tiens en attendant de future partenaires pour tennis... quelques infos sur le sourire thais en anglais....
The smile is perceived as being just about the most appropriate “answer” to any possible situation. It’s used to show happiness, embarrassment, fear, tension, resignation, remorse. Just imagine how many different smiles there are in
Thailand! For foreigners they look all the same, but for Thais their smiles offer an amazing array of shadows and tones:
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yim tak tai: The polite smile, used for strangers
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feun yim: The “I-am-forced-to-smile-even-I-do-not-want-to” smile
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yim cheuat cheuan: The winner’s smile over a rival
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yim tang nam dtah: The truly happy smile
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yim tak tan: The “sorry-you-are-wrong-again” smile
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yim sao: The smile masking sadness or unhappiness
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yim mee lay-nai: The evil smile
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yim cheun chom: The admiring smile
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yim yor: The arrogant smile
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yim mai ork: The forced smile
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yim yair-yair: The smile to apologize and take the heat out of an awkward, embarrassing situation
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yim hairng: The nervous, apologetic smile
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yim soo: The “it-cannot-get-any-worse-therefore-I-better-smile” smile
And who wants to blame foreigners to be blind to this rich variety of body signals. Thais understand the realities behind a smile immediately and act accordingly – without speaking about it. As Thai culture is not a culture of words like in the West, where great philosophers were fundamental to the rise of its empires.
Western culture is all about easily understandable and reliable assurances such as “yes”, “no”, “I believe you” or “I don’t”. Westerners need and trust confirmation by words. Not so Thais. Thais may say “yes” and smile, but every Thai knows what is really meant: “No”. Or perhaps: “Maybe. Or: “Not yet sure.”
What makes the Thai language a minefield for outsiders. As it is tightly inter-connected with the body language. The worlds of “true” and “untrue” are inseparably intertwined. What makes the Thai smile a mechanism to hide shark teeth.
)
de quel sourire parle phasathai? 
