Avoiding spelling mistakes.

Voice      

Surprisingly often in Thai English, the word voice is spelled wrong as vioce. Clearly voice is among words which begin with the letters voi, such as void. When we are confident of the correct spelling of the word voice, then the following related words should not be a problem:

Voicelessly

Voiceprints

Voicemails

Voiceovers

By contrast, there are many more words beginning with the letters vio, and they are pronounced in a different way:

viola

violated

violence

violet

The more words we are secure about, the easier it is to relate them to words where we might be feeling some uncertainty. So if we can remember a phrase such as The voice was heard in a void, we are more likely to spell voice and void correctly.

Introduction

In an academic article or book, an introduction usually explains what the purpose is of the writing, with some idea of its extent, and often a summary of the contents. An introduction may also contain explanations that do not fit in the rest of the article or book. The point of an introduction is to give readers some information about what they are about to experience, to let them know what may be found in the work to follow. This is matter of courtesy, and also saving time for readers, who may not need to read what is written, if it does not contain information that is essential for them. For these reasons, the word introduction is a serious and useful one. Unfortunately, it is sometimes spelled wrong in Thai English as introductin or intrduction or intoduction or introductin. While some of these incorrect spellings may be due to excess haste or carelessness, a little history of the word may help us to remember the correct way to write the word. In the original Latin, the word breaks down into parts meaning to lead inside, with intro meaning inside and ducere meaning to lead. Centuries ago, the word began with the letters intro, and even today, native English-speaking students will shorten the word introductory to intro, as when speaking about a course of Introductory Chemistry as Intro Chemistry. In a similar way, they might also speak of enrolling for a class of Intro Biology or Intro Computer Science. If we keep in mind that the letters intro must start the word introduction, then several of the wrong spellings will be avoided. Often we make the mistake of trying to figure out how the word should sound, or how we may have heard it pronounced, and then try to derive a spelling in English from that. There are many accents in spoken English, even within such countries as the United Kingdom and the United States of America, so this becomes an unreliable method for guessing correct spelling. In some parts of the English speaking world, the beginning of the word introduction sounds more like inter, but it is still spelled intro. Here are some other words starting with the letters intro:

Introspective

Introverted

The use of the word introduction developed in English over the years. In the 1400s, it meant the first lessons in something, while by the 1500s it referred to a book or other presentation about something meant for beginners. Only in the 1700s was introduction used to refer to when one person presents someone to a third person.

Philosophy    

Anyone who has taken a class in philosophy has probably been told by the ajarn what the origins of the word mean. In the ancient Greek language, philosophy meant the love (philo) of knowledge or wisdom (sophia). By around the year 1300, in France this began to mean the body of knowledge itself. Philosophy is another basic, essential, and unavoidable word, but it is sometimes spelled in Thai English as philsophy or philosohy or phiosophy. Again, this may be blamed on carelessness on the part of the typist, but a strong understanding of what the word should look and sound like may help to avoid leaving out essential letters, a common flaw in all of the mistaken spellings. Some other words starting with the letters philo include:

philodendron

philological

philoprogenitive

Words ending with the letters sophy include:

anthroposophy

theosophy

These are rare and complex words, but if we can remember the two essential parts of the word philosophy, as divided into the letters philo and sophy, then we are less likely to make some of the spelling errors listed above. As always, if we tell ourselves a little story, it may help us to recall the letters needed. For instance, we might say that to study for a philosophy exam, it is important that Phil or Sophy help us. Whether or not we actually have classmates named Phil and Sophy does not matter. The point is to have a better idea of the letters that make up the word.

Translated   

All readers rely on translations, since we cannot know every language. The word translated is especially important in English because it originally had a religious meaning. In the 1300s, it referred to moving the remains of a saint from one place to another. It also meant taking a text from one language and putting it into another. The letters trans, meaning across, were added to the letters latio, or carrying. A translation means carrying across a piece of writing to a different language. These are very serious matters, but in Thai English, we sometimes see the word translated spelled wrong as tanslated or traslated or tranlated. Clearly the challenge is in the first letters of the word, since the final letters are spelled correctly in all wrong versions of the word. The meaning of the letters trans as across should be very familiar to all readers of English, in such common words as

transaction

transatlantic

transcend

transcontinental

transcribe

transfer

transfiguration

transform

transfusion

transgender

transgress

transient

transistor

transit

transitive

transitory

transliterate

translucent

transmission

transparent

transpire

transplant

transport

transposition

If we know one of these words securely, then in principle we should know how to spell the others, or at least the first letters of the others.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)