Spirit_of_Sky все записи автора A video clip of an American retired lecturer documenting his first experience of being sworn at in Thailand has attracted more than half a million views after one day after being uploaded to YouTube.

Thanachart Siripatrachai uploaded the video clip of 78-year-old Nelson Howe describing his first experience of being subjected to foul language after living in Bangkok for three years.

The incident occurred when the lecturer poached a taxi from another man who had been waiting before him.

Mr Howe was late for an appointment so decided to cut the queue, prompting the other man to approach him and shout in English: “Your father died.” He had earlier been travelling to the appointment by bus, but the driver failed to let him get off at the stop where he needed to alight.

The academic didn't understand that he was being insulted, so asked the man: “How did you know?”

He had not realised that the Thai translation of "your father died" is considered an expletive.

“It was eye opening for me,” Mr Howe said, adding that no American swear word relates to a person's father.

The lecturer said his experience of living in Thailand taught him that Thai people respect their parents to the point that school children will call each other their father's name as a form of insult, an act which would elicit little emotion in an American playground.