on the second syllable, but this time is it usually caused by you being somewhat annoyed, with stress in your voice. But a bogie for me is “par for the course” and I am usually happy to get one.

Double bogie: da-bŭn
An oft heard term during my rounds. Make it simple and just say “double”. With a Thai pronunciation of course.

Eagle: e-gun
No final “l” sounds in Thai. They are usually changed to a final “n” sound. I have never said nor heard this word during any of my rounds.

Hole in one: ho-lin-won
I’ll have more to say about this word if it ever comes up in a conversation on the course.

Out of bounds: OB
Simple. There are lots of signs with these 2 letters on the course. And my golf balls seem to be attracted to all of them.

Green: green
Hard to forget this one.

Bunker: bun-kêr
All I can say is that bunkers are better than water.

Sand trap: san
A sand trap is also a “bunker”, and this word is used interchangeable in Thai with the loanword /san/ for “sand”. Sometimes a caddie will also use the Thai word for sand which is ทราย /saai/. Whichever word is used it doesn’t make it any more fun to play out of. But it is still better than water.

On (the green): awn
This term is usually used with the number of strokes it took you to get on the green, as in “2 on” /sŏng awn/, although the number in front when I play is more like “4 on” /sèe awn/ or “5 on” /hâa awn/.

Fore: fow
For some reasons the caddies call out this word with a “w” sound on the end. It would sound cute if I didn’t hear it so often after I hit.

Mark (ball): mát
This word is used as a noun for the “ball marker”, and as a verb “to mark” a ball. In Thailand the caddies are told that it is their job to mark the ball. If you want to mark it yourself you have to let them know in advance. It is also customary in Thailand, if a ball is right on the edge of the green, to mark it one putter head onto the green away from the edge, making the putt much easier. If you want to play by the rules of golf you must let the caddie know to mark the ball where it lies.

Hugh Leong
Retire 2 Thailand
Retire 2 Thailand: Blog

Happy New Year 2012! Here’s My Thai Language Wish List

Catherine — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:04:03 +0000

Happy New Year 2012!…

Happy New Year everyone! 2012. Wow. That went fast. Are you ready for a new year? I’m not. Not really. And forget about the backlog of posts from the pre-flood days, when you scan through the holes in my longstanding Thai language wish list, you’ll agree that I’m running terribly behind.

You see, I’ve been watching the language learning market for the past several years. And every so often I’ll come across a product not available for Thai learners. And if it’s interesting enough, I’ll add it to my Thai language wish list.

All along my intentions were to create some of the products you’ll see listed below. But each year I’ve been too much of a busy bee. And each year time runs out. And now it’s coming on 2012 already.

Yes, I still have good intentions. But, as it’s been awhile, I’ve decided to share the list with you. And (hint) (hint) hopefully someone will help generate what’s needed for learning Thai. Something like that.

My Thai language wish list for 2012…

Thai vocabulary stickers: Putting vocabulary stickers all through your house might be an old-fashioned method of learning languages. But it works. And yes! I do have a Thai vocabulary list on the way. It’s a basic affair. You download the file, print the list on sticky back paper, cut along the dotted lines, and then apply the Thai vocabulary to walls, windows, where ever.

Last month I discovered a language company with a better idea: Lingibli. Lingibli’s printable vocabulary sheets (more on this later) are linked to an iPhone app with sound. Sweet, yes? And way over my programming capabilities.

Thai 100/300/500/1000 top vocabulary list: The search for this darn top Thai vocabulary list has been going on since the dawn of time. I already took a stab at the top 100 Thai words one must know. And I’m not done yet (surprise). And Learn Thai Podcast generously created a top 300 course on offer for free. But there’s still a ways to go before we get the entire list compiled. So again, help is needed.

Note: Lingibli has shown an interest in creating a top 100 Thai app from my list. Now all we [cough] [cough] need to do is convince Lingibli to go whole hog with the entire Thai vocabulary list. Yeah. I wish!

