Intercultural communication assignment topic thailand communication

Languages Most of the languages spoken in Thailand belong to one of four major language families:  Tai a subfamily of Tai-Kadai languages: The national language of Thailand, known as S

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF TOURISM

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC: THAILAND COMMUNICATION

Instructor: Mr Pham Quang Long

Group member: Nguyen Thi Thom

Hoang Ha Anh Dao Mai Chi Nguyen Mai Huong Pham Thi Thuy Anh Tran Huyen Trang

Do Tra Dan

Hanoi, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAIN CONTENTS 1

I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THAILAND 1

1 Geography 1

2 History 1

3 Languages 2

4 General characteristics of Thailand 3

II VERBAL COMMUNICATION CHARACTERISTICS IN THE THAILAND CULTURE 4

1 Thailand greeting culture: 4

2 How to address Thai people in communication 5

3 Thailand doesn’t tend to say “no” 5

4 Thais tend to like humor 6

5 Thais usually have soft voices 6

6 Topics should not mention in communicating with Thai people 6

III NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION CHARACTERISTICS IN THAILAND CULTURE 6

1 Eye contact 7

2 Physical contact 7

3 Personal space 7

4 Gestures 7

5 Facial expression 8

IV ADVICE AND SUGGESTION ABOUT MANNERS IN THAILAND CULTURE 9

1 In public areas 9

2 In Thailand’s houses 10

3 In the meals 10

4 In communication 12

REFERENCE MATERIALS 12

MAIN CONTENTS

I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THAILAND

1 Geography

Thailand is in the middle of mainland Southeast Asia Totaling 513.120

km², Thailand is the 50th-largest country by total area, and the 3rd largest in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia and Myanmar

The land border is 4,863 km long with Myanmar Cambodia Laos, , , and

Malaysia The nation's axial position influenced many aspects of Thailand's society and culture It controls the only land route from Asia to Malaysia and

Singapore It has an exclusive economic zone of 299,397 km2

2 History

Thai are descended from a much larger group of Tai-speaking peoples The latter are found from extreme northeastern India in the west to northern

Vietnam in the east and from southern China in the north to as far south as the central Malay Peninsula In the past, scholars held that a parent group called the Proto-Tai originated in southern China and pushed south and west from the China landmass into northern mainland Southeast Asia Most scholars now believe that the Tai came from northern Vietnam around the Dien Bien Phu area and that about 1,000 years ago they spread from there northward into southern China; westward into southwestern China, northern Myanmar (Burma), and northeastern India; and southward into what are now Laos and Thailand For a discussion of Thai history in its regional context, seeSoutheast Asia, history of

 1782: Beginning of the Chakri dynasty, which still is the ruling royal

house until this day The new capital of Siam (present-day Thailand), Bangkok, was founded

 1804-1868: King Mongut leads the country into a modernization phase, as

he embraces Western innovations

 1868-1910: King Chulalongkorn employs Western advisers to modernize

Siam's administration and commerce, as well as develop a railway network

 1939: Siam changes its name to Thailand, which means "Land of the

Free"

 1941: Thailand allows Japanese forces to use its land and advance toward

British controlled neighboring areas

 1965: Thailand permits the US to use their bases during the Vietnam War, while Thai troops fought in South Korea

 1997: The Asian financial crisis hits the Thai currency "the baht", as it

falls sharply against the dollar, leading to unemployment and bankruptcies

 1999: The economy begins to pick up again as the government

implements economic reforms Also, the government begins to put pressure on drug companies to find ways to make AIDS and HIV drug treatments cheaper

 2004: Thousands are killed by a massive tsunami, triggered by an

undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra

 2011: The government introduces a rice subsidy, ensuring that rice

farmers receive a guaranteed price for their crops This scheme causes government debt to soar, and the increase in prices causes Thailand to lose its title as the world’s largest exporter of rice

 2016: King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at age of 88 after 70 years on the

throne, becoming the world's longest reigning monarch

3 Languages

Most of the languages spoken in Thailand belong to one of four major language families:

