new Isaan Thai Book

[Korkenzieher]

http://www.learnspeakthai.com/ lists a series of new books. They are a bit pricey at 999 baht each but having bought the Isaan Thai book, I think they are a pretty good introductory level resource - maybe even intermediary. There is also a Northeastern Thai book to add to the central and isaan Thai ones.

They are widely available. However, I have never yet seen a single 'volume 2'. Volume 2 is supposed to exist for both Thai and Isaan Thai offerings. Has anyone seen them? Perhaps they are only available from the website?

Anyone had a look at these care to offer an opinion - especially anyone who lives in the north - is the dialect approriate to say Udon? Or is it specific to the Khon Kaen area?

[STEVE G]

Yes, it looks interesting.
It seems likes it's aimed more at the Lao end of Issan, as where I go in Nong Ki, Buriram, they speak a seperate language altogether that isn't Thai at all, it's a nearer to the Khmer language and is spoken by about 20,000 people in two groups, one centered around Nong Ki and the other nearer to Surin.
I'll give it a look anyway when I'm back at Easter.

[Korkenzieher]

For anybody who picked up any of the above mentioned books, I have now received email from the authors that 'Speak Isaan Thai v2' is now available. I have no word on the Central Thai book (Speak Thai v2), though I suspect what has happened is that interest in book(s) 1 has been high enough that the authors have decided to take the financial risk, and go ahead with printing. I haven't seen them in the shops yet though, and their mail to me suggested buying it from them directly.

[kendo]

In our village in Surin they speak a Khmer dialect, so thats my excuse not to learn thai although i am starting to come around to that idea for self forfillment.

I have a farang friend back here and he was with one of my wifes cousins for 13 years and could speak fluent thai, buy he used to hate it in the village when they used to slag him off in khmer as he could pick up on some of this.

kendo.

[Korkenzieher]

It was one of the things that attracted me to this range. Very few books do anything other than Thai Glaang (Central Thai). This range includes Isaan and Northeast Thai, and (I think) Lao. Perhaps there is some mileage in emailing them about Kamen?

[richard]

On the book front

Wait for my book on my life in Thailand. Bangers, Isaan and the islands. Need the dosh

[Korkenzieher]

WRT Learn Speak Thai's "Isaan 2" volume, that I referred to earlier:
for anyone that is interested, it is now available in most of the bookshops. I got it at Asia Books in Market Village, priced 1099 Bht.

Also, the new Poomsan Becker 3 way dictionary series for Thai, Burmese and Lao are out. A word of caution though - one of the shop assistants told me that early copies of the 3-way Thai had been recalled because of printing errors. Apparently the problem is that a portion of the Thai section is missing. Perhaps worth checking before you buy.

[usual suspect]

As Steve G mentions..Around Nong Ki they all speak Lao.
(next time your there Steve..go into the hardware/tractor parts shop on left just before the bank...
..its a grotto in there, goes right back, bang-full 0 tools & parts, but the staff know a bit of English & really DO
try to serve you/ get you what you came in for..wot wiv my Thai + their Tinglish its a good ambience...the complete indicator/flasher unit c/w bulb to replace the smashed one on the Kubota mudguard was 80b in there)