Words that are commonly confused

Perspective/ prospective 

The noun perspective refers to a special point of view or way of looking at things. Thammasat University students of art history know that the noun perspective also means the technique used by artists to draw buildings and other objects, making them look the right size and position in relation to other buildings and objects in the same image. The noun perspective originates with a Latin term to look at closely.

The adjective prospective refers to something that is expected to occur. If something is described as prospective, it is anticipated in the future, and will likely happen. The term derives from a Latin word meaning to look forward. We might invent a short dialogue to help us remember the different meanings of these words:

• What is your perspective as a prospective student?
• Do you mean my current perspective or prospective perspective?
• I mean what you think now.

Some usage examples:

• Different perspectives on Java and the Malay world. Different perspectives on Java and the Malay world. To mark the bicentennial of the founding of modern Singapore, the Asian Civilisations Museum in the city state is presenting an exhibition “Raffles in Southeast Asia: Revisiting the Scholar and Statesman” until April 28.
• Positive perspectives. Talented young artist Phannapast Taychamaythakool turns Gaysorn Village into a world of hope and dreams. Hanging banners bearing eccentric and fanciful beasts follow visitors as they walk from BTS Skywalk into Gaysorn Village, their vibrant colours a timely reminder that Chinese New Year is only days away.
• Anand’s story: a new perspective. Anand Panyarachun has long been one of Thailand’s most influential figures. In addition to his stellar career in diplomacy, he has served as a business leader, philanthropist, prime minister, economic liberal and social reformer. In the highly anticipated new biography “Anand Panyarachun and the Making of Modern Thailand”, journalist Dominic Faulder traces the key events in the elder statesman’s life.
• Putting in perspective the rise of mixed-use projects in the region. Mixed-use projects are growing, not only in Thailand but also in many Southeast Asian markets. Christian Olofsson, shopping centre & mixed-use director of IKEA/Southeast Asia, talks to The Nation about the trend and challenges of mixed-use property development in the region.
• Bangkok condo market in perspective: Supply, affordability and real demand. Thailand’s condominium market has been resilient with sustained growth for 10 years since the global financial crisis in 2008. Recently, there have been warnings from the Bank of Thailand governor to commercial banks on their lending practices about the ongoing high loan-to-value (LTV) rates as well as risk from unsold inventory and oversupply.
• Trump’s win viewed from a planetary systems perspective. In his last foreign public address, US President Barack Obama noted globalisation demanded a “course correction”. This was not just a comment on the US presidential election but a viewpoint from the planetary level.
• Putting water wastefulness in perspective. April has arrived and everyone is looking forward to enjoying Songkran. Songkran has never failed to deliver joy to tourists and can generate about Bt110 billion in expenditures each year. The benefit spreads to the service sector such as hotels, restaurants and transport. However, things seem to be different this time. The water shortage in Thailand is particularly severe. The available water in all reservoirs is only half of the level in normal years. The drought devastates agricultural production, and that reduces farmers’ income. Since agriculture employs more than 30 per cent of Thailand’s labour force, the government has launched many water-management schemes including a campaign for Songkran celebrators to save water.
• Putting in perspective the low prices of real estate in Bangkok. ONE interesting topic in the news recently was the report from CBRE that certain condominium units in Bangkok were selling for more than Bt300,000 per square metre. It is important first to put this in perspective. These are only a few of the best buildings in the best locations, but even if we take these as an indicator of the broader market, what does it tell us? Well, again, we need to look at the context. These prices didn’t just arrive out of nowhere. They rose from a lower price to get here. So has the rise been too fast and unsustainable?
• A well-defined focus on relatively faster growing Asian emerging markets – especially Asean, China and India – could contribute greatly to implementing Thailand 4.0. This requires a different but complementary “demand side” perspective on innovation, less anchored in “highest technology and skills” and thus more accessible to Thai firms, especially SMEs. It also entails a different perspective on consumers in Asian emerging markets, and how best to serve their unmet needs.
• AP gives its residential designs the AI treatment. WITH the intense competition in the property market, AP (Thailand) Plc has revised its business process to put artificial intelligence (AI) to work in the design of its residential projects so that it can better match the demands of prospective buyers, the company’s management team said.
• Activists and academic among top candidates for NHRC posts. Media representatives and bureaucrats make up over half of the seven finalists selected as prospective new members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
• HIV tests for new workers infringe on their rights. Forcing prospective employees to undergo blood tests risks worsening social stigma and economic hardship for those with the disease. One would think that after decades of being on the front line in the fight against HIV/Aids, Thai society would be more sensitive to the issue. But this hasn’t been the case, as the recent complaints filed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) suggest. The NHRC has come out and condemned businesses that require job applicants to be tested for HIV on the ground that it is a “clear violation of human rights”.
• The NBTC made available nine lots of the 1800MHz spectrum at the weekend auction. It will make an analysis report on how it should revise the auction rules governing the seven remaining lots for 1800MHz licences and the unsold 900MHz licence in order to woo more prospective bidders to step forward for them in the future. Takorn said that the starting bid prices of these unsold lots are unlikely to be lowered but the terms of payment for the upfront fees might be extended. For example, the annual instalment payment period of the upfront fee of the unsold 1800MHz lots might be extended from five years to six, instead of the three years that applied under the auction rules on Sunday. The NBTC will also see if it has to revise the conditions for the 900MHz auction rules, which some prospective bidders said would lead to their incurring operational risks and unpredictable costs. The auction conditions state that the winner of the 900 MHz licence is solely responsible for any and all interference on this 900MHz slot that may rise from the portion of the band allocated for proposed railway projects.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)