 Tai (a subfamily of Tai-Kadai languages):

The national language of Thailand, known as Standard Thai, is based on the language spoken in central Thailand Nearly every person in the country can speak and write Standard Thai, having learned the language from government schools and through its use in print and broadcast media While Standard Thai has strongly influenced all the languages of Thailand, some distinct Tai languages continue to be spoken Most people living in Bangkok and surrounding urban areas as well as in up-country towns and cities use Standard Thai as both their domestic and public language, while people in rural areas speak languages in a domestic setting that are sharply different from Standard Thai

 Mon-Khmer (a subfamily of Austroasiatic languages):

Before the 13th century, the major languages are spoken in what is today Thailand belonged primarily to the Mon-Khmer language group of the Austroasiatic language family rather than to the Tai language family The people speaking these languages were displaced by the arriving Tai speakers and driven into the hills Later, wars pitting Thailand against the Burmese and Khmer

kingdoms brought more speakers of Mon and Khmer languages into Thailand as

refugees and prisoners of war The Mon settled in the north, center, and west, although they are now concentrated in an area just west of the country, while the Khmer settled in the east along the Cambodian border

 Austronesian

A dialect of Malay, which belongs to the Austronesian language family, is widely spoken in the far southern provinces of the country In contrast to the speakers of Mon-Khmer languages, speakers of Malay have been very resistant

to assimilation into Thai national culture Their resistance, however, has been as much a consequence of their adherence to Islam as it has been of their speaking

a different language

 Sino-Tibetan and other languages

Descendants of migrants from southern China constitute the largest portion of the population of Thailand who speaks Sino-Tibetan languages Some

of these migrants still speak such diverse Chinese languages as Teochew, Hokkien, Hainanese, and Cantonese These languages, which were once spoken

by a considerable portion of the population in Thailand, have steadily been abandoned by the descendants of Chinese migrants in favor of Standard Thai Those who decide today to learn Chinese choose Mandarin because of its utility

in international trade

 In addition, English is widely used in Thailand for commercial and many official purposes

It is a required school subject from the primary grades on up, although only children who go beyond those grades, and especially those who attend elite schools, gain significant competence in the language

4 General characteristics of Thailand

 Thais have been described as easy-going, friendly, self-confident, complacent, polite, laid back, discreet, modest, cheerful, neat, clean, respectful, and grateful obedient, loyal and differential As is true in other Asian cultures, not losing face is important According to one description:

“People move with gentleness and grace Palms are curled; feet are turned upwards Even Thai-style boxing is like a ritualized dance.”

 Buddhism, which emphasizes gentleness and compliance, is important in defining the Thai character Describing his people King Bhumibol once said, "Thais seem to be happy and lucky but are quite strong Our people are relaxed, not high-strung or stiff They are hospitable—to strangers and new ideas The majority are Buddhist—and the Buddhists have never had

a holy war They are polite Honorable politeness They have courage but

are not harsh—strong but gentle." [Source: Bart McDowell, National Geographic, October 1982]

 Michael Patrick Anderson, a teacher who worked in Thailand for some time, wrote in the Washington Post, “People are open and trusting They teach you how to be compassionate, how to treat strangers, how to appreciate simple pleasures, how to accept the reality of having no control over life You have to defer to the national attitude of ‘que sera sera,’ which renders clocks and frowns uselessly If you don’t do that, you’ll go crazy waiting for late buses, slow waitresses and cashiers using calculators for first-grade level arithmetic.”

 Joe Cummings wrote in the Lonely Planet guide for Thailand: “the kingdom was never externally controlled long enough to dampen the Thai’s serious individualism Although the Thais are often depicted as fun-loving, happy-go-lucky folk (which they often are), they are also very strong-minded and have struggled for centuries to preserve their independence of spirit This is not to say that Thailand has not experienced any western influence Like other Asian countries, it has both suffered and benefited from contact with foreign cultures But the ever-changing spirit of Thai culture has remained dominant, even in modern city life.”

