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The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/28849 holds the collection of TXT in the Leiden University Repository.
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Using Listening to Encourage Reading in Thailand
By Kesaree Prakumthong Student of Books and Digital Media Studies at Leiden University
Introduction
n 2013, Bangkok was chosen to be the a habit. There have been many efforts to IWorld’s book capital of the year. The encourage reading in Thailand for a long announcement amazed many people time, but most attempts have proven to because, at the same time, there was a be ineffective and little progress has been shocking statistic released by UNESCO on made. Every year, the funds for promoting the latest International Literacy Day stating reading are wasted on temporary superfi- that: ‘Thais only read eight lines per year’.1 cial events such as the Thai national book This statement caused an uproar among fairs which take place twice per year and Thai book lovers, since it was a flawed merely last two weeks. It would be no calculation based on the ratio of the total exaggeration to say that these book fairs Thai population and the number of books are the only substantial form of read- sold ‘legally’ per year. Nonetheless, ing promotion that takes place. The Thai during the past few years there has been government has never spent funding on a wide concern that there is a reading sustainable projects which could benefit crisis in Thailand and something needs to the country’s reading in the long term. All be done to solve the problem before things considered, it might be time to try Thailand becomes a member of the approaching the problem from a new ASEAN Community in 2015. perspective, with a new method such According to the National Statisti- as using listening to encourage reading. cal Office of Thailand,2 in 2011 68.6% of This essay is written with the purpose to Thai people who are over five years old explore the possibility of using listening read. The problem seems fairly severe to encourage reading. It will cover some because only 5% of them read daily, while background knowledge about reading cul- approximately 51% of Thais only read oc- ture in Thailand, reasons why the method casionally. Another problem is the lack of could work and finally how to put the reliable studies on reading levels up to the theory into practice. present day. For most Thais reading is not
Beyond Boundaries 165 A brief history of reading and not contradict Siam’s government or law. printing in Thailand Because textbooks were important for teaching, a large number of books were The first change to reading in Thailand printed in order to meet the needs of these was caused by the introduction of West- new learners. Unfortunately, before they ern printing and book culture. Printing in received Thai types, printing in Thailand Thailand is believed to have started in the was interrupted by a change of reign in late Ayutthaya Era (1351 -1767) during the 1688. None of the books from this period reign of King Narai (Somdet Phra Narai survived because they were either confis- Maharat), in its most prosperous period. cated by King Phetracha in Siam or they At that time, Ayutthaya, the former capital were burned by the Burmese when they city of Thailand, opened its gates and wel- took over the city. comed foreigners who came in peace. There were later attempts to reestab- In 1662 Bishop lish printing culture Louis Laneau came in Siam, but it was to Siam3 with French not successful as the missionaries. He was In 1839, country was at war. active in propagating the first Thai Then came the man the Christian faith in who is considered Thailand by translat- official document, by many to be ‘the ing and publishing the proclamation Father of printing in bibles, Thai grammar Thailand’, Dr. Dan books and Thai- against opium, Beach Bradley M.D., English dictionaries. an American mission- Laneau made use of was published ary who arrived in existing Roman types Thailand in 1835. He and originally printed brought Thai types his books in Europe before shipping them and a wooden printing press along with to Thailand. Later, in 1670, there was a him and started his own printing house in request from the missionaries for making Siam. Although Dr. Bradley’s first intention Thai types and setting up a printing house was to propagate Christianity, he became directly in Thailand as Thai laborers were more interested in the art of printing and cheap. Also there were a growing number started several printing-related businesses. of Thai scholars interested in learning In 1839, the first Thai official document, about printing. the proclamation against opium, was pub- Printing machines were sent from lished. This was shortly followed by the France to Thailand and were used to first Thai newspaper: the Bangkok Reader. produce teaching materials. King Narai Driven by success and with support from granted the missionaries the freedom to the government, Dr. Bradley published teach Siamese people Christianity and more books by writing them himself and Western knowledge such as science, law buying copyrights from other authors, and other subjects, so long as they did which was the starting point of copyright
