In my endeavor to learn even a little of this beautiful language, I have enrolled myself in a beginners class in Thai Language at the American Language Centre in Chiang Mai, and by doing this I am slowly starting to get a grip on a language which is completely different to that of my own. By the time we leave Chiang Mai I am well aware that I will be nowhere near fluency, but my aim in doing this is to be able to order a meal, buy credit for my phone and ask the most basic of questions without the response of a bewildered look from which ever Thai person is on the receiving end of my stammered request. At present, the most I get from my English spoken requests (aided of course by hand gestures which must make me look completely insane) is a basic understanding if I am lucky, and if not, a blank stare and a smile. In the majority of circumstances the result is that I walk away without whatever it was that I was attempting to purchase!
There is one word in Thailand that you will hear no matter whether you are in the North, South, East or West... The word Ka does not have a literal translation in the English language but here, in Thailand, it can mean almost anything you want it to. When formally learning the Thai language, you are taught that this word is what is used in everyday conversation if you are being polite - saying hello to someone that you don't know all that well, or talking with them in general - this is the word that concludes every sentence you manage to struggle out, no matter how awkward you sound or how totally incorrect it may be! In this sense, the word Ka should only be used by females - the male equivalent is Krup, but to date I have heard it from almost everyone in all kinds of different circumstances.
What I love about this very short, very simple word is it's flexibility to fit into any conversation. I find myself listening keenly to Thai conversations and intently watching Thai television to see how many words I can pick out; but without fail, this little word appears most frequently in every conversational medium. In class, our teacher will explain the meaning of a Thai word in English and will directly follow any explanation with the words "Na Ka" which is meant to mean "OK?" or "Do you understand?" of course the words OK and do you understand have their own Thai translations which are more literal so in this scenario, I suppose Ka is a form of slang. Funnily enough, the English words Yes and No do not have literal translations in the Thai language, a yes or no response is given differently depending on the situation or the question being asked, but in every day life if you ask for something, the response "Ka" is given by a Thai person as a sign of understanding what it is that you want. In this circumstance it is given with a nod, and always with a smile.
As part of my language studies, I am required to study in my own time for at least an hour every day. This can be done in the form of every day conversation or practicing - whichever helps you learn best. In my case, I use a combination of both since there is only so many times you can ask a stranger how they are feeling. It is easier to practice what I have learnt at home, considering that all I have learnt so far are the basics which will help me later on - they don't quite fit into normal, everyday conversation yet! So we sit on the balcony of a night time and Dave quizzes me from my school worksheets. It turns out that this is the best way for Dave to learn Thai too, so I find that after my day of learning, I then become the teacher. Teaching someone a foreign language is not an easy task, as you can well assume, especially when the literal translation doesn't make all that much sense in English - for example instead of translating the phrase as "How are you feeling", it translates as "You comfortable good question". So in this particular circumstance, how do you translate the word Ka? With a great big smile!
Of course as we interact more and learn more of this language, I am sure it will take on other meanings but for now, in 'The Land of Smiles', I guess there is no better way to describe this particular word - than as the one word in the Thai language that represents a smile.
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| There are smiles everywhere you look in Thailand, even on statues! |
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