Avoiding spelling mistakes.

London

While all writers of English as a foreign language are familiar with London, the capital of England on the River Thames, it may be surprising how often in Thai English the city’s name is spelled wrong as Lodnon. This may be due in part to carelessness, but also to a failure to separate the word into two symmetrical parts, with the letters Lon and don. To try to remember spellings, we may tell ourselves a little story about two brothers, Lon and Don, who live in London. This type of reminder may help to keep us aware of the letters that should be present in the word London and the order in which they appear. In the case of this city, it does not help us to try to find origins for the name, since they are not certain. The name London is very old, deriving over two thousand years ago when the ancient Romans were present in Britain. There have been many theories about the source of the name, but none have been accepted by all readers. One example from about one hundred years ago suggested that London meant the fortress of Londino. Critics of this theory point out there there was no such person as Londino in ancient times. More recently, other language experts have proposed that the word London may refer to places in the Thames River where it is too wide to walk across, near present-day London. Although the Thames certainly flows quickly and is deep in some areas, this idea has still not been accepted by all authorities. So in the case of London, it may be necessary to just remember the spelling, without fully understanding why the word is written as it is.

Foreword

A foreword is a familiar thing for people who enjoy reading books. It presents some introductory material before the main part of the volume. It can be seen as words that appear before the rest of a book. If we keep in mind words and before, we may avoid the  common mistakes of spelling the word wrong as foreward or forword. This is not just a problem in Thai English; even native speakers of English get this wrong sometimes. They also confuse the word foreword with the word forward. The adjective or adverb word forward refers to something moving in a direction in front of wherever the current position is. Since the word forward ends with the letters ward and not with the letters word, it is not about words. Instead, it belongs among other English words which end with the letters ward, meaning a direction in time or space. Among familiar examples of such words:

toward

seaward

afterward

backward

homeward

downward

eastward

westward

The word foreword is not about direction. It is related to the word forecasting, or trying to predict what will happen in the future. A weather forecast tells us about weather before it happens. If we remember the four letters fore, it is less likely we will leave out the final letter e and spell the word foreword wrongly as forword. Likewise, if we recall that the letters word are part of foreword, which involves words appearing before the rest of a book, we may avoid making the mistake of spelling it as foreward. As a general rule, if there is any doubt about a spelling, it can help to Google the term. The results, available in less than a second, will often tell us if the word is wrongly spelled. The Chicago Manual of Style, which is in the collection of the Thammasat University Libraries, informs us that a foreword is usually not written by the same author who wrote the rest of the book. Generally, it presents a book, describing its contents and what it contributes to a field of study. A foreword is different from a preface, located at the beginning of a book, which is by whoever wrote the rest of the volume. Unlike a foreword, a preface may offer information about different editions of the book. Another word used to describe material at the start of books is also different from a foreword. An introduction is also by the same author who wrote the rest of the book, but it is considered part of the book itself rather than words used to present the text. These differences in meaning for the words foreword, preface, and introduction, may seem complex and confusing, but understanding them can help to get the spelling right for the word foreword.

Knopf     

The name of the American publisher Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. frequently appears in citations and bibliographies in research papers and theses. It is like many other publisher’s names, named after a person who founded the company. The publishers Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and his wife Blanche Knopf founded the publishing firm in 1915. There is no reason why writers of Thai English should know the spelling of the publisher Knopf or many other such names. Even so, when it is written wrongly in Thai English as Knop, this can seem hasty or careless. In a serious research context where the student or ajarn is trying to impress readers with the quality of the writing, such mistakes can take away from the overall impression. Also, for published works, editors will expect such names of publishers to be spelled correctly. So what can be done with unusual names, even for native English speakers, belonging to important publishing companies cited in footnotes and bibliographies? The answer is Google everything. Do not assume that a proper name is spelled correctly; Google it to make sure. It is probably wisest to have the attitude the things will be spelled wrong unless proven correct, and Google is a quick way to be sure. This is also a useful approach for other parts of academic citations, such as place names. Often important books are published in places unfamiliar to writers of Thai English. It is not expected that everyone knows how to spell the names of such places. The best way to get things right is to accept that whatever guess may be made about their correct spelling will almost surely be wrong. The way to resolve this issue is Googling. Often the results will give us not just the right spelling, but also a standard form of citation, involving the correct spelling of the publisher’s name as well as the city in which the book was published. If this information derives from a standard, reliable source, it can be cut and pasted into a thesis or research bibliography, avoiding unnecessary errors.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)