Attempting to Learn Thai 5

November 16th, 2006
Months in Thailand: 4.5
Hours at AUA: ~315 (Level 2)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:

I'm around halfway through AT2 now. Progress in AT2 is slower than AT1, and harder to notice, but I would say that I follow the gist of 80%+ of what is going on, and that my comprehension is noticibly better than when I entered the level. I have also "absorbed" some important words and usages that I was not aware of at the time of my last post. Things are stil filtering in and I don't feel at all ready to move to the next level (85 hours away), but I do feel rather seasoned as an AT2 student and notice very often that I am following things that others are not.

I also give almost all *short* answers in Thai now. For better or worse, it is now automatic for me to agree or disagree or give *very* short answers in Thai. Most AT2 students seem to do this, and the teachers only tell people to stop speaking Thai if they get carried away. Practicing speaking this is NOT. It's just, I think, a very early precursor of natural speaking emmerging from all this listening. Longer answers are still given in English, and the teachers really don't let students get carried away going off in Thai. This might not be following the ALG method to the letter, but it is in keeping with the spirit of it. In class, and out of class, I speak only what I 100% know how to say, and I don't try to force anything. If I can say it without thinking, without translating, I will, and if not, I won't.

Out of Class:

The TV is on now, and I almost follow the basic gist of the silly sitcom that is showing on channel 3. Almost. I can also definitely pick out more words than I could when I was in AT1.

Overall, I feel like some critical mass has been reached and that the pieces are starting to fall together. Thai sounds like Thai now- even if I have no idea what something means and every word spoken is new, and I can't even separate the words from each other, it all sounds... familiar. Thai doesn't sound alien to me anymore, not like it did when I arrived here or like some other language would.

I am now often able to survive conversations with random people if the topics are ones I am familiar with. It's not true back and forth conversing, and I know I miss critical parts of what is being said to me. Nevertheless, I can understand things and reply with things that are understood and somewhat related. So there is comprehension occuring, and ideas are being exchanged... for the Thais, I bet it's like talking to a 2-3 year old.

They talk about a trip they took to Chiang Mai (cooler, mountainous province up north), and I reply with "I like mountains and I like the cold." They ask where I am from, and I say, "America." They say something complicated about Americans and Thailand, and I don't follow, but I catch that they say many Americans like Thailand. So, I say, "I like Thailand. I don't like the heat, but I like Thailand." They ask what I like about it, and I say "Thai food. Thai food is very delicious." Then we talk about food, and I don't understand a lot, but I can agree with things and in an appropriate part of the conversation, mention a few foods that I like. They pick up on the fact that I like spicy food, and I agree "I like it very much, but if food is very spicy, it makes me cry!" They laugh, and say something I don't understand, but I offer some other random statement and it starts a similar go-round.

Exchanges like that. It's not the sort of thing that requires true comprehension, and I know I am very, very far from anything like that. But I think it is encouraging progress for less than 3 months of study.