 Thais have a reputation for looking out for others first, especially foreign tourists, and themselves second This was born after the tsunami when Thais in the tourism business made sure their customers were happy when they had other things on their minds, like the fate of missing friends or relatives and the fact their businesses were in ruins

II. VERBAL COMMUNICATION CHARACTERISTICS IN THE THAILAND CULTURE

1 Thailand greeting culture:

Thai people are smiley, agreeable, humble and patient, easy to laugh, soft spoken, slow to anger and never try to offend anyone Thai people are very proud of their cultural heritage and love to talk about it with visitors

Meet and greet when introducing or greeting someone, if you want to greet a woman say "Sawasdee kha", and if you want to greet a man say

"sawadee krab" The Thai greeting called Wai consists of a light head, and hands clasped together as in prayer The attitude of greeting each other of Thai people

is very serious and does not contain signs of contempt or contempt for each

other Especially when greeting you, you have to shy away from looking directly into the other person's eyes, so it will be judged as disrespectful or like an unbeautiful greeting in the hearts of Thai people The act of clasping hands in the shape of a lotus bud is considered a symbol of respect because the lotus is a flower that shows respect Accompanying the clasping of hands is the act of holding both hands close to the chest to show that the greeting comes from the heart or mind of the person greeting When you receive a Thai greeting, you should bow your hands together to show respect for each other Avoid the case when people greet you but you stand joking, laughing because in Thai's judgment, you see that you don't respect others and lose your courtesy In Thai, the phrase “sawadee” means “may well be/be good to you” In addition, this saying is also used when saying goodbye to each other If greeting an older person, the nose should touch the hand, but when greeting the monks, they should bow more so that they can touch their hands When greeting people of the same age or a few years older, they just fold their hands and bow slightly When the recipient receives such a greeting, he or she will fold his hands and bow in response

2 How to address Thai people in communication

In Thailand, we use many personal pronouns to refer to speakers and listeners of people, gender, age, quantity and status In English, they only use I

to represent the speaker; but in Thai there are many first person words like

“Chan”, “Gu” and “Pom” This also applies to the 2nd and 3rd person, which can be said in many ways depending on the relationship between the speaker and the listener In addition, the Thai language has the Royal language which is the highest level of the Thai language; This language is only used when talking

to and about the Thai royal family Thais have a deep tradition of reverence for royalty; therefore, they have their language to communicate with the royal family

Communication style will vary depending on the relationship, if people are already acquainted, bluntness is acceptable However, when dealing with people of higher social status or unknown status, Thai people are more cautious and try to be polite

Thai people often address someone by stating their name before 'Khun' instead of 'Sir' or 'Madam' (e.g Khun Simon) However, if the people talking are close friends or know each other, they will ignore Khun The family honorific 'phi' ('brother') and 'nong' ('junior') are usually appropriate for people who are close to each other

3 Thailand doesn’t tend to say “no”

Thais find it very difficult to say "no" This may stem from a culture of avoiding confrontation or fear of disappointing others Therefore, most Thais try

to find a way to say "no" without actually saying it Sometimes don't say it indirectly in a situation where they want to help you but can't, they will find a way to make up for you Sometimes "No" means "Yes" On the other hand, Thais are too afraid to offend or impose on others to say "yes" immediately or directly They want to do it or accept the offer but feel shy about accepting it too quickly

4 Thais tend to like humor

It is common for Thais to joke during the conversation While humor is used to make lighthearted conversations, it is also used to cover sadness when discussing a typical tragic or difficult situation For example, if it's raining outside, they might express it with a joke that implies the opposite: "Lovely weather we're having!" (What great weather!)

