Admin_2 Posted September 30, 2011 Report Share Posted September 30, 2011 I have an idea, why don't we write "A Guide to Women's language"? Or how about teach women how to state things clearly. When making a plan to go to the supermarket... Correct: We are going to the supermarket in one hour Incorrect: I think we're getting low on milk When you don't feel well... Correct: I don't feel well Incorrect: I'm fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted September 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2011 Correct: It's great you could stop by. Why don't you come in? Incorrect: What are you doing in the bushes outside my bedroom window you perv? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_Bob Posted September 30, 2011 Report Share Posted September 30, 2011 I think we find Thai difficult because we don't understand the subtleties. But this applies at least as much to English for non-native speakers who don't understand OUR tones and stresses. I was once asked to analyse a sentence and the effect that stress had on its meaning.... He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. At first glance it has one meaning. But once we start adding stress the meaning changes considerably. eg He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. I realised that as well as the initial meaning, we could stress every single word and change its meaning. Therefore one nine-word sentence has TEN meanings! And we complain about five tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaunitz Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 what about a "A Guide to what Women actually mean NOT what they say !!!!" only problem is it would be the world's longest ******* book !!!! hahahahaha !!! And noone could understand it anyhow, let alone learn from it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatty Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 And noone could understand it anyhow, let alone learn from it.... Told ya, a summery "Just agree with me" ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chatty Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 I think we find Thai difficult because we don't understand the subtleties.But this applies at least as much to English for non-native speakers who don't understand OUR tones and stresses. I was once asked to analyse a sentence and the effect that stress had on its meaning.... He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. At first glance it has one meaning. But once we start adding stress the meaning changes considerably. eg He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. He told me that Julia had borrowed the video. I realised that as well as the initial meaning, we could stress every single word and change its meaning. Therefore one nine-word sentence has TEN meanings! And we complain about five tones. Oh Mae Jao... Never know about it before kha p'Dave, the English teachers never talk about it seriously. Thks for information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English_Bob Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Oh Mae Jao... Never know about it before kha p'Dave, the English teachers never talk about it seriously. Thks for information. The stress changes the meaning of the sentence.... A simple example... She loves cats. Easy to understand... But She loves cats. That particular girl loves cats. The girl is the important part. She loves cats. She loves cats more than is usual. The verb is the most important part. She loves cats. She loves cats as opposed to dogs or fish or any other object. Here cats are the most important part. Not all sentences work like this. But for native speakers, stress is important and subtle. We also use tone in many ways, to change the meaning of the sentence - from sincere to sarcastic. Sometimes Germans, French and Russians are perceived to be rude. Often it's simply because they use stress incorrectly or not at all. But often they are just rude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarangFarang Posted October 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Rob always gives me crap about this one but I use English stresses in Thai. For instance, when asking a question I tend to put a rising tone on the last word or two (usually mai) like you would in English to change a statement to a question. For instance: You went to the store You went to the store? = Did you go to the store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin_2 Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Rob always gives me crap about this one but I use English stresses in Thai. For instance, when asking a question I tend to put a rising tone on the last word or two (usually mai) like you would in English to change a statement to a question.For instance:You went to the storeYou went to the store? = Did you go to the store? I give you crap about everything...it's hard to keep up with it all. Putting stresses on the end of words in Thai to ask a question would be retarded.Do you want to eat?Correct = Pai gin cao maiiii?Incorrect = Pai gin caoooo?The last one would mean, "Go eat him." or maybe that's what you wanted to say... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaunitz Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Told ya, a summery "Just agree with me" ok? Deal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaunitz Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 I feel a bit stressed with all this discussion about stressing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyphil247 Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 You should open your mind more, p'Bill Yeh p Bill, open that mind right up thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben35talking Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 English is a very precise language. That rather depends on who's using it. Recently I was reprimanded for teaching the word 'mug' to students (a standard flashcard, definitely a mug and nothing like a cup...) because the Australian trainer says it's a cup and the American teachers all teach cup...In more recent years I had to adjust to replace the word 'ill' with 'sick' - very different meanings in my book, but 'sick' is the preferred word (to cover all manner of ills) by Americans and Thai's prefer to limit their studies. (Ill is altogether more serious, you can be VERY sick after drinking too much vodka - it's not likely to make you ill).As a native English speaker... sorry, they're all natives... better rephrase that...How can I differentiate?As an uptight a**hole, I am offended when people show pictures of plates and teach 'dish' so that it can rhyme with 'fish' and fail to differentiate between saucers and plates - and especially between 'cup and saucer' and 'mug and plate' should be an extremely obvious one in my opinion... in Thai this is very clearly distinguished also (Mug would be a flagon, like a jug - เหยือก whilst Cup is smaller, the shape you make with your hands (in Thai ถ้วย) measuring maybe 237ml.)Thai's are similarly vague - it seems the whole world desires to pursue this path... My partner sometimes makes comments (whilst out of my view) or asks questions along the lines of 'have you seen where the thing is?' preferring to stick with pronouns rather than fishing for the appropriate noun.At other times it's very annoying - a towel is called 'cloth dry body' only when that is what she wants to do. Otherwise she might ask for exactly what she wants - like a special cloth for wiping breast-milk spills from bottles (nappy) or special cloth for wiping baby's face (nappy) and I have to realise that it's just a muslin square (I call them nappies, but we don't use them for his toileting...)For me, it's normal for a 5 year old to extend 'car' to cover vans and trucks (over-extension is a tool to use existing language when you do not yet possess the vocabulary required) and proceed to perhaps try to add to this, perhaps with descriptions, to clarify... but for adults to prefer this is beyond me. It's crazy and confusing at the best of times.Thai's are expert at being more vague than we ever could manage - but it seems foreigners are working hard to catch up. It reminds me of the term 'dumbing down' and it appears we're all working to become a bunch of bumbling idiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben35talking Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 Told ya, a summery "Just agree with me" ok? ... because a wintery "Piss off" might offend? It's always pretty summery where I live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin_2 Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 whilst Cup is smaller, the shape you make with your hands (in Thai ถ้วย) measuring maybe 237ml.) I would say it's not much over 230 ml. 233 at most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stramash Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 I would say it's not much over 230 ml. 233 at most. Just tested this theory. I managed 336 mls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben35talking Posted April 16, 2012 Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 I would say it's not much over 230 ml. 233 at most. ROFL - actually on my Dr Brown bottles 8 oz hits the mark at around 237ml, and 8oz is 1 cup... Using American measurements here, 1 cup is 8oz right? Yet another reason why I'd rather stick to metric measurements instead of vagiaries, everything is vague. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin_2 Posted April 16, 2012 Report Share Posted April 16, 2012 ROFL - actually on my Dr Brown bottles 8 oz hits the mark at around 237ml, and 8oz is 1 cup... Using American measurements here, 1 cup is 8oz right? Yet another reason why I'd rather stick to metric measurements instead of vagiaries, everything is vague. Vagaries: def. (noun). When a man meets more than one ovulating woman, he has met vagaries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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