Hi everybody.....I'm new here but have been using the dictionary part of the site for several years now in the course of my learning Thai. I know for a fact that in order to really learn another language one has to start at square one--learning the alphabet.....which in itself is a rather daunting task considering learning Thai isn't at all like learning German, French, Spanish, or other languages that basically use the same alphabet as English. So it's like first grade all over again so to speak...
My main reason for learning Thai is that I plan on retiring there....and I would much rather be able to communicate with people without having to rely on my Thai fiancee to translate--plus I'm not your typical American who expects people to speak English. Aside from the fact that I was born in Germany and thus speak a certain amount of German.....my father was in the US Air Force and my family was stationed in Iceland (when I was 10/11 years old) and Izmir, Turkey (where I graduated from high school in 1975) but in both cases we lived in those countries without learning more than some common words and phrases--and I know that's not going to be good enough for living in Thailand. And bottom line--it shows respect for another people and their culture to learn their language.
Another reason I want to learn Thai is that I would love to teach English when I retire there--most likely as a private tutor rather than in the Thai school system (though I haven't discounted the idea entirely of teaching in a school)--and I firmly believe this would be much easier if I learn Thai to the best of my abilities. I keep reading online about English teachers in Thailand being either A.) native Thais who don't really know English all that well to begin with, or B.) people from the US, Australia, Britain, etc. whose primary spoken language is English but who know little to none in the way of speaking Thai....and I can't help but think that I could be a much better English teacher if I could speak (and read & write) Thai to start with.
Even though I'm learning standard Thai, I'm also learning some of the Isaan dialect since my fiancee is originally from Bung Khan and now lives in Sakon Nakhon...so I'm aware of the similarities between the Isaan dialect and the Lao language. I also like a lot of the music from that part of Thailand by artists like Pong Lang Sa-on, Jintara Poonlarp, Earn Kwan Waranya, and others....as well as Lao (and even Hmong) music--which also helps learning the language.
Anyway......I'm excited to be here and hope to learn even more as a result....
Mike in MN
P.S. I've become a huge fan of the sport of sepak takraw lately and watch a lot of matches on YouTube. Both the mens' and womens' Thai teams are pretty much the world champs. Even though I'm now 58, I'm in pretty good shape physically and really want to learn to play this as a form of exercise--I plan on getting a takraw ball on Ebay this spring when it will be warm enough to realistically start practicing outside.
for the Thai language