Stu Jay Raj on Cursing, Dirty Talk & the Importance of Tones Part 2 [S6.E3]

Greg finishes up his interview with linguist and raconteur Stu Ja Raj. Stu begins with a classic: the super annoying fact that the Thai numbers 11 and 18 can be very difficult for foreigners to pronounce correctly. Stu explains in detail the small differences in tongue placement that make such a difference to Thai ears. This segues into a discussion of the ultra-common word ‘kap khun kap’ and how even this basic word for ‘thank you’ is often mispronounced by foreigners.

Stu next explains the concept of ‘kham puan,’ which is a Thai word for a type of pun or slang that involves switching around the order of consonants or vowels in Thai to create funny or indirect phrases for inappropriate (or indecent) things. More or less Stu brings us into the Matrix of the creative use of the Thai language by native speakers, as if learning ‘straight’ Thai wasn’t already hard enough. Greg follows with some of his own hilarious missteps (quite literally, as he stepped on a sea urchin but described it in Thai in a wildly inappropriate manner).

Listen in for a fascinating walk through the minefield that is the Thai language. Want more? Check out Stu on YouTube.

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