It's a given that when you go to a foreign country, if you get right in someone's face and yell really loud, they'll understand English.
The same is true for Thai, evidently--if you get right in the farang's face and scream even louder than the background noise, you're sure to get comprehension. And if the initial attempts don't pan out, get a cluster of friends to help shout whatever it is, because being surrounded by ten shrieking voices does wonders for clarification.
I have to emphasize that I'm not trying to sound superior or guilt-free, especially since I spend a goodly bit of my daily life doing exactly that--shout a phrase as slowly and loudly as I can manage until someone's lightbulb goes on and the idea takes hold. It's just interesting that something I generally associate with the stereotypical ugly American manifests itself so closely in such a foreign context.
It's also interesting that the students are so fully conditioned to not understand a farang that they do not understand me when I give an explanation in Thai.
Maybe if I yelled louder....
The same is true for Thai, evidently--if you get right in the farang's face and scream even louder than the background noise, you're sure to get comprehension. And if the initial attempts don't pan out, get a cluster of friends to help shout whatever it is, because being surrounded by ten shrieking voices does wonders for clarification.
I have to emphasize that I'm not trying to sound superior or guilt-free, especially since I spend a goodly bit of my daily life doing exactly that--shout a phrase as slowly and loudly as I can manage until someone's lightbulb goes on and the idea takes hold. It's just interesting that something I generally associate with the stereotypical ugly American manifests itself so closely in such a foreign context.
It's also interesting that the students are so fully conditioned to not understand a farang that they do not understand me when I give an explanation in Thai.
Maybe if I yelled louder....
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