DonSena wrote:Actually, I like the idea of comparing Italian with Thai.
In the sense of language or culture?
ไม้เอก ไม้โท ไม้ตรี ไม้จัตวาvs.
uno, due, tre, quattro
ไม่เป็นไรvs.
sereno è sereno sarà se non sarà sereno si rasserenerà.
I feel that Italian and Thai languages do not contribute so much to the Indoeuropean theory. Here it may be a better idea to compare Latin and Sanskrit directly?!
As to culture a (short) story:
I visisted Thailand the very first time in my life in the version of honeymoon (in South Thailand, Phuket, Patong Beach, Ko Phiphi, Maya Beach, Ko Surin, Ko Similan) with my Thai wife. During our honeymoon I told her: "Thailand reminds me very much in Italy. But to be honest: For seeing Patong Beach, however, I have not to travel 10.000 km from Frankfurt. At least the flight from Frankfurt or Düsseldorf to "Ballermann" (a German derogative term for a beach near Palma de Mallorca, Spain) is less expensive."
My wife meanwhile has seen many parts of Europe (including London, Paris, Amsterdam). This year, while her sister is staying in Germany as well (visa limited to Schengen excluding London including Bern), the two ladies decieded to make a non-Paris-non-Amsterdam city tour. Discussed was Prague, Budapest, and Rome. It turned out a 5 day city tour trip during August to Rome. I have a friend in Rome (and can still speak Italian although it was much more fluent about 30 years ago). Discussing the plan of the two ladies with my friend he said that it is sad but due to "ferragosto" he will not stay in/a Roma but in Calabria. The three reasons ferragosto (= Rome is hot, Romans try to stay outside of Rome), city tour (which I do not like), and my friend not in Rome (and just knowing Rome very well by myself) let me decide not to travel with the two ladies. I helped to find a nice hotel at Forum Romanum in-between Collosseum and Piazza Venezia and made print-outs from several "must to see in Rome" in Thai language.
On their return I asked: So, Italy like Thailand? The thumb of both ladies was up in repsonse to the "Morituri te salutant" (Collosseum).
ดีมาก!!!
Rather, I was very much impressed by my wife who thinks now that, provided that her mother can visit us in Germany once, it is Rome but not Paris what she want to show to her mother for a better understanding what "Europe"/
ยุโรป (E-u-ro-pa, Italian pronunciation as "romanized") means. I'm impressed because Paris was always the city my wife loved so much ... a new love is now Rome.
As to language: What are your thoughts as to comparing Thai and Italian?
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Edit: When I still had not understood this so well I could become crazy (from a German point of view) for the Thai thesis that the first letter of the alphabet is
เอ. Ok, understand that this is the first letter of the English alphabet. That's it. In the context of "Roma" I became similarly crazy (but explained it thereafter as a phonetic guide for their travel to Italy) for the question of my sister-in-law how to pronounce "Roma" in Italian language: I replied a little bit angry:
"ro ruea, sara o, mo ma sara a, but damned: That's just stated with the "R-O-M-A-nized" spelling of R-O-M-A".
Do you mean something like this? THA_ITA comparative phonetics?
There are three kinds of people: Those who can count and those who cannot.
