Avoiding spelling mistakes

World War I   

Since this year is the centenary of many important battles in World War I, it is worth noting that the Roman numeral I should always be used in the term World War I, to avoid the mistake sometimes seen in Thai English, World War 1. Naturally the number one and the Roman numeral for one, I, look very similar so we must make a special effort not to confuse the two. If there is any doubt at all, there are other ways to write about this historical conflict in theses and academic research papers. The First World War is another frequently seen term for the global war. At the time it was happening and for a while after, it was also called the Great War, but that term has become old fashioned, especially since the Second World War, which was even bigger and more deadly. If the thesis or academic research paper being prepared discusses World War I from the point of view of the people who experienced it, then it should be acceptable to use the term Great War. Otherwise, it is better to stick to either World War I or The First World War. In a similar way, when it was being fought, World War I was often referred to as the war to end all wars. This was to help motivate soldiers and others to think that by fighting in this conflict, it would never be necessary to fight in a war again. As we know, there were many wars after World War I, so this term is no longer used. If it is seen at all, it is written in the same context as the Great War, when people who lived through it use those terms.

After the first mention of World War I or the First World War, it is also fine to use the abbreviation WWI, but as with all abbreviations, it is essential to first write out the words in their full form. Even if most readers will know what is meant by the abbreviation WWI, it shows respect for the tragic numbers of life lost during the conflict to spell the name of the war out fully. If we use abbreviations, it can seem as if we are in too much of a hurry to bother to write the term, and this can be seen as lacking in politeness. As most Thai students and ajarns know, World War I was fought from 1914 to 1918 between the British Empire, Russian Empire, France, Italy, the United States and other allied nations on one side against the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. Over 70 million military personnel participated in the conflict, and nine million of them died. Seven million civilians were also killed in the war. Given the size of the losses, it was immediately seen as a tragedy to be pleased among the most severe in history. Because this historical perspective was present, the Roman numeral I was used, rather than calling it World War One, for example. Although in England and other places, the term World War One is written, and even the abbreviation WW1, with the number 1 instead of the Roman numeral I, these can be seen as somewhat casual. For formal writing in a thesis or research paper, it is best to use the standard terms of WWI or World War I. These are the most frequently used style models and Thai writers of English cannot go wrong by using them. The point of using terms that are most often seen is to make sure the reader of the thesis or academic article is never confused about what the writer means to say. Any time there is a choice of terms, and it is helpful to know what is most common, then a Google search can be our friend. If we search for any term within quotation marks, we can get a rough idea of how often it is used, compared to any other term. Naturally, these results must be used with caution and do not always have a clear explanation. Yet is we do a Google search for “World War I” we find over 45 million results, whereas if we search for “World War 1,” the number of results decrease to around 10 million. This does indicate that a lot of native English speakers do use the format World War 1, especially in informal contexts. Yet it is always safer to go with the strong majority, and this can be a good approach for spelling as well, although not always. On this subject, the Chicago Manual of Style advises that whatever term is used, it should be used throughout the text. To avoid confusing readers, it is better not to write the First World War, World War I, the Great War, and other expressions meaning the same thing. The student or ajarn should choose one term and stick with it for the entire research paper or thesis. Note that World War I or the First World War are always capitalized, because they are specific wars, and these are their names. The noun war, if mentioning a general state of conflict, is not capitalized. Some Thai writers of English may be puzzled or annoyed by the fact that Roman numerals are used in modern English. After all, Latin is an ancient language, so why should it be necessary to learn and use numbers from it today? Roman numerals are still found in films, citing their year of copyright. Moviegoers who look carefully should be able to see at the end of a film such as Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, instead of 2003, the Roman numerals MMIII. Anyone who does not have time to learn the system of Roman numerals can look up individual numbers online, Googling a number along with the words Roman numeral. The search results should be reliable. Roman numerals are found in many books before the main part of the book begins, so that prefaces and other material may be printed on pages numbered i, ii, iii, and so on. Sometimes blogs and other series of postings or articles may use Roman numerals as headers, too. Sports events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl also use Roman numerals, to indicate that they are of historic importance from their organizers’ viewpoint. Genuine historic importance is indicated when Roman numerals are included in the names of royalty, for example Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)