Thai language leaves little brain space for English

I cannot disagree with the sentiment that Thais could improve their English-language proficiency. Yet the reason that Korean and Japanese people speak better English than most other Asians is rooted in their own language. Korean script is phonetic, so that reading is easier and the “memory space” for language, speech or music is not overtaxed like it is by the Thai language. Meanwhile, although Japanese shares Chinese characters, the everyday script is phonetic. Even I managed to cope with it, practising by sending postcards in English with Japanese characters to my Japanese teacher. 

I did teach myself to recognise the Thai-language characters but, with so many similar sounds for different characters, I gave up the unequal struggle. (I took delight in the Thai phrase for rugby: “rak be” – “love to be crushed”.) 

The difference between Thailand and the other two is that the Thai language occupies too much of the brain, leaving too little for an English-language invasion.

Richard Bowler