Living in Bangkok without a car, freed me from driving in bad traffic conditions but continuous usage of taxis gave me another problem. After using taxis for almost two years to move around, I discovered that some of the drivers refused to admit that they need help even when they are having difficulty in getting to my destination. Sounds familiar? This seems to be a universal attitudinal problem. According to folklore it most often happens to men especially when it comes to asking for direction.
My observation is that this is not because I am a foreigner.
I can speak good enough Thai and give instructions if I know how to get there
and have got there before. If I am not sure, I would usually get the address
written in Thai and give it to the driver on boarding. So, it is not the
language issue but that of pride which spring from two personal
conditions.
First, the driver could not read in his own vernacular. He is an illiterate or semi-illiterate and refused to let people know that. He will pretend to look at the address and feign comprehension. He will nod his head to signal understanding. Then, along the way he will try to figure it out with me by using a combination of English and Thai all the while trying to hide his lack of reading skills. This is thinking on the feet at its best! Just that it is not good on the wallet of the paying passenger.
It took a while for me to learn that oral speakers may not be able to read well or not at all. Their lack of education renders their extensive knowledge of roads useless.
Then there are those who are educated, could read but do not know the destination. Similarly, they will pretend that they know the destination as they are too proud to say the contrary. Again, they will figure it out as they drive. This again costs the paying customers extra fare.
So herein lies two learning moments. Do not assume that an oral communicator can read. A further illogical extension of this fallacy is that the speaker can write too. Language learning usually involves at least three components i.e. speaking, reading and writing. This is formal education. But there are many who may not have a chance and those who deliberately learn how to speak but not read or write.
I went to a twice a week night class for a year to learn conversational Thai in 1995 in Petaling Jaya. Seven years later, seeking to improve my Thai to include reading, I studied for four months in Bangkok’s Yen Akat, two hours a day, five days a week. And in Bangkok many long-staying expatriates are in my shoes, they can speak, read but not write. We figured that it is more important to be able to read and easier to can get someone to do the writing part as we simply don’t have the time or the energy to learn the difficult Thai script.
Language is like a bridge spanning and uniting two divided landmass. It is a communicative tool that can bring understanding to an idea that may be abstract or concrete in nature.But then it must be delivered in the preferred channels of the intended audience.
A practical application of this understanding can be put to work in the distribution of printed tracts. We cannot assume the intended audience can read especially in the rural areas and those who can read especially the urban young may not want to read as they may prefer audio-visual media in their acquiring of news and knowledge.
The tactics for the rural areas may be to use oral story-telling, CDs and DVDs and radio broadcast to communiacte the message. Better still empower local story-tellers and teachers. For the urban dwellers Youtube, podcasting, E-books, audiobook and the world wide web predominate their learning environment. To reach them we must knock at their door with their preferred communication channels. Only then, there will be a connection.
So before you communicate know the target group well. Analyse and determine what is the most acceptable and effective communicative tool. Otherwise noone will lend you their eyes and ears.
First, the driver could not read in his own vernacular. He is an illiterate or semi-illiterate and refused to let people know that. He will pretend to look at the address and feign comprehension. He will nod his head to signal understanding. Then, along the way he will try to figure it out with me by using a combination of English and Thai all the while trying to hide his lack of reading skills. This is thinking on the feet at its best! Just that it is not good on the wallet of the paying passenger.
It took a while for me to learn that oral speakers may not be able to read well or not at all. Their lack of education renders their extensive knowledge of roads useless.
Then there are those who are educated, could read but do not know the destination. Similarly, they will pretend that they know the destination as they are too proud to say the contrary. Again, they will figure it out as they drive. This again costs the paying customers extra fare.
So herein lies two learning moments. Do not assume that an oral communicator can read. A further illogical extension of this fallacy is that the speaker can write too. Language learning usually involves at least three components i.e. speaking, reading and writing. This is formal education. But there are many who may not have a chance and those who deliberately learn how to speak but not read or write.
I went to a twice a week night class for a year to learn conversational Thai in 1995 in Petaling Jaya. Seven years later, seeking to improve my Thai to include reading, I studied for four months in Bangkok’s Yen Akat, two hours a day, five days a week. And in Bangkok many long-staying expatriates are in my shoes, they can speak, read but not write. We figured that it is more important to be able to read and easier to can get someone to do the writing part as we simply don’t have the time or the energy to learn the difficult Thai script.
Language is like a bridge spanning and uniting two divided landmass. It is a communicative tool that can bring understanding to an idea that may be abstract or concrete in nature.But then it must be delivered in the preferred channels of the intended audience.
A practical application of this understanding can be put to work in the distribution of printed tracts. We cannot assume the intended audience can read especially in the rural areas and those who can read especially the urban young may not want to read as they may prefer audio-visual media in their acquiring of news and knowledge.
The tactics for the rural areas may be to use oral story-telling, CDs and DVDs and radio broadcast to communiacte the message. Better still empower local story-tellers and teachers. For the urban dwellers Youtube, podcasting, E-books, audiobook and the world wide web predominate their learning environment. To reach them we must knock at their door with their preferred communication channels. Only then, there will be a connection.
So before you communicate know the target group well. Analyse and determine what is the most acceptable and effective communicative tool. Otherwise noone will lend you their eyes and ears.
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