Why do the Thai language sounds different in the U.S?

Question

i'm part thai and i can't speak it fluently anymore, but it sounds so different when my family and other people speak thai in the u.s
if i watch a thai movie or go to thailand, i barely other stand what they say, but when spoken by others in the u.s i understand.
this goes for cambodian too.
it's like the language kind of change when my family moved to the u.s

Answer 1

When a small group is isolated from the main body of speakers of a language, the way of speaking changes over time and differences creep in. That is probably the reason you have difficulties understanding standard Thai. It is also the reason new languages are born. The same thing happened to the Cape Dutch a few centuries ago, and thus a new language - Afrikaans - was born.

Answer 2

Could be a couple of things.

*Maybe your family is older and the movies have a lot of new slang that your family hasn't been there for?
* Maybe your family speaks more slowly b/c they are older?
*Maybe they are speaking a dialect that is non-standard?

Answer 3

Listen to some people from England,Australia,Canada,
Mississippi,New Yawk.
Compare the engish being spoken.
You will find they are very different sounding (don't, all ,sound like the English people).