Thai update...

[khiemtran]

I'm just the edge of reading now. I can recognize key words and most of the common consonants and vowels, although I'm still having trouble working out how to pronounce new words. It's been fun so far, and not actually that difficult, it's just that there are a lot of pronunciation rules you need to internalize in order to read correctly. I can see how learning the script will really pay off though. The three written sources I'm using all use different romanizations, and none of them seem to be ideal. The other plus is that it's a lot easier to remember the tones if you can also remember the leading consonant.

I took Liem out to dinner last night and managed to order entirely in Thai (which is less impressive than it sounds because most menus here just use the same twenty words in different combinations). At least the manager didn't bat an eyelid when I walked in and asked for a table for two. I guess she knows how to keep the locals happy... Here's Liem about to dig in to some khao pat gai (chicken fried rice) and pat thai goong...

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

You're amazing and an inspiration. There are three languages that I'd like to learn right now: Spanish, Malay (and maybe Indonesian, and they're extremely similar, right?), and Thai.

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

I like your journal name.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Thank you--I like yours too, ひかる源氏さま ^_^

Are you a fan of classical Japanese literature? Shining princes?

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

I am -- I'm working on a PhD in Japanese literature and writing my dissertation on Genji so I have to like it :) Although I named this LJ way back before that, when I just liked the English translation.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I pursued, but didn't obtain, a PhD in classical Japanese literature (ABD). I see you're at Ohio State. That was one place my daughter, who wants to pursue Japanese and Korean, applied to--they have a great program!

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

Good luck to her! I'm in Japan now but I'll be back at OSU in a year or so. What was your focus of study?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Part of my problem was lack of focus. I was going to do my thesis on late-period chôka, but I ended up not having the true interest and focus to pursue it. I would have been better off switching to early modern stuff and doing Miyazawa Kenji, whom I read while in Japan.

So you're studying with Naomi Fukumori, maybe? (....Maybe I'll PM you more....)

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

Yep, she's my advisor. PM is fine.

Late period choka is interesting; usually you just hear they're all terrible and not worth looking at -- that usually means it's good to study. :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

PM sent!

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

I got it. I tried to send a response but I've never used the LJ PM so I don't know if it worked correctly/.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, now I see it! Hold on, will read....

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

OK. I didn't mean for that to sound pushy, I have a lot of trouble with LJ posting my comments lately.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Not at all, not at all!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, Malay and Indonesian are quite close, and they're also very easy for an English-speaker to learn, at least in terms of grammar and pronunciation. (That's to a basic level, of course. My wife was saying the other day how she had learned how to use cricket terminology since she had come to Australia. I told her she used cricket terms like I used Malay. "NOO!!!! I'm not THAT BAD!!!!" She also says my accent "sounds like a frustrated teacher". You can guess who my teacher was...)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

"NOO!!!! I'm not THAT BAD!!!!"

Hahaha :D

[aliettedb.livejournal.com]

Wow. Like asakiyume says, you're really quite an inspiration. Good luck with the Thai!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! The other fun thing about Thai is that most of the Thai people I know are great fun to be with.

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

What is your native language? Your English seems native so maybe you're bilingual?

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I'm only really fluent in English, I'm afraid. I can get by in lots of other languages, but only at a very basic level.