ISBN 974-89572-8-4
Trade paperback 5 3/4" - 8 1/2" , 2000, 225 pages
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The
Nation
December 4, 1998
Moore seeks to get to the heart of the matter
Christopher
G. Moore, novelist and author of Heart Talk, a book of the Thai
“heart” terms, has revised and re-released his landmark work, writes:
Thomas Brecelic
In
Thailand, the language of the heart is not just for pillow talk.
Expressions like khao jai (“into the heart”, or to understand) and
jai yen (“cool heart”) are a part of everyday speech. Bangkok resident
Christopher G. Moore, the Canadian author of heart Talk, a compendium
of “heart” terms, and 13 novels, believes that Thai “arguably contains
the most heart expressions of any language”. Heart Talk, which was
first published by White Lotus in 1992, was recently revised and
the addition of 250 more jai terms. Moore talks about what led him
to compile these expressions.
What
made you think of writing a book like this?
When I was learning the language, I had noticed there were a number
of phrases that had the word jai in it. A typical one was greng
jai, and the more I came across other phrases, like nork jai, som
jai, samuk jai, I said, “Hold on a second, Is there a book I can
learn the jai words because I’m intrigued by them?”
Anyway,
there was no book, so I photocopied the dictionary and there were
only about 20 listings. And that’s what I was really up against.
Literally, there are about 500 to 600 such phrases, and the dictionaries
had only about 20 or 30. They weren’t in the same place, and were
scattered all over the place.
How
did you go about writing Heart Talk?
I hired my Thai teacher as a research assistant and several other
researchers to help me collect the heart phrases. And then came
the difficult work of trying to come up with meanings and definitions.
Most of the phrases are metaphoric and when you are dealing with
metaphors, you get a lot of different views of what they really
mean, especially when dealing with a new language. So I used my
research assistants to try and gather the jai words and their meanings.
In addition, I would go out and talk with bilingual Thais so that
I could hear the words both in Thai and English and then try and
come up with some kind of meaning for the phrases.
How
long did it take just to compile the words?
It took a solid year of research, and another year of research to
complete the revised edition. It was like writing three or four
novels simultaneously. To compile the cords, to get the Thai phonetics
right, and then get the appropriate definition and meaning from
a Thai point of view.
What
was it that motivated you?
To do a book like this is a labour of love. It’s hard to conceive
any other reason than love of the language and the challenge of
seeing if one can do what hasn’t ever been done before.
The
language is about 2,000 years old and no one had ever put all the
jai words in one book, let alone tried to explain them in Thai or
English, as far as I could see.
How
do the two editions differ?
One thing that is very important with a book like this is to make
it very user friendly. I came up with categories like “Heart Talk
for the Good Times” where there’s Appreciation, Contentment, Convenience
etc. so people can look down the list and say, okay this is how
the Thais conceptualize it or use the concept.
So
I’ve now put the phrases into a meaningful pattern. Whereas in the
first edition, the words were basically in one chapter and it was
up to the reader to find the word they were interested in. Why are
the jai expressions printed both in English and in Thai?
The
Thai text helps bridge the cultural gap between the Thai and non
Thai speaking community. Thais are very proud of their language,
and would react positively to someone who asked them, “How do you
pronounce this word?”
Who
is your target audience?
This book is for foreigners who are serious about studying Thai.
I think it should be a fun book for them. On the Thai side, people
who want to learn English, It is a perfect way of learning English
through your own language. There’s an opportunity to learn aspects
of English, and aspects of how English speakers perceive Thai speakers
with in the context of the heart.
Where
does reason reside, in the heart or the mind?
I think from a Thai language point of view reason is informed by
the heart. It is impossible to divorce reason from the emotional
aspect of it. They are together. It’s like the blood going through
an artery. You have to have a delivery mechanism and you have to
have the vital life forces as well. Otherwise the body doesn’t survive
and nor does the language.
Do
you think foreigners in Thailand are aware of how prominent jai
expressions are in the Thai language?
I think in part what I’m trying to do is in some way analyse what
a lot of people take for granted. The heart words are everywhere
like the atmosphere, that consists of components like nitrogen,
oxygen and so on. What I’m trying to do in a way is to be a linguistic
chemist, bringing the jai terms together and saying, “Let’s stop
and analyse what’s around us.” And it’s very interesting to me to
enter that heart-talk universe.
Does
your book guide people into the Thai heartscape?
Yes, it does. We Westerners tend to view the heart in association
with strong emotions, whether it’s anger, fear, hostility or love.
