Re: Thai Language

On 23 Apr 2007 06:03:35 -0700, michael <mjwilson51@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

On Apr 23, 2:22 pm, Loafer <acharn_...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

The first Caucasians the Thai encountered were the Portuguese. The
word "farang" was in the Thai language long before the French decided
to invade Indo-China.

While you are probably right about the origin of the word
'farang', I am pretty sure the first Europeans the Thais met were
either the Dutch or the Danes. The Dutch established a trading
post about 50 years before the Portuguese did.

according to D.G.E. Hall, a Portuguese named Duarte Fernandez was the
first European to visit Ayuthaya; this was in 1511, a year after they
took Goa... Baker and Pasuk have the Dutch showing up around 1604... I
can't recall any reference to early Danes in Siam... I think they
waited until Koh Chang had a gay bar...

Interesting. My books by Pasuk are currently unavailable for me
to check the details she gave, but Wyatt has, "It was
Ekathotsarot who received the first Dutch ships to call at
Ayudhya and sent the first Siamese diplomatic mission to Europe,
to the Netherlands in 1608 (and one to Portuguese Goa in 1606)."

I inferred from that passage that the Dutch were the first, but
of course I overlooked the fact that there must have been
contacts before then. For some reason I had a vague memory that I
had read that the Dutch opened a trading station in the Kra
Isthmus during the 1500's, but I can't find the reference now.

I guess my assertion was not well founded.
--
Roger

--
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