Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [224]
For information about work permits, contact any Thai embassy abroad or check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (www.mfa.go.th/web/12.php). No joy? Seek solace and advice on the message boards of www.thaivisa.com.
Busking is illegal in Thailand, where it is legally lumped together with begging.
Teaching English
As in the rest of East and Southeast Asia, there is a high demand for English speakers to provide instruction to Thai citizens. Those with academic credentials such as teaching certificates or degrees in English as a second language will get first crack at the better-paying jobs, such as those at universities and international schools. But there are perhaps hundreds of private language-teaching establishments in Bangkok that hire noncredentialled teachers by the hour. Private tutoring is also a possibility. International oil companies pay the highest salaries for English instructors, but are also quite choosy.
A website maintained by a Bangkok-based English teacher, www.ajarn.com, has tips on finding jobs and pretty much everything else you need to know about getting into the teaching game in Thailand. If you’re more dedicated (or desperate) the Yellow Pages (www.yellow.co.th/Bangkok) has contact details for hundreds of schools, universities and language schools.
LANGUAGE
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PRONUNCIATION
SOCIAL
PRACTICAL
FOOD
EMERGENCIES
HEALTH
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Learning some Thai is a wonderful way to enhance your stay in Bangkok; naturally, the more you pick up, the closer you get to Thailand’s culture and people. You’ll probably have mixed results with your first attempts to speak the language, but keep trying. Listen closely to the way the Thais themselves use the various tones – you’ll catch on quickly. Don’t let laughter at your linguistic forays discourage you; this apparent amusement is really an expression of appreciation.
Travellers are particularly urged to make the effort to mix with Thai college and university students. Thai students are usually eager to meet visitors from other countries. They will often know some English, so communication isn’t as difficult as it may be with some other locals, and they’re generally willing to teach you useful Thai words and phrases.
If you’d like a more comprehensive guide to the language, get a copy of Lonely Planet’s compact and user-friendly Thai phrasebook.
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PRONUNCIATION
Tones
In Thai the meaning of a single syllable may be altered by means of different tones. For example, depending on the tone, the syllable mai can mean ‘new’, ‘burn’, ‘wood’, ‘not?’ or ‘not’.
The following chart represents tones to show their relative pitch values:
The tones are explained as follows:
low tone – ‘flat’ like the mid tone, but pronounced at the relative bottom of one’s vocal range; it is low, level and with no inflection, eg bàht (baht – the Thai currency)
mid tone – pronounced ‘flat’, at the relative middle of the speaker’s vocal range, eg dee (good); no tone mark is used
falling tone – sounds as if you are emphasising a word, or calling someone’s name from afar, eg mâi (no/not)
high tone – pronounced near the relative top of the vocal range, as level as possible, eg máh (horse)
rising tone – sounds like the inflection used by English speakers to imply a question – ‘Yes?’, eg săhm (three)
Consonants
The majority of Thai consonants correspond closely to the English counterparts used to represent them in transliterations. The ones that will be unfamiliar to English speakers are Ъ (pronounced like a cross between ‘b’ and ‘p’, as in ‘hipbag’), đ (pronounced like a cross between a ‘d’ and a ‘t’, as in ‘hardtop’) and ng (pronounced as in ‘sing’, but differing from English in that this consonant can come at the beginning of a word; practise by saying ‘singing’ and then leave off the ‘si-’).
Vowels
The many different vowel sounds and combinations in Thai can be tricky at first.
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SOCIAL
Meeting People
Going Out
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