ng football”).
I’d like to add a further idiosyncrasy of Tinglish which is the use of commonly known Thai words mixed in with English. It’s an extension of Sticky Wiki’s, ‘addition of Thai final particles’, and is a Tinglish quirk Wonderful Wi and I use quite often as you’ll see in the recent Tinglish telephone conversation I had with the rural Isaan lass.
Tinglish Conversation – Time Difference Explained
It was about a quarter past one in the afternoon in the UK and I decided to make a quick telephone call to Wilai at our village home in Udon Thani where the time was seven hours forward. After five minutes of Tinglish chit chat the conversation disintegrated into absolute farce.
Me: Okay Dek (her nickname) I’ll be going now because Thai movie (TV soap) you like start soon.
Wilai: Not start soon…. now eight oh cock…. movie come half hour more.
Me: It’s not eight o’clock….. it’s eight twenty.
Wilai: I sit outside in kitchen…. have clock… clock speak eight oh cock.
Me: The clock’s wrong…. It’s one twenty here in England so it’s eight twenty in Thailand. Kao jai (understand)?
Wilai: Naaaah…. time not same Angkrit (England) and Thailand.
Me: What’s the time in the living room?
After a short while she returns to the phone.
Wilai: Mai kao jai (I don’t understand). Is eight oh cock kitchen….. eight ten living loom.
Me: Check the time in the bedloom….. bedroom.
20 seconds later.
Wilai: Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii (Thai exclaimation of surprise)…… Ting tong (silly/stupid) Thailand….. eight five bedloom….. eight oh cock kitchen….. eight oh cock and ten minute living loom…. everywhere house not same.
Me: Wilai…. It’s eight twenty two in the bloody kitchen, living loom and bedloom….. kao bloody jai?….. What time is it on your watch I bought you for Christmas last year?
Wilai: Okay I check…. eight twenty three…. I go soon…. speak you tomollow…. movie start two minute.
Have you had any interesting Tinglish conversation lately?
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© 2012, Martyn. All rights reserved.