Avoiding spelling mistakes.

University

Sometimes the greatest challenge in spelling English words correctly is paying attention to familiar words we feel sure we know how to spell. Most students and ajarns who study or work at a university see that word so often that they may not always pay attention when it is necessary to write it. For this reason, in Thai English, the word is sometimes seen spelled wrong as univesity or universty or uiversity or unniversity or universiity. There are more examples of wrong spellings, but the number of ways to get this one word wrong should make us stop and think. Some of the wrong spellings are due to the familiar mistake of trying to spell how the word seems to be pronounced in Thai English. This is always risky, since the way words are pronounced even in standard English is not always a sure guide to how they will be spelled. In Thai English, where consonant sounds are often dropped, this can leave the writer with a very unclear idea of what the word should look like on the page. As a result, the wrong spellings look like odd collections of letters. Some of the errors may be due to careless typing, for example universiity. The writer should keep in mind that there are very few words in English which have the letters ii in them. They include:

genii

radii

shanghaiing

shiitake

skiing

taxiing

These words are uncommon, and so it can almost be said that the letters ii do not need to appear in English language words, unless a thesis or scholarly article is about Japanese shiitake mushrooms. The noun university derives from a Latin term meaning the whole thing, meaning a community of students and teachers. This original definition from many hundreds of years ago tells us what a university should be. Rather than a place only for isolated, solitary achievement, it should also be where people work together. The familiar word universe similarly means combined into a whole. If we think too much about the word universe when spelling university, we may fall into the trap of adding a final letter e where it is not wanted. It is more useful to remember that university is among the many words starting with the letters uni, meaning having one only. Other examples of such words:

unicorn

unicycle

unification

uniform

unify

unilateral

union

unipolar

unique

unison

unitarian

united

unity

universal

universe

In all of these words we can see the idea of one thing bringing everything together. Recalling that university should begin with the letters uni will prevent such errors as spelling the word wrong as unniversity or uiversity. The more any user of Thai English reads books, articles, or website postings, the more likely it is that a wrong spelling such as the ones discussed here will pop out as a warning sign. The writer may not be sure of the correct spelling, but it is possible to have a feeling that something may be wrong. When uncertainty exists about the spelling of a word in Thai English, a problem almost always exists, so take the time to Google it to be sure. Entering the tentative spelling into the search engine will immediate inform us of whether the attempt is correct or not. If it is mistaken, then a correct alternative will be suggested. The alternative spelling suggested by Google may not always be the one we may need for a specific thesis or research article, especially if we are using rare vocabulary in a specialized field. Yet for a common such as university, Google can be helpful in reassuring or correcting us, preventing an error. The other wrong spellings cited above are likely due to mistaken pronunciation of the word. It should have five syllables, when spoken clearly in standard English. Even if it seems that in British English, for example, consonants seem to disappear, this is not a good reason for leaving them out when spelling in Thai English. Just as most of us would never think to spell the word universe wrongly as univese, so the letter r should not be left out of the word university. To better remember this, when saying it we can make a special effort to make sure the letter r can be heard each time we must use it. Another kind of needless abbreviation is found in the incorrect spelling universty, which reduces a five syllable word to only four syllables. This may sound British to some ears, but it is not correct. To recall how the end of the word university should sound, it may help to invent a short phrase, such as My university is like a city.  While this sentence may present the danger of yet another wrong spelling, as univercity, it makes it clear that the word should not end with the letters sty. As it happens, university is one of many words in English ending with the letters ity. This word ending makes adjectives into nouns, suggesting the condition or quality of being something, or the state or condition of being something. Since that seems rather abstract, here are some concrete examples of words ending with the letters ity, to place alongside university in the memory. To make it even easier to link these words together, like university they all end with the letters sity:

adiposity

adversity

anfractuosity

animosity

antiobesity

biodiversity

curiosity

density

diversity

falsity

generosity

hyperviscosity

immensity

impecuniosity

impetuosity

intensity

jocosity

lachrymosity

luminosity

meticulosity

microporosity

monstrosity

morosity

nebulosity

necessity

nervosity

pomposity

propensity

religiosity

superintensity

varsity

virtuosity

viscosity

If we think of all or some of these words ending with the letters sity when we write the word university, it is less probable that we will spell it wrong as universty. The lesson here is that the more words we look at, the more familiar the correct ways of spelling them become. There is no substitution for time spent every day reading a little English, especially if it is reading for fun rather than as required reading. Things we do for enjoyment tend to stay in the memory more than things we have no choice about doing. All writers of Thai English must confront the national challenge of using a foreign language that few Thais feel entirely comfortable with. Realizing that vocabulary words, instead of being long lists to be painfully memorized, may actually be helpful for writing English, may make even the most unsure user of Thai English enjoy the language more.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)