Unlearning Thai: Talking with Stu Jay Raj about cracking Thai fundamentals (2.41)

We're talking with Stu Jay Raj, who uses his fluency in 12 languages to help "fluent" Thai second-language speakers connect on a more personal level than they ever thought they could. But first, the most Thai way to listen to the show and communicate directly with Evo. (Don't tell Greg!)

Before we get started, we need to talk about our Patreon page, the only way we raise funds to support the show, and how many people have already signed up to get bonus content and extra content from us for a few bucks. There's also our quasi-official LINE account, where a few of our followers are engaging in one-on-one conversations with Evo all the time. Are you connected with one or both of those? No? Fix that. You'll get the warm fuzzies almost immediately! Prosody. It's not a Thai word, but it's not a word that either of us were familiar with. And, as it turns out, it's key to becoming a better Thai speaker. That's what you'll learn when you listen to Greg's conversation with one of the most talented and well-known polyglots in Asia, Stu Jay Raj. He's fluent in over 12 languages including English, Thai, Lao, Indonesian, Malay, Khmer, Burmese, Spanish, Hindi, Danish, and Vietnamese, with working knowledge of several more. But he's not your average language educator. He has a degree in Cognitive and Applied Linguistics and uses his skills as a corporate facilitator, cross-cultural training specialist, and to assist multinationals, governments and NGOs in high-level conflict resolution. Here's what you'll learn from Stu when you listen to this conversation:

• Why the street is your best classroom when learning the natural rhythms and patterns of the foreign language you're trying to learn.
• The truth about "fluency" and why it doesn't really tell you how well someone can communicate
• Why you never want to be complimented on your skills when speaking another language
• How much leaned sound patterns from your native tongue are screwing up your mastery of Thai
• Why it's OK to blame the Romans for the naughty phrases we accidentally say when we try to speak Thai
• How much easier it is to learn multiple languages at a time (as crazy as that sounds)
• What the biggest mistakes Thai language learners make… and how to stop!
• Why Stu claims that Thai is a beautiful, logical, and confusion free language -- once you learn it the right way
• And finally, why you should buy the book or take the course and start learning Thai the right way.

Love, Loathe, or Leave

Some things really push our buttons. In this case… it's Thai people in elevators pushing the door close or door open button. Every. Time. Even though they know the door will close in a matter of sub-seconds… they'll still push the button. Every. Time. You can probably guess how we feel about this. But if you listen, you'll learn a fun prank to play. (And it won't get you kicked out of the country! Probably not.)

Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life?

If it's your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it's a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We'd love to hear from you, either on the contact form on our website or through a comment or message on our Facebook page. You can Tweet to the show @bangkokpodcast or follow Greg's tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness. Evo chronicles his Bangkok adventures on Instagram from time to time, if that's your thing. And as mentioned, we now have a LINE account! Yep. Just for the Bangkok Podcast. Join us over there, too! See you next time on The Bangkok Podcast!

(Direct download .mp3)