5 Thais usually have soft voices

Volume and emotion are directly related, when the volume suddenly changes, most of the time something happened that made people unhappy Maybe that's why Thai people often speak softly Raising one’s voice is generally frowned upon as it implies a loss of control in a situation and can cause a person to lose face

6 Topics should not mention in communicating with Thai people

Thai people are very friendly but when talking to them, they also have taboo topics Italians and Japanese do not want to mention Mafia, and Thais do not want to mention: Royal Palace, Patpong, Pattaya Because in Thailand, people respect the king very much, they rarely talk about the king and the royal family As for Patpong, it's an entertainment, debauchery, or 'red light district' Pattaya is a luxurious, high-class place, only for the elite

III. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION CHARACTERISTICS IN THAILAND CULTURE.

Nonverbal communication in Thailand is often more important than verbal communication There are many nonverbal communications that people use to express their feelings indirectly In addition, it is difficult for most Thais

to say no, so they instead express their feelings through nonverbal

communication such as body language gestures, physical contact, facial expression, personal space…

1 Eye contact

In Thai culture, eye contact is counted as important body language It shows attentiveness to the person talking However, direct eye contact should be diverted every now and to soften the interaction Intense eye contact in Thailand can be viewed as a challenge to the other person When being instructed or spoken to by a superior, it is respectful to lower one’s eyes

2 Physical contact

Physical contact in Thailand is acceptable amongst people of the same gender, but is usually minimal Men and women seem to be inappropriate to touch each other unless they are in a related relationship Moreover, intimate actions of couples such as kissing, holding hands…are generally not shown in public displays In addition, Buddhist monks are not supposed to make any physical contact with women

3 Personal space

The general distance between two people conversing is arm’s length When in conversation with a friend or close acquaintance, this distance is shorter

4 Gestures

It is easy to see Thai gestures when communicating with them, but there are some gestures that if you do not know or do not learn in advance will be very easily misunderstood

 Hand Gestures:

 The Thai greeting: The traditional greeting gesture of Thai people is

known as "wai"; a way of greeting in Thai society, and one of the most common Thai hand gestures It is normally used when greeting one another, saying goodbye, or showing respect, gratitude, or apology This gesture can replace greetings, thanks or apologies, but to keep polite, Thai people act and speak at the same time

 Pointing: Thai people generally do not use their hands to emphasize their

point in the conversation Overly dramatic gestures or frequent and rapid gestures may be misinterpreted as anger in Thailand Pointing with a single finger is considered to be rude and accusatory

 Beckoning: The common way to beckon someone is by gesturing with all

fingers facing downwards and towards oneself, the same gesture that would represent 'shooing' in Australia Gesturing with fingers facing upwards has offensive connotations in Thailand

 Foot Gesture:

 Thais consider the feet to be the lowest and filthiest part of the body So, it should not be used to point at things or move objects The soles of one's feet also should not be pointed at others

 It is considered rude to put your feet up on a table or other surface, and like many Asian cultures it is nearly universally required to take your shoes off before entering a home, business, or even the local store

 Head:

 Nodding: There are two types of nodding in Thailand's nonverbal

communication:

 Nod Head Once: This is a way to show that you recognize or

acknowledge a greeting from another party Sometimes, when people greet you by (waî) or by saying (sà-wat-dii), you may not be able to greet them back So you nod your head once as a sign that you acknowledge that greeting It's not considered rude to simply nod your head once as a way to show that you acknowledge their greeting

 Nod Head a Few Times: This Thai body gesture means "yes" or "agree."

This is considered somewhat polite body language in Thailand for showing agreement Thai people often nod to acknowledge what is said However, this does not always mean they agree or understand It is primarily a gesture made out of politeness

 Height and Bowing: An important way Thais show respect is by lowering

their head It is expected that those in subordinate positions will bow their head during interactions with those of a revered rank in a demonstration

of respect Looming above someone in Thailand can be considered an aggressive form of assertion It is especially disrespectful to position one's head at a height higher than the Buddha

5 Facial expression

Thailand is famous as "the land of smiles" because smiling is all over Thai culture and they tend to smile often in conversations Throughout time it can indicate happiness and sometimes smiling is used in an attempt to cover awkwardness or sadness Thais can smile in everything even though they are in