166 TXT : Exploring the Boundaries of the Book in Thailand. It could be said that the process run its full course without inter- printing business was mostly run by ruption in order to finally come to the foreigners until the reign of King most suitable solution for one’s culture. Vajiravudh (or Rama VI) who ruled the However, we cannot change the past, so country from 1910 to 1925. Vajiravudh was the wise thing to do now is to find out fond of literature and had a keen West- what was missing in that transition. ern mind. He wrote countless novels in To fill the gaps between Thai and a Western manner and rapidly improved the foreign reading culture, we have to printing techniques during his reign. consider where the Thai culture lifted Western printing culture transformed off. Modern printing was established in both books and reading in Thailand. The Thailand during the first half of Rattana- shape of books suddenly changed when kosin Era (1782-1851), which was around Dr. Bradley introduced a codex form. the same time as the Golden Age of Thai Formerly, books in Thailand were made literature. At that time, all important tradi- by ‘Lan’’s or ‘Koi’’s leaves called “Samut tional Thai literature were written in poetic Koi” (notebook made from Koi leaves) or prose, consisting of dazzling internal and “Samut Thai” (Thai’s notebook).4 These external rhythms which are pleasant to traditional books were written on a long listen to. In other words, they were written piece of paper which was then folded back for the sake of being read out loud. Ac- and forth to form a folded scroll shape. cording to history, Thais preferred to listen These ‘books’ were so sacred and delicate to literature more than read it. People that they were forbidden to be carried by with high social status such as royalty and any commoners and only monks and aris- aristocrats, listened to the literature during tocrats had direct access to these books. royal plays in the courts, while literature The only way commoners could access intended for commoners was used in such text was by listening to recitations. public plays. In their modern form, books became more A good example of this practice is durable and portable. This allowed books ‘Phra Aphai Mani’, an adventure-fantasy to reach a wider group of readers. story written by the most famous Thai On the basis of this brief history, it is poet of all time, Sunthorn Phu. It is obvious that reading culture in Thailand considered to be the greatest poetry and was not originally developed within the literature of the early Rattanakosin era. country by Thai people but was brought in One of the foreign printers made use of its by Westerners. To illustrate this point, con- popularity and published golden quotes sider reading culture as a plant: reading from ‘Phra Aphai Mani’ in a small ‘Samut culture did not grow its roots in Thailand Thai’ form and sold them for only 1 Salu- but was brought in later by the “grafting eng (about half a euro cent) each. Despite method”. Without roots, Thai reading the extremely low price, the profit was culture could not be as strong as it is in so large that he could afford to establish the Western world. Perhaps the Western a printing house. Readers bought these method may not fit into the Thai context. books to recite the lines they liked over It is important to let the development and over or to read them to their wives,
Beyond Boundaries 167 children and slaves.5 Consequently the week.7 The programme were usually literature became a popular phenomenon run by two or three moderators who skim- in no time. read newspapers or scripts laid out before Reading was a shared experience and them, retelling the simplified stories to the public reading was the norm at this time. audience in a casual manner, as if they This made sense as Thai poetry has a they were having a face-to-face conversa- special rhythm. It may be read normally, tion with the audience. Unlike ordinary but a specific form of reading out loud news announcers, they shared their called ‘Sepha’ will make the poems sound personal opinions and often spoke ad-lib. like music to the ear. Sepha singers, like The announcers’ personalities also played troubadours or Jaglars6 in the western an important part in attracting ratings and, culture, were public in a way, they became readers and enter- celebrities themselves. tainers who recited Thai poetry has This type of televi- stories from books sion programmes for a living. While a special rhythm. has gained incredible reciting poems, Sepha It may be popularity among singers use two small Thais for a number of sticks of wood called read normally, reasons. In general, ‘Krab’ to give rhythm Thais prefer watch- and emphasis com- but a specific form ing television over bined with the use of reading out loud reading. According to of expression, tones, the survey on reading and body language called ‘Sepha’ conducted in 2011 by to make the stories will make the the National Statistical more interesting. This Office of Thailand, the kind of performance poems sound main reasons for not became the most like music to reading are: a prefer- popular form of en- ence for television tertainment for local the ear viewing, not having people at that time. enough time and Even today we can a negative attitude still see the appreciation of being read to towards reading and literacy.8 People who in Thai everyday life. It has been evolving work in big cities prefer watching these and is now taking a new form of media casual news television programmes by using a combination of publishing and instead of reading newspaper, because it television. During these past five years, fits in with their fast-paced metropolitan there has been a steep increase in the life. While people in the countryside find popularity and number of news television these programmes entertaining because programmes. In 2008, there were twenty- they still prefer oral communication nine television programmes running, and they like to pass on stories by which took about 11,260 minutes per word-of-mouth.
