Published on September 06, 2005
Learning a language is supposed to be hard, as those of us who are bilingual know
There’s been a lot of discussion lately on the poor performance of Thais in the mastery of English. I might add the situation can also be found in the poor mastery of Thai by the expat community living in the Kingdom.
In this regard let me state that I am not a language teacher and don’t pretend to be one, but I’ve made the following observations while here in Thailand – observations that leave me thoroughly at a loss. In the US for example, if you teach French you have to be nominally fluent in English. This also applies to the teaching of Spanish, Russian, or Japanese. The same holds true to a person teaching Thai to an English-speaking American. I have yet to meet a Thai language teacher in the US who was not equally fluent in both Thai and English. Yet here in Thailand the English teachers I’ve observed, for the most part, are not bilingual and do not understand the Thai language, either written or spoken. This may not hold true at the university level – but then, that’s not where most young Thais receive their English-language instruction. It is commonly accepted that acquiring a second language (especially one using a dissimilar script) is one of the most difficult intellectual challenges a student can face. Language is certainly more than sentence structure, verbs, adjectives, clauses, and tenses. In the final analysis it boils down to comprehension. My comment and question is: how can a teacher effectively impart, dissect, and illustrate the subtle and unique differences and inflections between Thai and English unless he or she is fluent in both languages? Learning a new language is not supposed to be fun, it’s called work. Tongue Tied in Bangkok Bangkok ------------------------------------ Caricature of Jaruvan’s critics fits their character I have meant to write many times to pay my respects to Arun and his incisive, telling, and chastising political cartoons. His September 2 cartoon showing the Senate speaker is brilliant in its perception and execution. Thanks for the insight and humour. Jon Harger Bangkok ------------------------------------ Bloating Bangkok deserves fewer responsibilities Bangkok is to Thailand what Mexico City is to Mexico. In other words, it’s a gargantuan, barely functional city that too many citizens flock to – thinking “when all else fails, there will be some sort of job there”. Plus, it’s the hub of nearly all the country’s business and government. It doesn’t have to be that way. Cities grow and cities die, or at least get transformed to live awhile longer. At the very least, there should be satellite cities to take some of the burden off Bangkok in terms of government and business offices. Every day there are letters to newspapers bellyaching about one or more of the myriad problems that beset Bangkok – problems that are being exacerbated rather than fixed. The about-face on the proposed rapid transit railway lines is but one example. New Orleans is headline news now. It’s protected by a levee – not a very viable form of protection in an age of rising sea levels. Humans have historically been an adaptable species – at least until they started getting themselves stuck in cities. Ten months ago, if someone had suggested precautions should be taken against the possibility of a giant tsunami in the east Indian Ocean, experts would have said something like “don’t worry, the Indian Ocean is not an active earthquake zone”. Today, if an upstart says, “beware, Bangkok could get inundated by a typhoon, or some other natural force that can cause a massive tidal surge”, those same experts would say, “don’t worry, Bangkok is not in a typhoon zone”. Some predictions indicate the new “not-yet-functional” airport with the difficult-to-remember name will likely be under water in 25 years. By then it will be known as the SVB jet-ski raceway. It’s a local version the “Bangladesh dilemma”, and stems from people’s devil-may-care attitude of developing potentially waterlogged property. Many cities in Thailand can suffer from water shortages or flooding at any given time. It doesn’t need to be that way. Smart infrastructure planning and implementation can do a lot to alleviate such problems. A few well-placed culverts, diversion channels and reservoirs can preclude much hand-wringing and back-biting. Thailand needs city planners with vision. In closing, I’d like to commend the planners and workers in Chiang Rai regarding infrastructure. Despite torrential rains of late, this is the first season in the seven years I’ve been here that downtown hasn’t flooded. Good job! Ken Albertsen Chiang Rai ------------------------------------ Why are so many foreigners outspoken about Thailand? Ever notice how many foreigners continually write letters to The Nation to point out flaws in Thai society and the need for them to be corrected? Yet few Thais write in with the same sentiments and a list of corrective measures for their society. Why is that? One theory is that the farang are just missing something, that our viewpoints or worldviews or whatever are so basically different from that of Thai people. Or could be that most Thais would fear the social repercussions of writing about something so scandalous, and that foreigners are already so socially ostracised that their blaspheming could do little to knock them from so low a perch? Just Joe Bangkok ------------------------------------ Tragic lack of concern for road safety, despite deaths Re: “Why not get worked up over what really matters?” Letters, September 3. I entirely agree with Richard Stampfle’s comments regarding the lack of attention given to road safety. Death and injury on the roads in many countries, including Thailand, seems to be generally accepted as a part of life. The reasons why are a mystery to me. I understand from the media that many of the deaths and injuries caused by traffic accidents are drink related. The media recently reported in Thailand that a drunk driver received a death sentence for killing four people as a result of drink driving. Some people might think this would act as a deterrence to others but I doubt it. If every driver who was killed while drink driving, driving without a licence, speeding, driving without care and attention, chatting on their mobile phone etc received a death sentence there would be numerous executions every day. More killing by the state is unlikely to be the answer and is against the principle that life is sacred. I guess few drivers think they are doing anything wrong by drink driving, speeding, etc. Fewer still probably think they will get caught, and that even if they did they could most likely buy their way out of trouble. More consistent law enforcement would help. The motor manufacturers should help encourage a culture of safe driving also. It is pointless to put seatbelts in cars if they are not used or sell pick-up trucks for transporting goods to drivers who will then use them to carry people in the back. A pedestrian in Bangkok Bangkok ------------------------------------ Drug traders responsible for violence in the South Re: “Lack of PR skills mucks it up again”, Editorial, September 3. Thank you for your kind editorial regarding the situation in southern Thailand. In a sense the situation seems to be prolonged for some obscure reason despite the best efforts of the political leadership. The victims remain the residents comprising the predominantly Muslim villagers. Perhaps we should now ask who benefits from the ongoing chaos in South Thailand. I asked my friends in Kelantan, northern Malaysia, what is really going. They said that they have many with relatives in Yala and Narathiwat that they are highly concerned about. One of the more interesting answers that by Malaysian friends gave is that “drug-running organisations are perpetuating chaos in South Thailand, killing Muslims as well as Buddhists, for their benefit”. It appears that the drug organisations benefit by being able to operate freely in the region by causing strife for the general population and Thai authorities. This is an interesting scenario that fits the overall picture as certainly it is not apparent why the situation in southern Thailand has not improved after all that has happened and seeks to threaten relations between Thailand and Malaysia. Harjono Zainal-Abidin Kuala Lumpur ------------------------------------ Both sexes should have the right to expect fair treatment Re: “Female Davids take on Goliath”, Editorial, September 4. Your article places welcome focus on three persons who are taking a high personal risk in challenging attacks on their position, their right to speak out, and their right to make personal decisions. Your article’s conclusion, however, screams of female chauvinism. How on earth can you state that if the three persons were men, they would not have faced accusations or criticism, and that men get away with being political, seeking publicity and telling lies about their private lives? You have every duty to highlight unequal treatments where they occur on account of gender, rank, race, religion, age, or wealth. However, your article hijacks three very different and valuable struggles and turns them into a gender issue. The risk of making a political, personal, or ideological stance is no less risky for males than for females. You are right to support the empowerment of people in our society, but please spare us such prejudiced conclusions which insult a large number of citizens who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their rights and beliefs. Pla Nil Bangkok
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