Avoiding spelling mistakes

All Thammasat University students know how to spell the essential word library. Yet surprisingly, it can be found spelled wrong in Thai English as librar or libary or libray. These wrong spellings are the rest of human error or haste. If we are sure we know how to spell a familiar word in English, we may not take the time to write it carefully. That way, letters are left out. In the wrong spelling librar, the final letter y is omitted. In the other mistaken spellings, libary and libray, a letter r is missing.

One hint for making sure we include all the necessary letters is to recall how difficult the word library is for many Thai people to pronounce, as it is for Asians in general. The need to pronounce two letter r sounds, one right after the other, is a challenge that requires a lot of practice to get right, for many people. Since pronunciation is not taught, especially not at the university level, many very intelligent and high achieving students never deal with these challenges. If we just remember that the word library has more than one r sound that is difficult to get right, it may help us avoid writing the word with only one letter r. Another approach might be to invent a sample sentence such as

I looked at the rare book at the Thammasat University Library.

If we associate the word rare with the word library, we see that both contain the letters rar. So if we spell the word library wrong by leaving out one of the letter r’s, we should immediately notice that the word looks too thin, and must be missing something.

Some usage examples:

• Eco-Library. Libraries anywhere have the sole objective of spreading knowledge to the general public. But while nearly all disseminate knowledge by providing books and facilities for reading, Kasetsart University is using its facility to inspire the public into recycling. The Kasetsart University (KU) Eco-Library, which opened on January 27, was established with the aim of implanting the importance of environmental conservation among all users, including its staff. “The eco–library emphasises the eco-concept to users and staff. First, they should know how to properly separate wastes to conserve energy,” Dr Aree Thunkijjanukij, a director of the KU Library said. Different activities to recycle offcuts will be held every month…The Eco-Library itself is an exercise in recycling. Formerly an old storeroom of the main university’s library, covering 250-300 square metres, it is now decorated with creative eco-furniture from material offcuts… The library is equipped with furniture made from material offcuts from the campus and offcuts donated by factories… Aree said the library was initiated under the KU Green Campus Policy. Singh’s Scrap Lab and the main university library have together brought the project to life…To spread the environmental concepts among the public, the library is now open to all without any fee.
• The much-loved Neilson Hays Library book sale will be back on May 26 and 27 from 9.30 to 4pm offering thousands of fiction, non-fiction, and large-format books in English, plus a selection of other languages, donated by Neilson Hays Library supporters.
• E-library a great way to improve Thai education. When it comes to the quality of education, the focus is understandably on the teachers, while access to good learning materials has been largely underrated. It doesn’t hurt, however, to try to improve this aspect of education. After all, we are living in a world where many things are at our fingertips. It’s no longer a dream to make a whole library available to children in the remotest parts of Thailand if they are in possession of cheap computer tablets or e-readers…The “E-library” will be the norm of the future. That doesn’t mean Thailand has to wait, though. For a country that always struggles to improve the quality of its education, the concept should be part of the solution. And the time is now.
• Bangkok City Library passes preliminary test. There’s good news for bookworms: Bangkok’s modern library is set to be inaugurated soon to vindicate Unesco’s declaration of Bangkok as “World Book Capital” in 2013. Located near the Khok Wua intersection on Rajdamneon Klang Road, the four-storey Bangkok City Library Building is operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
• Thank you to library staff. Common sense tells me that overdue books need to be returned immediately with fines. Because of the flood in my area, I fled upcountry and was unable to return books borrowed from the Central Library of Srinakharinwitot University in Bangkok on the due date. Upon returning home, I rushed those overdue books to the library, with cash in hand. To my surprise, the library has instituted a policy to waive fines for overdue books due to the flood. Moreover, extended time will be given to any check-out books that may have been displaced elsewhere. I would like to thank the staff at this library for their caring and understanding attitude towards patrons who are suffering from this historic flood and worrying about books borrowed from the library. Other libraries should follow this thoughtful example. As we are encouraging people to read more and visit libraries, such a policy surely helps create a lasting bond between the library and readers.
• Roi Et library now a ‘lively knowledge park.’ The TK Park Roi Et has transformed itself from a traditional library that sat behind the province’s One Tambon One Product (Otop) centre into one providing people with better access to enjoyable learning media.
• Green library with a message. Bangkok’s Green Library was opened months ago in a serene corner of Romklao community, serving as a reminder to all corporates of what they can do to minimise the impact of global warming on the planet. The library brought smiles on the faces of the local community, with its large volume and variety of reading materials and a new learning place for children as well as a small meeting room. Bangkokians as a whole have a reason to feel joy as the library is one of the first buildings in Thailand to win the internationally accepted green building standard – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)… The library is wired with sensors that control lighting and air-conditioners. The air-conditioners work according to body heat, to ensure appropriate energy consumption while keeping the temperature at a comfortable level. The company has been successful in installing a similar system at a factory in Samut Prakan which helped save energy cost. Yeap hopes that the library, which is open to all, would inspire many to invest in energy-saving innovations. This Green Library is HSBC’s flagship environmental project. As the main sponsor, HSBC has led the project since the initial stage: from project initiation, to design, construction and communications.  Matthew Lobner, chief executive officer of HSBC Thailand, feels the library is a showcase of how sustainability can be achieved.
• Following its previous success in 2011 and 2013 in producing 60 audiobooks, which children at Bangkok’s School for the Blind were given a chance to listen to, the project “Sound Library Nation Digital Voice Year III” was officially launched yesterday.
• Thailand’s original note printing facility, sitting alongside the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, used to be a highly restricted facility enclosed within walls, its windows reinforced with thick iron bars. Now it’s welcoming visitors as the Learning Centre, with glass walls and open spaces, housing the Bank of Thailand Museum, a hi-tech library, and one of those new-fashioned “co-working spaces”.
• Library offers street kids a future. Unesco Bangkok has turned an IDEACUBE into a library treehouse for street children at Ban Nok Kamin Foundation in Bangkok.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)