It is much broader and encompassing in the Thai language. For example,
how you learn the notion of confidence. We don’t necessarily associate
that with the heart anymore in the West.
Table of Contents of Heart Talk
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Phonetic Guide
Pronunciation Guide
Chapter 1 Heart Talk for the Good Times
Appreciation
Contentment
Convenience
Desire
Earnest
Enjoyment
Entertainment
Excitement
Fascination
Grace
Happiness
Inspiration
Relief
Security |
Page
10
Page 13
Page 18
Page 20
Page 23 Page
23
Page 24
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 28
Page 29
Page 29
Page 30
Page 30
Page 31
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35 |
Chapter
2 Heart Talk for the Hard Times
Annoyance
Anxiety
Arguments
Depressed
Discouragement
Disturbed
Doubtfulness
Embarrassment
Frustration
Impatient
Loneliness
Powerless
Sadness
Sensativity
Shame
Weariness |
Page
36 Page
36
Page 38
Page 40
Page 41
Page 43
Page 45
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 51
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56 |
Chapter
3 Heart Talk Compliments
Compassion/Consideration
Confidence
Courage
Generosity
Goodness
Kindness
Nobility |
Page
60 Page
61
Page 62
Page 64
Page 65
Page 67
Page 69
Page 71 |
Chapter
4 Heart Talk Condemnations
Arrogance
Cowardliness
Deceptions
Devils
Losers
Nuisance
Selfishness
Mad Dogs, Killers & Ex-Lovers
The Troubled |
Page
73 Page
74
Page 75
Page 76
Page 77
Page 78
Page 79
Page 79
Page 81
Page 84 |
Chapter
5 Heart Talk in Relationships
Betrayal
Bluntness
Character Traits
Condition
Effort
Fear
Forgiveness
Hypocrisy
Joy and Tenderness
Pain and Sorrow
Pleasing Others
Respecting Others
Revealing The Heart
Secrecy
Trust and Importance
Unity
Vulnerability |
Page
86 Page
87
Page 92
Page 92
Page 93
Page 94
Page 94
Page 96
Page 96
Page 97
Page 100
Page 105
Page 106
Page 106
Page 107
Page 108
Page 114
Page 115 |
Chapter
6 Heart Talk in Society
Class
System
Community
Consensus
Differences
Friendship
Hurt Feelings
Justice
Memories
Obedience
Persuasion
Pride
Responsibility and Family
Surprise |
Page
116 Page
116
Page 121
Page 122
Page 123
Page 123
Page 128
Page 129
Page 129
Page 130
Page 130
Page 132
Page 133
Page 136 |
Chapter
7 Heart Talk Warfare
Battle
Cries
Regret
Revenge
Verbal Weapons |
Page
139 Page
140
Page 142
Page 143
Page 144 |
Chapter
8 Heart Talk Body Talk
Breathing
Dying
Fainting
Shake, Rattle and Roll |
Page
148 Page
149
Page 151
Page 153
Page 153 |
| Chapter
9 Heart Talk of Self-Control |
Page
155 |
Chapter
10 Heart Talk Perception
Beauty
Concentration
Forgetting
Imagination
Intuition
Knowledge
Mistakes
Realization
Satisfaction
Sincerity
Tempation
Understanding |
Page
162 Page
162
Page 163
Page 165
Page 165
Page 166
Page 166
Page 167
Page 168
Page 168
Page 172
Page 173
Page 173 |
Chapter
11 Heart Talk Choice
Decision
Making
Free Will
Uncertainty |
Page
178 Page
178
Page 182
Page 183 |
Chapter
12 Heart Talk Romance
Commitment
Cycle of Romance
Endearments
Infatuation
Intimacy
Love
Loyalty
Study of Heart
Test of Heart
Truth and Trust |
Page
186 Page
186
Page 189
Page 192
Page 193
Page 193
Page 195
Page 197
Page 197
Page 197
Page 198 |
| Chapter
13 Heart Talk Hand Talk |
Page
200 |
| Glossary |
Page
210 |
| Index |
Page
220 |
Heart
Talk Romance
Our
OCR is unable to scan and recognize Thai language text. In the
book, please note that for each Heart Talk phrase there is: Thai
script, phonetics, English meaning.
Chapter
12
This
chapter contains Heart Talk Phrases which most lovers who are
fluent in the Thai language wish to hear from the object of their
affection. Every language has its "Pillow Talk", and
the Thai language is no exception. "Pillow Talk" is
found in the metaphors linked to the heart. When one uses one
of these heart phrases, remember that the listener is expecting
the speaker to reveal the true condition of his or her feelings.
