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Botan Books

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“The major difference between written Chinese and Thai is that Thai is written with an alphabet: 64 symbols, each with its own sound. When you put them together, they make "words"; there are no characters. That makes it rather easier than Chinese, for in Thai, if you know how a word ought to sound, you can read it when you see it. Writing is not so easy, for the letters must be combined in a particular manner, and for some sounds there are several possible letters; I do not know why that is so. Still, a man can study on his own, with the book as teacher. I know enough of the language to learn in this way because I have been listening to it for years. To learn this way when I first came here would not have been possible. Before long, I shall be able to read and write fluently; if only the Thai wouldn't write their words all run together in a string! That is what they do; there are no spaces between the words.”

Thai
Book:Letters from Thailand
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“A long time ago, daughter, we Chinese married strangers, because most of the people who lived near us were of the same sae. By the time a bride could visit her parents, perhaps two weeks had passed. And sometimes it was such a distance that the 'bride' arrived with one fat baby clingingtoher skirts and another in her arms. But it remains our tradition to honor a married daughter on her first visit home, even when her journey is from the shop next door.”

FamilyMarriage
Book:Letters from Thailand
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