168 TXT : Exploring the Boundaries of the Book Without a doubt, Thais have proven to be good listeners. But if listening has a strong link to reading, could this quality turn Thais into good readers too?
The relations between listening and reading
There have been many recent attempts to investigate the relationship between the process of reading and listening. There is no definitive conclusion, but a large number of studies seem to suggest that listening and reading are closely interre- lated activities. In the early days of studying this Fig. 1. Reading and listening processes as separate processes10 topic, the focus was placed on the similarities of the reading and listening of reading was first recorded in AD 383, process. There were two widely accepted when Saint Augustine arrived in Milan and theories. One suggests9 that the reading met Bishop Ambrose. Augustine was so process is similar to, and parallels the amazed by the way Ambrose read he gives listening process but there are no direct a detailed description of this act: connections between them (Fig.1). When he read, his eyes scanned According to this theory, one hears a the page and his heart sought word and compares the word to one’s out the meaning, but his voice personal vocabulary; in the same way was silent and his tongue was one perceives a written word. still. Anyone could approach Unlike the first theory, the second one him freely and guests were not indicated that the reading process relies on commonly announced, so that the listening process. Many see listening as often, when we came to visit a crucial part of the reading process, while him, we found him reading like some even believe that reading develops this in silence, for he never from listening.11 The general understand- read aloud.12 ing is that reading begins when readers see Modern readers would not find this the text, transform it into sounds in their act extraordinary, as it is their usual way heads and compare the sound to words of reading. Although silent reading has a they know (Fig. 2). long history and it did not become a com- Recently there is more research sup- mon practice in the West until the tenth porting the latter theory that listening century. When reading was first invented, plays an important part in the reading people read texts out loud and it stayed process. This even extends to the case that way until people became experienced of silent reading. Today the act of ‘silent enough in reading. But does this mean reading’ has become the norm. This kind readers do not make any sound at all
Beyond Boundaries 169 while reading? or quotations from One study shows fictional characters that silent reading in the same manner is not as silent as it as external speech. seems.13 In 2012 a A third notable team of neurosci- study of the relation- entists conducted ship between listen- an experiment to ing and reading15 compare the brain conducted by David activity of a person J. Townsend sug- reading to that of gests that listening a person listening. and reading profi- The participants ciency are usually at who have electro- the same level. That encephalographic is to say people who electrodes implanted Fig. 2. Reading and listening as connected processes are good at listening in their brain were tend to be good at asked to listen to reading as well and sounds and read selected texts. The results vice versa. This result leads to the strong show that when the participants read texts possibility that listening and reading can there is high-frequency electrical activity be used to mutually improve each other. in the same region of their brain as when the participants hear speech. The scien- Ways to use listening to tists also measured higher levels of brain encourage reading in Thailand activity when the participants were asked to read the texts carefully. In other word, As listening is an important component of they read ‘out loud’ to themselves while reading it could be used to diminish the reading silently with their inner voice. The reading crisis in Thailand in various ways. researchers believed that this inner voice is In 2013, the Thailand literacy rate was not be triggered automatically but it might 93.5%.16 However, there is no detailed be enhanced by attention. survey on the literacy level in Thailand Another study conducted in 2013 today, so the overall situation remains un- provides further support for this theory.14 clear. But most people are concerned with The assumption of this study was that the reading level of the new generation, the human brain registers both external which seems to have dropped noticeably speech and an internal voice in the same over these past years. The big problem we manner. However, the researchers found are facing now is an ‘illiteracy relapse’. It out that the brain reacts to external speech is difficult for people with a working class and an internal reading voice differently. background to maintain their literacy skills The inner voice is triggered when readers after completing a basic education. The parse ordinary texts such as descriptive lack of reading materials (the number of passages, but the brain process speeches books available can be extremely small