In most cases, the Thai listener has an experienced ear, judging
each heart phrase with a view to determining if it is sincere.
The
Thais are world class experts on knowing whether one's expression
of heart and the actual status of the heart match. Whether the
speaker is being genuine or is merely trying to please with a
pleasant phrase. The quickest way to lose credibility is to use
a heart phrase for an ulterior motive, that is in an effort to
gain something from the listener rather than communicate a true
emotional state of being.
A
number of the heart phrases appearing in this chapter have appeared
in earlier chapters. For the die-hard romantic a review of such
heart phrases from the point of view of romance is a useful exercise.
A
good place to start is with heart phrases about commitment and
then to examine the heart phrases one might find inside a hill
cycle of romance: Boy wishes to meet girl and suffers until he
finds her, then boyfriend and girlfriend have an argument and
the relationship ends with the girl walking out, and the boy is
left to nurse his emotional wounds. Of course the cycle is the
same where the girl wishes to meet boy. At each point in the cycle
there is a heart phrase.
Commitment
There
are romantic relationships that last a day and others that last
a fife time. The degree of personal commitment to the relationship
is conveyed in a number of heartphrases. The common link in each
phrase is the importance a special person occupies in the life
of another. Given this chapter is about romance—one kind of a
relationship—the object of communication is assumed to be a spouse
or lover.
Body
and Heart
thang kaay IE jai
The
heart of romance is when two people achieve that state of being
where they feel a communion of Body and Soul. The heart phrase
thang kaay IE jai is that threshold beyond plong jai rak. When
one’s spouse or lover whispers thang kaay IE jai it is the ultimate
Zen state of commitment when the bodies and souls of two people
merge and there is now a sense of oneness. She has held nothing
back and neither has he; they exist together as body and soul.
One is deep in the heartland of romance before using thang kaay
IE jai. By doing so, the man becomes the woman’s hero and she
becomes his heroine, and they are in a romantic epic of their
own making.
Confident
Heart
man jai
To
have a "confident heart" means a person is confident
of their feelings about their spouse or lover. In the context
of romance, the confidence is specifically about the relationship
and the other person's commitment to the relationship. To say
one feels man jai regarded as an expression of commitment between
two people in a relationship. When one person asks their lover
about his or her feelings concerning the relationship, and the
lover replies by using this expression, it means she or he trusts
them and is committed to being with them.
Contract
of One's Heart
san yaa jai
"Contract
of one's heart" is another weighty emotional heart phrase.
One has committed their heart to a permanent relationship or marriage.
This commitment is san yaa jai—it is one person's contract with
their heart. And the terms are dear: he or she is in the relationship
for keeps. This is not idle conversation for the first date. This
is not dating talk at all. The language of contract means one
has seated a lover's bargain for staying the course over the long
haul. Break this contract and the damages for the contract breaker
to worry about are not ones their lawyer can protect them against.
Gold
Chain Around Ones Heart
soo thOOng khlOOng jai
The
"gold chain around one's heart" is a feeling Thai parents
may have about their children in orbit around their lives. Also,
it is an expression for the feeling children have about their
parents. The heart phrase conveys a good feeling or a feeling
of wellness. It is not limited to parent-child and may be used
between lovers.
Like
the heart phrase below, this one is the real "inside stuff'
on what Thai speakers say to express that special relationship.
It would be unusual for a non-native speaker to know and use this
phrase. By so doing, it is likely to draw an amazed smile. The
spin is this, "An emotional gravity holds us in a tight orbit,
and nothin', but nothin' ain't gonna pull us apart."
Irrevocable
Heart
plong jai rak
The
irreversible feeling of love is plong jai rak. One has given in
their heart to another in a way that makes it impossible for them
to withdraw from the relationship. The notion of "irrevocably'
is weighty and meaningful in any language. lf wishes to use plong
jai rak it should be understood that "irrevocable heart"
is an expression of a lifelong commitment. To revoke the irrevocable
is probably an exempted risk on Thai life insurance policy-, one
should check it before carelessly using this heart phrase. These
are the words every Thai (indeed everyone) wishes to hear-but
not as phuut aw jai or flattering talk.
Iris
of the Heart
kEEw taa duang jai
The
person who is the "iris of the heart" is the most important
or vital person residing in the center of one's heart. This is
the NASA command center. Every emotional thing a person puts into
orbit comes from here. One wants to be programmed into this place
in their spouses or lover's heart. It is common for Thais to say
the most important thing in a mother's heart is her children.
