Avoiding spelling mistakes

North and South               

As all writers of Thai English know, the words north and south are basic and essential terms. North is towards the direction of the earth above the equator. Its opposite, south, means towards the other direction. These words are used and seen everywhere, so it is unfortunate that they are sometimes spelled wrong as Soth and Noth. Part of the reason for this mistake may be simple haste and carelessness, when we are so sure that we know how to spell a word that we do not fully pay attention when we write it. Also, there is the aspect of spelling a word how we think it may be pronounced. Often in Thai English, consonants are overlooked in pronunciation, so a word that is spelled north is pronounced wrongly as noth. Some speakers of English as a foreign language may feel that it sounds more refined or possibly British to leave out the consonant sounds, and so the sound they aim for does not include the letter r. Once they arrive at this wrong pronunciation, for the sake of symmetry, they will also pronounce the word south as soth. Or again, they may just leave out a vowel for the sake of refinement or being more British. Or through carelessness in spelling an overfamiliar word. The lesson we may take from these mistakes, which occur more often than we would like, is never to try to imitate bad pronunciation when we spell a word. Also even if we are sure we know how to spell a familiar and simple word in a foreign language, it is best to pay attention, since errors do happen. This is important because if we spell north wrong in one context, it may be spelled wrong in many different contexts. Among words that begin with north are

north

northbound

northeast

northeaster

northeasterly

northeastern

northeasternmost

northeastward

northerly

northern

northerner

northernmost

northland

northward

northwest

northwesterly

northwestern

northwesternmost

northwests

northwestward

One way to remember to put the letter r in the middle of the word north is to use a somewhat more complex words in which the letters north appear. To be orthodox means to follow what is traditional, customary or generally accepted. To be unorthodox means not to follow what is traditional, customary or generally accepted. Anyone who writes the word unorthodox would not leave out the important letter r in the middle. We may invent short sentences to remind us of the right way to spell the word:

Never spell the word north in an unorthodox way.

Stay away from the unorthodox spelling of the word north.

Like the word north, there are many words associated with the word south, so if we spell one wrong, it is possible we may spell them all wrong. Words that begin with the letters south include:

southbound

southeast

southeaster

southeasterly

southeastern

southeasternmost

southeastward

southerly

southern

southerner

southerners

southernmost

southerns

southland

southpaw

southward

southwest

southwester

southwesterly

southwestern

southwesternmost

southwestward

When words are so old as north and south, sometimes language experts cannot be sure of their origin. They guess their derivations, because no sources survive to state the truth. So, it is assumed that the word south originally derived from an ancient term meaning on the side of the sun. South has been used as an adjective for around 900 years. It has been mentioned when referring to the southern region of a country for at least 700 years. The origins of the word north are equally old and mysterious. North may have derived from an old word meaning to the left when we are facing the rising sun. It has been used as a noun for some 900 years. The geographic location the North Pole gained its name over 600 years ago. Before then it was called the Arctic Pole. Historians of language claim that the first surviving reference to North America was from the 1760s, by the American statesman and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin. According to an article on the BBC website, while maps have been drawon for thousands of years, north has been at the top of them as a standard feature only in recent centuries. For earlier mapmakers, it was considered that north is where darkness originates. In a similar way, the direction of west would not be on the top of any map because the west is where the sun goes when it disappears. Early Chinese compasses were constructed to point south, which was seen as more auspicious than the dark north. Yet in Chinese maps, north was placed at the top because that is where the Chinese Emperors lived, and anyone who lived in an area covered by the map would look up to the Emperor.

To remember not to leave out a consonant in the word north or a vowel in the word south, it may be best to keep in mind some usage examples:

• Nuclear-armed North Korea on Friday accepted the South’s offer of talks next week, said Seoul’s Unification ministry, which oversees relations with Pyongyang.
• A new cold wave originating from China has lessened the severity of storms in the South, but will contribute to cold and rainy weather in the upper region of Thailand during the next seven days. Westerly winds from Myanmar are also expected to cause light rain across Thailand, especially in the North, until Saturday. There have already been reports of accidents due to weather conditions in the North.
• Flash floods, heavy winds in south, while north gets cold to very cold. People in the North and the Northeast were told to take care of their health and to keep abreast of announcements from the Thai Meteorological Department.
• With their good looks and sharp moves, North Korea’s female cheerleaders are a marked contrast to the regime’s menacing nuclear ambitions. Dubbed the “army of beauties” in South Korea, the young North Korean women – mostly in their late teens or early 20s – have attracted huge publicity whenever they have appeared in the South.
• People living in the North, Northeast, Bangkok and surrounding provinces can expect another cold spell from Saturday into late next week, with temperatures dropping 4-6°C. But people in the South can expect more heavy rain and strong wind-driven waves during the same period. The Meteorological Department on Friday said another strong high-pressure system moving in from China will extend over upper Thailand and the South China Sea from Feb 3-8, while westerly winds will prevail in the North. This will lead to a drop in temperatures in upper Thailand of 4-6°C. The North and Northeast will see cold to very cold nights, with frost on mountaintops in the North.
• SEOUL: North Korea has called off a joint cultural performance with artistes from the South ahead of the forthcoming Winter Olympics, Seoul said on Monday, underscoring the fragility of their Games-led rapprochement.

 

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)