Study English in Bangkok just a fad?
There have been arguments about the role of English in the Thai society. There are Thais who advocate for the study of English, believing that it is a necessity for positive globalization that in turn will benefit the country’s status as the tourism hub of Asia. On the other hand, there are also people with opposing viewpoints. They see that imposing English into the country will only erode the Thai culture and its identity. Since Thailand was never a British colony, some Thais feel that the country should preserve its own individuality and rejects the invasion of the foreign language. Some groups also claimed that bringing English into the country will only put more pressure on the Thais who do not speak it. Others stated that just because ‘the rest of the world is doing it’ it does not mean that Thailand has to follow the trend.
Whether the Thais want it or not, the English language has already permeated the country. The teen culture especially, is easily influenced by external trends from the U.S. and U.K. This is evident in many music videos which contain portions of the song (usually the rap part) being sung in English. In the Thai teen dictionary, slang words such as ‘chill’ (pronounced as 'chew' in Thai) can mean ‘relax’ or ‘easy’. Some Thai teenagers may try to learn English by memorizing these “Thaiglish” vocabulary. Often times, these slang words are not proper English words. By trying to learn English through music videos and slang, Thai teens may end up with a muddled horde of incorrect English vocabulary. Television and movies are good ways to learn new vocabularies. Nonetheless, the way to learn proper English is to attend a language school. There are many English language schools in Bangkok, many of which hire native-speaking English teachers from Australia, America, or Great Britain. By employing certified teachers from America and Britain, students will have an opportunity to pick up the British and American accents and be able to make distinction between them. Engaging activities allow the students to put the lesson they learned into practice through interaction and games. Learning English shouldn't just be about memorizing vocabularies from textbooks. That’s why activities are vital to ensure that the students not only understand their lessons, but they are able to apply their skills to real life situation. After all, isn’t that how effective learning should be? That is, be able to use your skills in places aside from the classroom. Study English doesn’t have to be just a fad, it can also be fun!