Learning Thai

Much of the Thai language is still a mystery to me.  The script is a unique combination of loops, lines, and swirls.  None of it makes any sense whatsoever.  Beginners learn to speak and understand Thai using a phonetic alphabet and usually don’t tackle reading and writing until the third or fourth month.

I figured it might be a little like going back to kindergarten.  Not.  You have to put aside every English grammar rule you ever learned.  “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking,” does not work here.  In Thai, when two vowels go walking, it means it’s a long vowel sound.  Long as in literally long and drawn-out.  One vowel is simply a clipped version of the same sound.  There are vowels that look familiar, but don’t be fooled.  “I” says “ee” and “e” says “a.”  Add in backwards 3’s and c’s, upside-down e’s and u’s with a line through the middle, and it gets confusing fast!  

At first glance, the consonants do not seem as daunting; many look like carry-overs from English, and some even sound like they are “supposed” to, like m and s.  Some English letters are conspicuously absent, such as h, v, z, g, j, q, and x.  But again, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s child’s play.  “P” says “b” and “ph” says “p.”  “K” says “g” and “c” says “j.”  My mouth does not know how to swallow the final consonant of certain words, or how to make that funny “ng” sound halfway up my nasal cavity, or the “uh” deep down in my throat. 

And then we get to the tones, the reason behind the sing-song rhythm to this language.  There are five, and the only way that I can make sense of them is to picture each tonal syllable on a musical scale.  That was a hint Keith gave me, and it does help, even though I am not the one with an ear for music.  There is a low tone, mid tone, high tone, rising tone, and falling tone.  They are incredibly important, and no word is devoid of tone.  It is the difference between paternal grandfather and crab, between horse, dog, and come, between vegetables and temporary housing….to name a few.    

Just when I think I have a conversation pattern figured out, we move on…and I discover that the word/meaning combination I so carefully memorized is pitifully insufficient.  Words like “kan,” “na,” and “baang” keep popping up different places and refuse to be neatly translated.

There are too many things I don’t understand…TV programs, the talk radio stations that taxi drivers listen to, the advertisements on the SkyTrain, overheard cell phone conversations, or the songs we sing at church.  I can pick up a few words like “happy” or “thank you,” but not much more.

There are too many things I don’t know how to say.  Conversations don’t go very far before I come up against a word I simply don’t know, or an idea I have no way to express.  Some days I am frustrated and don’t want to try.  It’s too easy to order coffee and a croissant at the mall using English, rather than stumble through my Thai phrases.

Today, when a neighbor lady brought her children over to play with our children in the street (it’s a dead end, so pretty safe) I had no choice but to use Thai.  So I asked her the names and ages of the children, where they live, if they go to school, etc.  I practiced a few other simple phrases and then we watched our kids play together. It was nothing profound, but in that tiny interaction I got a glimpse of how wonderful it will be to connect with people.

 

So…I will keep up the tongue contortions, straining my ears to catch the tone, memorizing the basic vocabulary of a three-year-old, and trying to remember how to organize verb, object, adjective, and question word into its proper form. 

One year from now, I will probably laugh at myself and my beginner struggles.  I probably won’t be calling my grandfather a crab, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be making new mistakes.  I’m glad that this journey is not about becoming a fluent speaker of Thai.  It’s about speaking the “language” of the love and power of God Almighty!