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I'm a busy mother but I still find time to blog. Actually,I have a lovely daughter who inspired me to blog so you'll find my pages inundated with posts about her. I'm just new to blogging but I would like to post anything that pops up in my mind and share them. Since my first language is not English, please bear with me. I am open to suggestions and constructive criticisms. Please post your comments also. Thanks and happy reading....

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Thaism : A Shirt Or A Tiger?

There were lots of encounters with the Thai people that made us smile, think and ponder whether  it might  be in our journey, in the market, at the neighborhood or  even  at work.
Here is one funny encounter with the garment shop sales clerk . One morning at the shop, I was looking for some shirts when the owner sensed my need.

Seller:  Haa alai laka koon? ( Miss, what are you looking for?)
Me:      Koon Pha, Nu kamlang ha sue- ah. ( Aunt, I am looking for shirts.)

The seller  was surprised and got big eyes plus her facial expression ..
Seller : Arai ka?? Sue- ah la? (What?  You’re looking for tigers??) Lol!

How could I look for a tiger in her garment shop? May be my  tone in saying “sue –ah”  sounded like the sound of “ sue-ah “ meaning tiger.
That’s the problem for us and it’s true to other foreigners ,too. Many Thai words have only one word with different sounds and meanings like;
Sue-ah (low) = mat
Sue-ah( high)= shirt
Sue-ah (falling tone)  = tiger


But how about if I say in a sentence..

The tiger with a shirt sits on a mat that needs another shirt and mat.

2 comments:

  1. translate also in kankana-ey character para naman maintindihan ng ka2lad ko igorot..ahhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooooo....

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  2. Hi Anonymous,
    It's so inspiring to know that there are fellow igorots dropping by. haha mabalin nga ikargam palayaw mo sin message mo tapnu maymayat..Thank you for the nice comment ,Good luck and happy reading...........

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