And a daughter will invariably say her mother is the most important
thing in her heart. It is less common for a lover to use this
phrase; but when used in the romantic context what proceeds is
often an emotional meltdown.
My
Heart
jai duang nii
This
romantic heart phrase means that one is committed to another.
It is an expression of giving one's heart to that special person
in their fife. Each person would like for their lover or spouse
to proclaim, "I love you and jai duang nii is for you only.
"
Cycle
of Romance
Breathing
Together Heart
mii jai hay kan
Early
into the romantic cycle it is common for lovers to experience
a closeness and oneness. It is as if they are breathing as one
being. Thus the "breathing together heart" is the honeymoon
phase of the relationship. The ultimate discovery of defects and
flaws is for a later stage in the cycle. For the moment, the lovers
are in peace and harmony with one another. They are fulfilled
and satisfied. And more importantly, they are in love with one
another.
The
essence of the heart phrase is to the love two people feel towards
each other. This phrase can be used to ask a question about whether
another person loves them. A couple has been friends for a longtime
and this grows into love and one day, one them acknowledges this
transition from friendship into love by using this phrase.
Capture
Another's Heart
khayum hua jai
This
is a slang heart phrase for describing the feeling that comes
when another person has captured their heart. The meaning is they
want a relationship with this person, the feeling of love and
commitment are implicit in the phrase as well. Lek may confide
to her friend Noi, that Charles with whom she has been having
a relationship via the internet has captured her heart.
Cold
Heart
naaw jai
"Cold
heart" is the opening scene prior to the commencement of
a love affair. A man or woman who claims to feel naaw jai is giving
a signal that he or she wishes to have a relationship with another
and is suffering from the lack of such a relationship. The heart
phrase is the stuff of poetry, films, and novels. The emotional
state is like an arctic cold front which blows through a person's
heart and leaves them with the feeling of aloneness; in this snowbound
world of the heart, their life in the world is cold, and they
experience naaw jai. When this inner sense of loneliness occurs
then the desire arises to seek refuge in a relationship. On the
other hand, a man or a woman who is constantly complaining of
this emotional state might be said to be khii naaw jai. The expression
refers to the nature of such a person which suggests a negative
quality.
Depressed
Heart
ra thom jai
The
"depressed heart" is the final emotional state in the
romantic cycle of lovers meeting, one lover leaving the other,
an d the left person feeling depressed. The term is used primarily
in the context of a love affair that has ended or is heading toward
its final destruction. The heart phrase is similar to pooet jai
but it conveys a greater sense of depression. When one's lover
runs off with his or her best friend then he or her will feel
ra thom jai.
Heaven
in the Chest, Hell in the Heart
sawan nay ok narok nay jai
The
literal translation is that one feels heaven in one's chest but
hell inside one's heart. The lovers no longer are breathing as
one person. Conflicts have emerged. The inevitable problems of
adjustment have given way to a period of compromise where one
or both lovers feel that they have the best and worst of worlds
inside the relationship. The heart experiences an emotional schizophrenia.
Whether the heaven part dominates or the hell part does will depend
on a number of factors within the relationship. Or it may be that
the balance between heaven and hell is roughly equal and the relationship
struggles along without any firm resolution.
Hurt
Heart
hua jai raaw raan
"Hurt
Heart" occurs along with the "heaven and hell heart"
in the love affair cycle. After finding the person to rid one
of the feeling of naaw jai the lover splits from the scene. Now
he or she finds themself in the possession of another kind of
broken heart; one without the feeling for revenge. This feeling
for the lover should be distinguished from jep jai, which is a
broken heart, for which the person may seek revenge. When dealing
with broken hearts, it is important to distinguish between emotional
conditions where the hurt is turned inward, such as hua jai raaw,
which is the language of poetry, songs, films and novels where
a love affair has ended.
Melting
Heart
jai la, laay
The
"melting heart" is another heart phrase for disappointment
in love. The woman leaves the man and he feels disappointed in
love. The emotional state is one of heavy, hurt feelings over
the loss of a loved one.
Possess
Another's Heart
khrOOng jai
The
emotional message is that by possessing another's heart there
is an
obligation to look after and take care of the emotional well being
of that person. Lovers can employ this heart phrase when talking
about their feelings. Often it is used among friends to describe
how they feel about their loved ones. Sometimes the heart phrase
pops up in commercial advertising as well. For instance, it has
been used to sell house paint. The paint which is claimed to be
of very good quality possesses the heart of the people who love
their house.
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