Shhhhh

The english word quiet, a useful word for teachers, cannot be used in Thai classrooms because it sounds very much like the Thai word for cow.  For some reason the students find this hilarious and if you say "quiet please" you just cause an eruption of laughter and this has no effect whatsoever on the volume of said students.

A few weeks ago, some saintly Thai teacher let us in on a secret, the Thai word for "no talking", which sounds something like, "nee-EB".  One utterance of this word and the class quiets down a little, while several of the students correct my pronunciation, or just outright make fun of it.  

Today, I watched as my Thai co-teacher stood in exasperation while the students screamed, stood on furniture, hit each other, and threw things.  I picked up the microphone and said, in my very best Thai accent, "nee-EB!"  

Silence.

And then, the students broke out into applause, cheering and clapping.  I finally said it right.

:)