170 TXT : Exploring the Boundaries of the Book and sometimes nonexistent) and poverty time and effort to change someone’s drives them to enter the labor market opinion towards something, especially almost immediately after high school. when the first impression is negative. Not to mention a large number of young Therefore it should be done in a smooth people in rural areas who quit schools and tactful method by making use of before getting a diploma. something that disaffected people feel To understand the situation precisely, comfortable with such as listening. Hear- we should identify the definition of literacy ing the texts read aloud could work as a on different levels in order to help readers bridge for illiterate people and beginners according to their reading ability. For ex- to leave their comfort zone and cross the ample UNESCO17 divided literacy into the bridge from listening to reading. following four levels: On a basic level, being read to has Basic level refers to abilities in reading the potential to ignite the interest of the and writing in any single language. listener in literature. It also has an effect Second level refers to abilities in on the listeners’ attitude towards books. reading, writing and numeracy in any It is not only suitable for children but single language. also was proven to work on adults too. Third level refers to abilities in read- A good example of this is the tradition ing, writing and numeracy in any single of cigar factories in Cuba.18 In most cigar language and ability to use information factories, there is a person who works as technology as a tool for day-to-day a ‘lector’ who would read out loud for the communication. other workers while they roll cigars. The Fourth level refers to high abilities in books range from historical texts to great listening, speaking, reading and writing poetries and are chosen in advance by the any single language as well as abilities in majority of the cigar-rollers according to numeracy and information technology as their interests. The purpose of this activity a tool for everyday communication. Being when it was first invented, was to convey a learned citizen and having the ability information to the illiterate people as they to promote learning in the community, could not read journals. Not long after society and the nation. this activity began the workers gradually If we use this UNESCO model to became more familiar with books and categorise people by their reading perfor- developed a positive feeling towards them. mance, the first two groups could benefit It was true that most of them could not from using listening to maintain their gain full literacy from just listening to texts literacy after school while the third and being read but a number of the workers the fourth groups might be targeted in a began showing interest in reading and that different way. Even though it is universally was a good start. This tradition began in known that reading is good, the act of 1866 and it still continues in modern day reading itself is still a bitter pill for some. Cuba. Despite the fact that there are new (The reasons for the negative attitude technologies that could replace lectors, the some Thai people hold towards reading cigar-rollers still prefer being read to by will be discussed later). It surely takes their lector because the reader is ‘a living
Beyond Boundaries 171 person who walks, who converses, and expectedly beneficial. Smith Frank stated this cannot be replaced by anything or in his book that the human brain needs anybody.’19 some time to process and record the texts In Thailand, the practice of being read that we read. Reading without making a to can also be found in people’s everyday sound will be too fast for the brain to take life. Take radio drama for example: even the data in, leading to partial oblivion.21 with the flourishing of new kinds of en- In other words, reading out loud could tertainment, there are still a large number enhance memory while reading. of Thai people, from the working classes The first critical step in promoting read- to the rich, who are still fond of listening ing out loud is to change people’s negative to Radio drama on CDs or mp3 players. attitude towards it. In Thai primary school It blends in with the lifestyle of people classrooms, the class is usually asked to in the capital perfectly read the text out loud. It is because it is almost the quite surprising that when only entertainment that reading aloud the children read, they read can be found during the it out loud in the most un- infamous traffic jams is an natural way. It sounds like of Bangkok. From time effective way nothing you would hear in to time, one encounters everyday life and maybe taxi drivers who listen to improve the this is the only situation in to a simplified version of reading skills of which this kind of reading great literature on a CD seems normal. The students while driving. There is people would all together drawl a relatively high chance of all ages the words by extending and that these listeners would prolonging syllables, making buy a book of the same their speech sound monoto- title or look for it in the nous and boring. Actually, library.20 After all, books contain more de- the way they read harms their understand- tails which might be omitted from the oral ing, because it is not natural speech. version. In this regard introducing audio Sadly, some people subconsciously grew books can be an interesting experiment. up connecting reading to boredom since However, audio books are not available they were forced to read books they had no in the Thai language and very few people interest in for school. While in fact, reading have the required proficiency to listen to can be enjoyed for leisure or as a hobby as English ones. it is called ‘reading for pleasure’. If Thais Like being read to, reading aloud is only ever read for educational success, they an effective way to improve the reading may read until they finish school, but if skills of people of all ages. Unfortunately, they read for the sake of reading, they will it is considered to be an act suitable for read for life. Additionally a study conducted children and people who read out loud by the Institute of Education shows that to themselves are sometimes perceived children ages between 10 to 16 years old as amateur readers. As a matter of fact, who read for fun make more progress in reading out loud, even to one’s self, is un- their study than those who rarely read.22
172 TXT : Exploring the Boundaries of the Book Last but not least the promotion of Notes reading out loud could lead to a resur- 1. ‘Scoring goals for International Literacy Day in UNESCO Bangkok rection of public reading. A significant Thailand’, , 10 September 2012
Beyond Boundaries 173 16. The World Factbook of Thailand, Central Intel- er/0,32068,1465077893001_2108125,00.html> ligence Service
174 TXT : Exploring the Boundaries of the Book