An Insight Into Thai Culture: Speaking Presentation

SPEAKING PRESENTATION - Semester

AN INSIGHT INTO 5THAI CULTURE

Group 2 Nguyen Thi Thinh Nguyen T. Huyen Tran Hanoi, Sept 24th 2009

PREVIEW I.

Key terms 1. 2.

II.

General look at the culture of Thailand 1. 2. 3. 4.

III.

Culture Cross cultures

Religion Cuisine Custom Art

Vietnam &Thailand – Cross-cultural similarities 1. 2.

Smile Nickname

2

I. KEY TERMS 1. Culture a. b.

Definition Elements of culture

2. Cross cultures a. b.

Definition The iceberg of culture

1. CULTURE a. What

is culture? b. What elements does culture cover? 4

WHAT IS CULTURE? Culture (from the Latin cultura, meaning "to cultivate") is a term that has different meanings 5

Culture is…

“The distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world classified and represented their experiences and acted creatively” 6

<Edward B. Tylor>

WHAT ELEMENTS DOES CULTURE COVER? knowledge beliefs

morals customs

Elements of culture

habits Institutions and objects

values

art 7

2. CROSS CULTURES a. What

is cross culture? b. Why is culture an iceberg?

Cross culture is …

WHAT IS CROSS CULTURE? Cross culture can be seen as culture in contact or culture encounters 

Cross cultural studies discover cultural similarities, differences and their influences on the people’s behaviors 

WHY IS CULTURE AN ICEBERG?

10

11

12

II. GENERAL LOOK AT THE CULTURE OF THAILAND 1. Religion 2. Cuisine 3. Custom 4. Art

1. RELIGION Thailand-a landof religion Theravada buddhist Muslims Christians MahayanaBuddist and others 14

Thailand is nearly 95% Theravada Buddhists, with minorities of Muslims (4.6%), Christians (0.7%), Mahayana Buddhists, and other religions.

Thailand – a land of yellow robes

15

BUDDHISM IN THAILAND Theravada Buddhism

Three branches of Buddhism Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism

16

 Thailand

- the largest Buddhist population in the world

 Thailand

- only country in the world where the king is constitutionally stipulated to be a Buddhist and the upholder of the Faith

 The

important role of Buddhism 17 in Thailand

2. CUISINE a. b. c.

Special taste of Thai food Main dishes in Thailand Cuisine serving 18

SPECIAL TASTE OF THAI FOOD Thai cuisine - famous for the blending of four fundamental tastes: sweet (sugar, fruits, sweet peppers) spicy hot (chilies) sour (vinegar, lime juice, tamarind) 



19

MAIN DISHES IN THAILAND

ผัดไทย

Pad Thai: rice noodles pan fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp, chopped peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood.

20

แกงมัสมัน ่

Massaman curry: an Indian style curry, usually made by Thai-Muslims, containing roasted dried spices, such 21 as coriander seed, that are rarely found in other Thai

ส้มตำำ

Som tam: grated papaya salad, pounded with a motar and pestle

22

C. CUISINE SERVING 

Thai food - generally eaten with a fork and a spoon.



Chopsticks - rarely used, primarily for the consumption of noodle soups.



Thai-Muslims frequently eat meals with only their right hands.

23

3. CUSTOMS The wai, one of the most distinctive Thai customs, is similar to the Indian Namaste gesture

 Physical

demonstrations of affection in

public are less common between lovers than friends.  Touching

someone on the head may be

rude. → It is rude to place one's feet at a level above someone else's head, especially if that person is of higher social standing.

25

Sitting manne r

26



Pointing at or touching something with the feet is also rude.



It is extremely rude to step on a Thai coin or paper bill. 27

 It

is also customary to remove one's

footwear before entering a home or temple, and not to step on the threshold.  Thai

monks are forbidden physical

contact with women.

28

DOS AND DON’TS IN THAILAN •

Do Smile.

•

Do show respect for the king.

•

Do show respect for their main religion, for the Buddha, and for monks.

•

Do not touch anyone on the head.

•

Do not point your feet at anyone or anything.

•

Do not step over anyone.

29

4. ART Contemporary Thai art often combines traditional Thai elements with modern techniques. 30

There is no tradition of spoken drama in Thailand, the role instead being filled by Thai dance. Divided into 3 categories- khon, lakhon and likay.

31



Khon (Thai : โขน ), the most stylized form of Thai dance, performed by troupes of nonspeaking dancers.

32

Lakhon features a wider range of stories than khon , including folk tales and Jakata stories.

33

Likay is much more varied than lakhon or khon.

34

Nang drama, a form of shadow play, is found in the south.

35

III. VIETNAM &THAILAND – CROSS-CULTURAL SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES Smile 2. Nickname 1.

REVIEW I.

Key terms 1. 2.

II.

General look at the culture of Thailand 1. 2. 3. 4.

III.

Culture Cross cultures

Religion Cuisine Custom Art

Vietnam &Thailand – Cross-cultural similarities and differences 1. 2.

Smile Nickname

37

QUESTIONS (T/F) 1.

95% of Thai people are MahayanaF Buddhists

2.

Thai people just use chopsticks when eating noodle T

3.

The wai is considered to be similar to Indian gestureT

4.

Thai dance is divided into 4 F categories

38

Q &A SESSION

THANKS FOR YOUR COOPERATI ON