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Originally Posted by Hamster
Possibly. I think it would probably depend on the situation. There are some concepts in Thai like 'greng jai' or 'nam jai' that can be difficult to fully appreciate being a westerner. A Thai knows what they mean almost instinctively. Even with our perhaps more complex language we can't fully describe it.
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This is a very good point (although I would say that "nam jai" simply means "generosity"). "Greng jai", on the other hand, seems to be a collection of concepts in English, ie depending on the context: "respect for one's superiors"/"fear of imposing or putting someone out"/ even "embarrassment".
The fact that Thai has just one phrase, where English must use many, would suggest that this is an important concept in Thai culture (and as we all know, it is). This is turn suggests that culture influences language (rather than vice-versa). Does this not also suggest that thought influences language, rather than language influencing thought?
Incidentally, the long-winded way in which English must translate "greng jai" is no different to that in which Thai must translate "inculcate". Also noteworthy is that where English has just one conception of "jealous", Thai has two: "Heung" (ie when the attentions of the person to whom one is attracted/with whom one is in relationship are being monopolised by someone else) and "Itchaa" (to be jealous of someone due to a perception of their superiority [financial/intellectual, etc] over one). This to me suggests that neither language is necessarily more "articulate" than the other.