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About
the program
Thai
language courses at University of Hawai'i at Manoa are offered by the Department
of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures, College of Languages,
Linguistics and Literatures. Courses relating to various aspects of Thailand
such as History, Anthropology, Economics are offered in various departments
at the university, and are coordinated by the Center of Southeast Asian Studies,
School of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Studies.
Elementary and intermediate-level Thai courses may be used to fulfill the foreign language requirement for all bachelor's degrees on the Manoa campus.
Thai 201-202, 301-302 and 401-402 are designated
as "Writing
Intensive" courses and satisfy "Writing Intensive" Focus Requirement
of UH-Manoa.
Thai 415 is designated as an "Oral Communication" course and satisfy the Oral
Communication Focus Requirement of UH-Manoa.
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Thai, also known as Siamese or Standard Thai, is the official national language of Thailand, a country located in the center of South East Asia sharing common borders with Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. It is spoken by about 60 million people in Thailand. Thai
is a tone language belonging to the Tai
language family, which includes languages spoken in Assam, northern
Burma, all of Thailand including the peninsula, Laos, Northern Vietnam
and the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou(Kweichow) and Guangxi(Kwangsi). |
 |
Tense
distinctions in the sentences are either determined by context or by adverbs
and expressions of time.
Thai has its own script, which is basically alphabetic in nature, i.e., the
script corresponds with pronunciation.
For
a sample of Thai script and pronunciation and other information relating to
Thai Language, please visit The
Thai Language Page
.
Degrees and Language Certificate Program
Students can major in Thai and receive B.A. in liberal studies (with concentration in Thai) by completing a minimum of 36 credits of courses on Thai language and culture beyond the 200 level Thai language courses. Each student develop a program of study in consultation with advisors from both Liberal Studies Program and Department of Indo-PacificLanguages and Literatures.
Certificate
in Thai.
A
student can apply for a certificate for Thai if s/he completes 15 credits of Thai language or literature classes beyond
intermediate (200 level) Thai language classes, a minimum of 6 of which must
be in continuing language study. A GPA of at leat 3.0 must be maintained in
the language courses leading
to the certificate
Courses offered
Course
Description in UH Catalog
*THAI 101 Beginning Thai I (4)
*THAI 102 Beginning Thai II (4)
*THAI 107 Reading and Writing Thai Script (3)
Focus on Thai script reading and writing skills. For students with some aural and spoken skills in Standard Thai equivalent to those completing Thai 102 or higher but cannot read or write in Thai script. Lab work. Pre: consent.
THAI 112 Intensive Elementary Thai (10)
*THAI 201 Intermediate Thai I(4) (Writing Intensive)
*THAI 202 Intermediate Thai II(4)(Writing Intensive)
THAI 212 Intensive Intermediate Thai (10)
*THAI 301 Third-Level Thai I (3) (Writing Intensive)
*THAI 302 Third-Level Thai II (3) (Writing Intensive)
THAI 303 Accelerated Third-Level Thai (6)
*THAI 401 Fourth-Level Thai (3) (Writing Intensive)
*THAI 402 Fourth-Level Thai (3)(Writing Intensive)
THAI 404 Accelerated Fourth-Level Thai (6)
*THAI 415 Thai Language in the Media (3- repeatable)
THAI 461 Readings in Thai Literature: the Short Story (3- repeatable)
THAI 462 Readings in Thai Literature: the Novel (3- repeatable)
THAI 451 Structure of Thai I 3)
THAI 452 Structure of Thai II (3)
IP 499 Directed Studies (V)
Courses marked with * are offerred regularly.
Fellowships:
FLAS
(Foreign
Language and Area Studies) Fellowship
Thai
is one of the languages for the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships.
FLAS Fellowships
are available to UH classified graduate students who have US citizenship or
permanent residency and combine modern foreign language training with area/professional
studies. The fellowships are administered by Asian Studies Program of the School
of Hawaiian Asian and Pacific Studies. In 2005, academic year awardee receives
an $15,000 stipend and tuition up to $12,000.Application deadlinefor UH FLAS is usually mid February.
UH-CSEAS Summer FLAS Fellowship
Starting in summer 2007, pending availability of funds, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UH offers THREE or more Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships for Summer. These will provide stipend and tuition for U.S. citizen or permanent resident graduate students at UH-Manoa who will enroll in a formal program of intensive language study. Summer FLAS requires either 120 contact hours in advanced language or 140 hours in intermediate language over a period of 6 weeks or longer.The applicants are responsible for selecting the language program to attend and must clear their program choice with UH language instructor who will assess the overall merit of the program before full fellowship application will be considered. Application deadlinefor UH Summer FLAS is usually early March.
David
L. Boren Graduate Fellowship
The National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships enable U.S. graduate students to pursue specialization in area and language study or to add an international dimension to their education. Boren Fellowships support students pursuing the study of languages, cultures, and world regions that are critical to U.S. national security but are less frequently studied by U.S. graduate students, i.e., areas of the world other than Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Thai is a language supported by this fellowship. Application deadline is normally the last week of January.
National Security Program Fellowship for undergraduate students
The National Security Education Program (NSEP) undergraduate Fellowships provides up to $16,000 for one academic year to study a foreign language and culture, which is currently underrepresented. Thai is a language supported by this fellowship. For local (UH) information and applications contact Dr. Chizuko Allen, School of Hawaiian, Asian, & Pacific Studies, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, tel. 808.956.2210. Deadline: Early November.