Thai place names: Even though street names in Bangkok have an English equivalent – the awful transliteration – newbies to Thailand still have a difficult time getting around. So until they get the Thai tones into their ears, a simple printable list of place names (streets, parts of town, hotels, stores and shopping centres even) in Thai script and the dreaded transliteration would come in handy for presenting to taxi drivers, locals, and knowledgeable expats. Any takers?

Thai visual vocabulary: Language learners are not just audial but visual as well. Makes sense? And when their site isn’t down WeboWord sends out roughly drawn graphics with phrases to explain words. Obviously, it’s not a new idea, but with the addition of sound it’d be brilliant for learning Thai vocabulary and phrases. I have this project in the works as well but it’s a shabby ways away. Help?

Thai word a day via email: Last time I checked, there are word a day iPhone apps but no email lists. Also, from what I remember, none of the word a day apps have been created around beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. The words are random so you get rare words along with entry level words. Frustrating.

The closest vocabulary product for iPhone with sensible levels is the ClickThai Vocabulary Trainer (reviewed here: Increase Your Thai Vocabulary: Word Brain & ClickThai Vocabulary Trainer). Do you think ClickThai would be interested in offering their list via email too?

Thai online grammar checker: Paperrater is a free, online proofreader and grammar checker for the English language. Does anyone know if a decent product is available for Thai? I have heard that there’s a Thai spell checker for MS Word – such as it is – but it’s not free.

Thai audio books: Members of Librivox record chapters of books for audio download. For free. I’m sure you’d have to be careful about copyright laws, but even so, wouldn’t it be sweet for Thai? Ok, there is Rinospike but it’s not quite the same concept.

Thai language ebooks: After being contacted by a reader I went in search for available ebooks in Thai. I found a few resources (to be shared in a following post) but the pickings are mighty slim. We can download, for free, thousands upon thousands of ebooks in English, French, German, etc., to read on our computers, iPhones and smart phones. So why not in Thai?

Thai keyboard with sound: One difficulty with learning Thai is that it’s a tonal language. And one of the best ways to get the tones down is to learn how to read Thai. So I’m thinking that a Thai keyboard that sounds out the Thai alphabet would come in handy. Yes? And wouldn’t coding the ability into aTypeTrainer4Mac be fabulous? Sure.

Thai teachers: I have a section to locate Thai language teachers, as does Glenn at Thai-language.com. But what’s really needed is site similar to Find a Teacher, but dedicated to Thai teachers.

Thai tone test for Smartphones/iPhones: For online there’s a great Thai Tone Test. You can always access it with Safari on your iPhone but an iPhone / Smartphone version with all the bells and whistles would be totally grand.

Online speed reading: Spreeder is a free product geared to improve your reading. But could you imagine one for Thai? With sound? Whooh. I’d faint with happiness. Try me.

Word and phrases calendar: During the Xmas holidays I came across a set of language learning calendars for German, French, and Italian. The product has a word of the day with a phrase showing how to use each word. The tear off sheets are simple, easy to use.

I bought the Italian version (more on that later too) and right away I noticed a problem. The phrases are all willy-nilly. Instead, what’s needed are phrases and vocabulary from basic to advanced – OR – create several calendars to fit the different needs of students. And in Thai.

Verb cheat sheet: Nowhere is a quick cheet sheet for Thai verbs. I’ve looked online. I’ve looked in course books. I’ve asked around. Nope. And yup, this is another project I’m working on. As it’s a tedious job, I just might post it totally raw to get your views. We’ll see.

There’s one more Thai language project but as I’m working on it (and don’t want to get preempted) I’ll save it for another day.

To finish, if you know of any products still needed for Thai, or if I’ve listed one already available, please let me know. I’m listening. I’m always listening.

Nootropics: Smart Drugs and Language Learning

Catherine — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:14:11 +0000

Smart Drugs and Language Learning…

Smart Drugs. Yes. And with the recent news about Thailand clamping down on rock star Sek Loso’s drug habit, DRUGS being supported on a Thai language site might come as a surprise.

