Avoiding spelling mistakes.

Wisconsin

Whenever we have to spell the name of a name or place that we are unfamiliar with, it is always a good idea to Google the name just to make sure. We may think we know how to spell a name, but sometimes we are wrong. If we spell the name of a person or place wrong in a letter, it may seem disrespectful. Some readers may think that we did not bother to spell a name correctly, as if we did not care about the person or place. To show that we do care, we should make the extra effort to double-check it. There is no way that Thai people naturally know how to spell the name of the state of Wisconsin. Sometimes in Thai English we see the name spelled wrong as Wisconson, because some people pronounce it as if it were written that way. Even Thai people who have visited or lived in Wisconsin may find it a challenge, since the origins of the name, from a Native American word, are confusing even to Americans. It may have originated from an Algonquian Indian word that means long river or a Chippewa/Ojibwa/Anishinabe word, Ouisconsin, meaning grassy place or gathering of the waters. Even experts in Native American languages are not certain, so most people cannot expect to really understand this word. It is easier and more time-efficient to double-check the spelling by Googling it. Another approach is to tell yourself a little story to help you remember the right spelling. You might say that people do not like to sin in Wisconsin. That way you will remember that the word ends with the letters sin and not son.    

Constitution

A Constitution is a serious and important thing. All the more reason to spell the word right, and not such wrong variants seen in Thai English as consitution or contitution. Note that these mistakes leave out the fact that the word should begin with the letters consti. This important part of the word reminds us that since the 1500s, the word constitution refers to the way things are established or made up, including the condition or health of the human body. Soon afterward, constitution also started to mean the method of organization of a government. In the 1700s, constitution was also used to mean the way a community is governed and the document of written laws that state these principles. Following the precedent of the constitutions of the United States and France, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, as all Thais know, found its modern form in 1932. The change from absolute monarchy to constitutional democracy, in which Pridi Banomyong was influential, was followed by 20 charters or constitutions, as of 2015. If we recall the original meanings of the word from the 1500s and after, relating to the body, we will understand why some other words begin with the letters consti:

constituents   

constitute

constipated

Constituents are parts of a larger group, as in the phrase Let’s break this down into its constituent parts. Also, constituents are voters, the ones who are represented by elected officials. They are also part of the overall larger thing. Constitute also means to be part of a larger entity. The word constipated goes back to the old meaning of words starting with the letters consti, referring to the health of the body. There is another related meaning of constitutional, dating from the 1800s, meaning a health-giving walk or stroll. If we keep in mind that all of these words are somehow connected, and they all begin with the letters consti, then it is less likely that we will spell constitution wrong as consitution or contitution.

The Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Centre near the Democracy Monument operates under the auspices of the Culture Ministry’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, offering interactive digital exhibitions and artefacts that constitute an education in Southeast Asian history, art and livelihoods.

Taking a walk used to be part of everyone’s daily constitutional, a means of keeping healthy and promoting overall well-being.

Two panels discussing the future of Thailand’s constitution took place simultaneously at Thammasat University and the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) yesterday.

Science, scene, and since.

Some unfamiliar combinations of letters can throw us off correct spellings. Some words begin with the letters sci or sce, but others do not. In Thai English we sometimes see the word science spelled wrong as scince or seience. The incorrect spelling scince may occur because a needed letter e is left out by typists in a rush. The reasons for the error seience may be more complex. Possibly this mistake confuses the correct spelling for the word seance, an attempt to communicate with spirits. At a seance, also spelled séance, people try to get in touch with dead spirits and have talks with them. What happens at any seance has nothing to do with science, which deals with experimentally proven facts. So we should not confuse the two spellings. The letters sci in the word science refer to knowledge, although other words that begin with the letters sci do not always share the same original meaning. They include:

scintilla

scion

scissors

The word scene is sometimes spelled wrong in Thai English as scence. Naturally, the word is not pronounced as if it ended with the letters ence, as if rhyming with science. Instead, it should rhyme with the words teen or clean. Possibly the writer who is worried about the unfamiliar combinations of letters sce decides to add an extra letter c where it is not needed in the word scene. In this case it may be useful to think of other words starting with the letters sce:

scenario

scene

scenery

scent

scepter

sceptics

If you feel confident about the spelling of any of these words, you will probably get scene right too. Finally, the word since should not be written as scince, as it sometimes is in Thai English. This too may be an example of anxiety over the letter combinations sce or sci, resulting in adding an extra letter c where it is not wanted.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)