BBlakemore
Freeman Fellowship
Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one year of advanced language
study (= A minimum of three academic years of regular language study at the
college leve) in East or Southeast Asia, including Thai,
in structured language programs or private tutorial programs where the primary
focus is on study of the modern language. Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are
for one year of full-time language study.
Grants awarded for an academic year program may be extended to include summer
study preceding or following the academic year program, if approved by the Trustee.
The Freeman Foundation
also awards grants for undergradute study in Asia, including Thailand.
This is open to all undergraduate Asian Studies majors and minors, preferably
sophomore or junior standing. The award amount is up to $7,000 to support airfare,
living abroad, and study costs. The awards are granted through the Asian
Studies program at UH.
Study Abroad program/ Exchange programs
There
are many opportunities to study Thai language and other academic subjects in
a variety of Thai universities through study abroad programs and exchange programs,
where UH students can study and get UH credit.
For language study, there is Advanced
Thai Abroad Program at Chiangmai University in Northern Thailand. This program
offers an intensive eight-week summer course offered to students with at least
intermediate-level study of Thai language (or equivalent). Application deadline is usually around last week of January.
For undergraduate academic year or Fall semester study program in Thailand, also at Chiangmai University, College Year in Thailand Program, is offered through University of Wisconsin-Madison. Priority deadline is Second Friday in November; thereafter on a rolling basis
until the program is full.
Northwestern University also offers a 7 week Thailand Summer program.Three weeks of classes are held in two of Thailand’s leading cities: Chiang Mai and Bangkok. In the first weeks students will learn to speak some Thai, see some of the country’s sites and be offered informative guest lectures (in English) on all aspects of the region. The program offers three one-credit courses which are taught by experienced
university instructors in a small seminar-style setting.
As for exchange programs, Pacific Asian Management Institute, College of Business Administration and Department
of Economics of College of Social Sciences at UH have official
exchange programs with Thammasat University and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. School of Architecture at UH also has an Architectural student exchange program with Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University.
UH also has exchange agreement with the following universities and institutions
in Thailand:
Under
exchange programs students study at a university in Thailand while paying tuition
and fees and receiving credit at UH. Thai Studies courses are taught in English,
and Thai language courses are also available.
In addition, in consultation with UH Study Abroad Center, students can design
a study abroad program different from those programs mentioned above. The following
are Thai Studies programs offered at various universities in Thailand:
| In Bangkok | Thammasat
University
(Thai Studies Certificate Program) |
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Chulalongkorn
University |
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| In Chiangmai | Chiangmai University | ||
Payap
University |
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In Pattani |
Prince
of Songkhla University For information on Thai Studies Program, e-mail: human&soc@bunga.pn.psu.ac.th |
For additional information on study abroad opportunities in Thailand, visit Alliances for Study Abroad and Internships in Thailand (ASIT) website.
WHY STUDY THAI?
For Professionals, Scholars or Enterpreneurs:
Currently, there is still a need for U.S. professionals and scholars with expertise and knowledge in the Thai language and the country. The following are some reasons:
For future visitors of Thailand :
Come visit Thailand, a land of smiles-- land of golden temples, superb cuisine, pristine beaches, world famous fabrics and gems and more. Knowing Thai will enable you to better understand and experience Thailand.
Staff
Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong is an associate professor of Thai who coordinates the Thai program drawing upon her 20-year experience teaching Thai as a foreign language. She has a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is no stranger to the University of Hawai‘i where she received her Master’s degree in Linguistics. Before coming to Hawai‘i, she taught Linguistics at Thammasat University in Thailand. In accord with the University’s mission of positioning itself as a distinguished resource and leading institution in Asia-Pacific affairs, Hoonchamlong hopes that the Thai program will gain international recognition for its language instruction, as well as for its cultural teachings, which are invaluable for communicative proficiency. To achieve this goal, she is determined to develop effective instructional materials and employ innovative instructional methodology; attract more students and increase community access to the Thai program; strengthen the relationship between students and the local Thai communities/businesses; and increase collaboration between other relevant departments and schools at UH.
Chintana Y. Takahashi has taught Thai at UHM since August 2000. She has experience teaching Thai language for Japan-Thai Cultural Association, and Japanese language for NHK in Japan. She also taught the first Japanese language course ever offered at Rutgers University, New Brunswick Campus, and continued teaching there until the program became established. She keeps current with innovative approaches to language acquisition by attending workshops regularly, and applies the acquired techniques to her knowledge to maximize the efficacy of Thai language instruction. She attended Mahidol University, Tokyo University of Education, University of Tsukuba, Princeton University, and Rutgers University (New Brunswick).
Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Starting in 2006, Thai has been added to a list of strategic languages that receive funding from the Department of State’s Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program which bring in young native speaker instructors from their home countries to U.S. educational institutions to establish a native speaker presence in the language program.
The Thai language program at UH is in the group of US institutions participating from the first year of the Thai-FLTA program (academic year 2006-2007), hosting one FLTA from Thailand. The presence of the FLTA adds an energetic and up-to-date cultural component and dynamic to our Thai language classes and enables us to offer more courses.
For Thai teachers of English interested in applying for this FLTA program, contact: Fulbright Thailand's FLTA program.
