I know that bar in the photo... 55bar, OTOP Patong, and those girls and very polite. I agree that you need to learn Thai language to become part of Thai society and you do get respect for it (also, hated for knowing too much in some places).
Phuket clubs, bars, nightlife and surrounding tourist locations such as Koh Samui, Pattaya are often places of which we may find ourselves practicing our new found language of Thai, usually with our delightful Thai waitresses or in built up entertainment areas where bar girls will be only too willing to help you with your pronunciation of “I want to love you for a long time”. The truth is unless we’ve actively practiced in a way that at least gets us by in a polite manner then chances are the guessing games will never end.
Thai is not one of the easiest languages in the world to learn, and a lot of people get by for a long time without trying to learn past the basic phrases that will get them by from day to day. Respect has to be given to the people who at least try and learn past the basics so that a higher level of communication and understanding can be achieved.
The benefits of this are many. Friendlier people, better service, cheaper prices, opening of many closed doors (professional and social) and generally a higher level of acceptance all make a little effort go a long way. And if you’re living here, isn’t it just plain polite to learn the local dialect?
Sometimes the conversations that can be had are limited to certain subjects, and can be classified such as Taxi Thai, Food Thai, Bar Thai and so on, and it can become quite obvious after talking with someone as to where they picked up their skill and for what reasons.
If you find yourself in the Bar Thai category – no shame here, as foreigners it’s normal for us to frequent the local bar, or go out and knock a few back and shake it on down at one of the clubs in Phuket’s party zones such as Patong, Kata or Rawai. But if this is where you picked up the majority of your lingo, then maybe you should check on exactly what you’re saying before using it in your new job, or when meeting your new girl friend’s parents.
The easiest example of this is swear words. Since we were kids, and found ourselves learning a new language, it was common to first learn the ‘bad’ words because it kept things fun and light hearted and held our interest in the language for a little longer. Also, as can be seen nowadays, swearing is common place and generally accepted socially between friends and when out socializing. If you’ve got a small vocabulary and 5% of those words are impolite, what are the chances you accidentally slip one off them into a conversation by accident?
Now, it’s not being said that you would meet your prospectively in-laws and greet them saying ‘how the f**k are ya?’ but in many social situations in Thailand, for example when you’re meeting and socializing with regular Thais (people who work 9-5s) even dropping in slang style speech can create a bad first impression, and give people clues as to where you learnt your Thai. If you don’t even know you’re doing it, then your knowledge of the language can make things worse for you, not better!
It can be very subtle words that are the greatest indicators. ‘Me’ and ‘you’ (there are many variations of each) are a good starting place, but there are many words that can be said coarsely or politely (there are at least two ways of saying husband). So find a Thai friend who you can trust and ask them to comment on your Thai explaining that you would like to learn the polite words, and if you’re going to meet your girlfriend’s parents or family, prepare and ask her how you should address them politely. She’ll be touched that you care enough, and you’ll score major brownie points with the family.
If you learn to speak the language, learn to speak politely. Anyone who’s been here knows that the Thais are generally a very polite bunch, so speaking politely will only double your rewards.
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