First Thai-American City Mayor

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

In Las Palmas, California. Story here. Congratulations to G. Henry Charoen.

But I do apologize to you, Henry, for the crappy phonetic spelling of your surname, but I know that’s the closest Americans can get to pronouncing it, even though it IS a “ch” sound and not an “sh” sound. You must hear it that way all the time. (No “sh” sound at all in Thai, and the “oe” represents a vowel sound that English simply does not have.)

I don’t recall hearing about his city-council win a year ago, even though it says it “caught the attention of the media in Thailand.”

2

I meant La Palma, NOT Las Palmas. :frowning:

In Orange County, California.

3

I’ve always tended to pronounce “Charoen” as if it were “jaw-lern”. Even upcountry tuk-tuk drivers seem to understand that.

4

Close enough. It’s an A sound as in Brazil (almost like the U in “support”); and an R sound as spelled, not an L" Although the Rs and Ls do get mixed up here. Remember the old joke about “flied lice”? I really have known Thais who could not make the R sound despite its presence in Thai.

The name of the other guy in the article was butcheerd even worse phonetically, but no matter. Works both ways.