Bursting the language bubble (1)

'I would like to learn English,' said Mr Friendly at the 7-11.

I walked in the other day to buy some supplies for home. Mr Friendly was there, the first time I had seen him in several weeks.

His real name is T. He works at a 7-11 close to my home.

'Then why don't you try talking? You might want to befriend a farang first,' I said.

That sounds like blatant self-interest, because T, who comes from the North, is good-looking.

'It's not as hard as you think.'

T pointed to a pack of chewing gum.

'How do you say that in English?'

'One pack of gum,' I said.

'I would like to be fluent, but I never get the chance to talk,' he said.

We talked a while longer, before someone turned up at the counter wanting service.

When I walked in, T greeted me by name. Thais have a terrific memory for names, and T is no exception.

Once upon a time, I might have followed up my visit by taking him in a textbook for Thais learning English. I would suggest he borrow and study it.

I thought about it briefly, but decided not to bother. Thais teach themselves basic English if they are really interested. Instead of playing computer games in the internet cafe across the road, as T likes to do in his spare time, he could read English-language websites instead.

Thais feel guilty about English when they see a foreign face. They forget about it again when the foreigner walks away.

Learning a second language takes years of dedicated study. No one wakes up one day and finds themselves miraculously able to speak. Unlike the tooth fairy, it does not dance across your pillow sprinkling gold dust as you sleep.

now, see part 2