ศาลาชุมนุม

[Thomas]

Would someone be so kind to summarize the message of this video:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=74 ... =2&theater

My facility to understand spoken Thai (here in a very clear 'Siamese' version) is rather limited.

I understand about 10% of the content such as khue (คือ), phasa Thai khong rao, endorsed by the king (hen duai) ... but what is the overall message?

[DonSena]

Would someone be so kind to summarize the message of this video:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=74 ... =2&theater

My facility to understand spoken Thai (here in a very clear 'Siamese' version) is rather limited.

I understand about 10% of the content such as khue (คือ), phasa Thai khong rao, endorsed by the king (hen duai) ... but what is the overall message?

The overall message seems to be that we don't know where the hell it came from, but it's our national language, to be acknowledged as our "lingua franca" in all regions of the Country -- North, Northeast, Central, East and South. So speak it right, write it right and safeguard it as integral to our national heritage.
After all, it's Thai-Language Day, (Wednesday) July 23, 2014.

[David and Bui]

If you wish to read a quotation from the King regarding the Thai language, see http://www.thai-language.com/id/590109

The source is พระราชดำรัส พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว Royal Speech of the King, Excerpts from “ภาษาไทยของเรา” สมาคมภาษาและหนังสือแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระราชบรมมราชูปถัมภ์ “Our Thai Language, Essays from the Thai Society for Language and Books Under Royal Patronage,” Sathaporn Books, 2537 (1994) quoting His Majesty the King.

[Tgeezer]

What a joy it is to hear the language spoken properly, I wish that I had more time.

[Thomas]

Thank you Don Sena for giving sense to the video for me (advertisement of central Thai/Siamese/ภาษาไทยของเรา).

Thank you David for the link. I read it with interest.

And, I fully share the view of Khun Tgeezer. I can add only that it is sad for me that I do not spend more time to understand this language as spoken ...

[Thomas]

If you wish to read a quotation from the King regarding the Thai language, see http://www.thai-language.com/id/590109

The source is พระราชดำรัส พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว Royal Speech of the King, Excerpts from “ภาษาไทยของเรา” สมาคมภาษาและหนังสือแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระราชบรมมราชูปถัมภ์ “Our Thai Language, Essays from the Thai Society for Language and Books Under Royal Patronage,” Sathaporn Books, 2537 (1994) quoting His Majesty the King.

David, I would like to clarify an initial missunderstanding on my side: The text behind the link above, translated by Nan and you, occurs actually in the video. I have simply overlooked that fact.

May I ask you whether Nan and you have ever translated the whole text (i.e. that of the link to RI which is currently down due to potential server problems)?

Just the extract translated is an excellent "Reading Exercise" (as well as a "grammar test").

Many thanks in advance

P.S.: If you allow to discuss this translation further, a first remark:

You translated

เรามีโชคดีที่มีภาษาของตนเองแต่โบราณกาล
in
We are very fortunate to have our own very ancient language

When I read the English sentence (without translating the Thai sentence) the very first time, I found it strange that the King describes Thai language (ปัจจุบัน)/our own language as a "very ancient" language. Having translated the Thai sentence by myself I continue to conclude that this is actually not the message of the sentence. I would translate แต่...กาล as since ... time. Tl.com dic gives โบราณกาล as "ancient times; former times; antiquity; olden days; days of yore; ere now" ...

So, why not

We are very fortunate to have our own language since ancient times.

The message is a different one compared to your translation. Where I am wrong here?

[David and Bui]

I think your translation is valid.

[insayt]

Here as I see it.

We are very fortunate to have our own very ancient language

Yes it differs, but I cannot see any wrong with the first translation. The King describes their own language (Thai) that is very ancient (in time) and they are lucky, it doesn’t mean it has not been refined or modernized.

As for ปัจจุบัน, I don’t think the King mean that the language today is spoken as it was in the ancient time!

We are very fortunate to have our own language since ancient times

With your translation they are lucky to have their own language since ancient time but not define it as an old ancient language as the first translation does, as I see it.

On the other hand, if you have had a language since ancient time, it’s probably ancient.

Peter

[Thomas]

Here as I see it.

We are very fortunate to have our own very ancient language

Yes it differs, but I cannot see any wrong with the first translation. The King describes their own language (Thai) that is very ancient (in time) and they are lucky, it doesn’t mean it has not been refined or modernized.

As for ปัจจุบัน, I don’t think the King mean that the language today is spoken as it was in the ancient time!

We are very fortunate to have our own language since ancient times

With your translation they are lucky to have their own language since ancient time but not define it as an old ancient language as the first translation does, as I see it.

On the other hand, if you have had a language since ancient time, it’s probably ancient.

Peter

Peter, I'm very grateful for your comment. With my P.S. I asked for permission to comment on a translation. And I dont't think that my comment was arround right or wrong, more about whether my perception of the Thai sentence is un-grammatical when I translate it in my way.

Let's assume Queen Elizabeth II would have said:

"We are very fortunate to have our own very ancient language."

What does the sentence mean precisely?

As for ปัจจุบัน, I don’t think the King mean that the language today is spoken as it was in the ancient time!

As to Englishปัจจุบัน, I also would not think that the Queen meant that it is today spoken as it was before the Norman Conquest. She also will know that Old-Saxon, Old-English etc. were spelled and pronounced differently from Englishปัจจุบัน.

What are your thoughts?

[Tgeezer]

Thomas, I didn't think anybody would notice แต่โบราณso which I have been discussing with David for some time.
I would like to post my reply but this app. Gives only a millisecond to hit select,copy, or paste!
I believe that แต่โบราณ means 'in antiquity' which need only be long enough to predate the arrival of the colonial powers of France and England, long enough to become the common language without which the country might have suffered the same fate as their neighbours.
examples of the use of แต่ as a บุพบท : เขามาแต่เช้า เขามาแต่บ้าน .