But here’s the thing. It’s no secret that my main aim is to find the best methods and materials to learn Thai. Whatever they are.

To do this, over the years I’ve shared many posts on how to increase your chances of success with learning the Thai language.

The basics? Use good materials, eat healthy, get lots of sleep, study daily, surround yourself with all things Thai language, and never ever give up.

Learning languages is a lengthily process. Sure, you can get a jump into a foreign language with a mere 100 top words and an understanding of the basic sentence structure, but there is no quick fix to real fluency. You must do the time.

And here’s a second ‘but’. Many expats learning Thai these days are of the retirement age. And a sizable chunk of those have never successfully learned a second language.

Right away we have older, sluggish brains struggling to learn a tonal language. So even with their best efforts, the often slow to zilch progress sometimes results in a lack of confidence, leading to the eventual waning of the motivation to study Thai.

And if that’s where you are right now, you might want to look into the benefits of Nootropics. Yeah. The D word. Drugs.

Smart drugs and learning Thai…

Always on the lookout for anything to help with memory and motivation, when I came across Nootropics (Smart Drugs) I immediately thought of language learning.

Just what are Nootropics? I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty details of Nootropics in this post, but in a nutshell (and some wiki scraping)…

In 1964, Dr. Corneliu Giurgea synthetised Piracetam, labeling it as a Nootropic. Nootropics are also known as smart drugs, memory enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers.

Now, I’m a lightweight with drugs. I can barely handle mild painkillers without passing out. Regardless, I do try to keep an open mind on anything that’ll help with my Thai studies. Okokok… I do draw the line at a sleeping dictionary (but never say never).

Dr. Giurgea’s much touted ‘basic characteristics of Nootropics’ eased my mind:

They should enhance learning and memory.
They should enhance the resistance of learned behaviors/memories to conditions which tend to disrupt them (e.g. electroconvulsive shock, hypoxia).
They should protect the brain against various physical or chemical injuries (e.g. barbiturates, scopalamine).
They should increase the efficacy of the tonic cortical/subcortical control mechanisms.
They should lack the usual pharmacology of other psychotropic drugs (e.g. sedation, motor stimulation) and possess very few side effects and extremely low toxicity.

Sweet. Now curious to try Smart Drugs, I discovered that due to Nootropics being relatively safe they are legal most everywhere. Most specifically, Thailand. And like many drugs in Thailand, Nootropics are easily purchased over the counter.

Finding Nootropics in my area was not easy but I was eventually able to locate a needed stash by phone.

Note: Not all Nootropics are available in Thailand, but enough.

I jumped right in with Piracetam, which is apparently the best documented Nootropic around. After more googling I added Letchin, L-Carnitine, Hydergine, a range of vitamins, and Melatonin to help me sleep.

Wow.

I experienced an improvement in focus, my motivation revved, and a increase in my short-term memory was noticeable. A plus, I felt sense of euphoria, I became less of an introvert/hermit, and the world around me brightened. Brilliant.

And then I had two glasses of wine. Thunk. The bright colours dulled as did my brain.

Good to know.

Apparently there are differing opinions on consuming alcohol and Nootropics. Some say it’s ok, others say no.

The combination of alcohol and Piracetam didn’t work for me so I’m taking a Nootropics break while on holiday. But, I’ll be back in the Smart Drug saddle after the new year. And that’s a promise.

And sure, I’ll write about my experiences with learning languages while on Nootropics. In vivid detail. I’ll also expand on the safety as well as the cautions of Smart Drugs too (so please don’t worry about the D word – too much).

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a quote from a knowledgeable Nootropics tester:

Your capacity for attention is largely dependent on you. Self-discipline still plays a role in the larger scheme of things. Yes. Caffeine, Piracetam and ALCAR will help you stay focused – by staving off lethargy and fatigue. But none of that will matter if you lack the discipline to stay off Facebook.

Nootropics: Smart drugs, memory enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers. Mighty fine.