From a class of 21 students when it first started in 1998, the Thai language course now has 250 students enrolling each semester, said Assistant Prof Dr Titima Suthiwan, who pioneered the programme.

Thai has surpassed long-time champion Bahasa Indonesia as the most popular regional tongue at the Centre For Language Studies at the university - and Titima believes the trend will continue.

"I think Thai is popular among Singaporean students because they like Thailand, particularly Thai pop culture," said Titima, referring to Thai music, movies and fashion.

But some students have a more practical reason.

"Some students, particularly those studying engineering, told me they want to work abroad. By studying Thai, they hope they will stand a better chance of getting a post in Thailand," she said.

Each semester, the Thai programme offers classes ranging from Thai 1 to Thai 5, with Thai 6 being offered once a year.

In Thai 1, students mainly practise speaking and listening skills, with a little bit of writing which becomes more intense in Thai 2 and beyond. Being one of the world's largest Thai courses outside Thailand, the programme does not spoon-feed students.

"We don't use any other language in class. We don't teach them grammar and don't encourage them to be dependent on a dictionary. Rather, we let them think and guess from what they hear and speak in the class. It is the natural way a baby learns how to speak," Titima said.

The course has two full-time and 15 part-time tutors. Students take two tutorial classes and one writing class a week.

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation