Avoiding spelling mistakes – more eggcorns

Sometimes when we write Thai English in academic research papers and theses, if we understand why we make certain errors, we can avoid making the same mistakes in future.

Thammasat University students of linguistics may have heard of the term eggcorn. This was named by a linguist after the incorrect spelling of the common English word acorn, the single seed, inside a tough shell, of the oak tree or other trees. If we do not read a word frequently and do not have a good memory of how it looks when it is printed, then we must rely on how it sounds. Writers of Thai English often do this when they use technical vocabulary in academic writing that they may have heard an ajarn say in a seminar. So we try to guess the spelling of a word based on how we think it may be pronounced. Naturally, there are many problems with this approach, and it often goes wrong, since the pronunciation of the word may not have been in standard English or American speech. Even if it was in standard English or American speech, spelling of words often cannot be guessed by the way they are pronounced.

However, students and other writers of Thai English for academic purposes should not worry too much, because linguists enjoy eggcorns. They consider them lively and original examples of the way our brains try to make sense of the problem of language. If we have no idea of how the word acorn looks and we hear it pronounced, we may try to include a familiar word that we are sure exists, egg, even though that turns out to be incorrect. In an English class, that spelling would be marked as wrong, but in a linguistics class, an ajarn might appreciate it.

Also, eggcorns are written by native English speakers as well, not just by writers of Thai English. Anyone trying to write a word who is not sure about the spelling can write an eggcorn. Since it happens often, we may avoid feeling embarrassed or ashamed if we make this type of error, and look on it as part of a game of language.

By looking at other examples of eggcorns, we can see how our minds or the minds of other writers work when we spell words. Also we may keep in mind that the best way to be sure about how words are spelled is to read a lot in English, and also to use spell check programs and Google words whenever we are not certain, to get quick answers.

One example of an eggcorn is to write mistakenly old wise tale when what is meant is the expression old wives’ tale. 

The old wives mentioned in the term old wives’ tale are simply old women, who supposedly tell stories that may not always be accurate.

The TU Library owns a copy of The Old Wives’ Tale, a novel by the noted English author Arnold Bennett.

Further examples

Correcting spelling words in Thai English can become especially challenging when the words are of foreign origin. The noun prima donna can refer to the main female singer in an opera company, but is also often used to describe someone with an exaggerated sense of their own importance. In the Italian language, the term prima donna means first lady. The noun has entered the English language and is no longer written in italics, as less familiar foreign expressions are. Here are some usage examples, from an American sports website:

Top 15 Prima Donnas in Sports

When people are making big bucks and are idolized by millions of people all around the world it will always result in prima donnas, and this is particularly true in the sporting world. The Italian meaning of a prima donna is “first lady”, and refers to the chief female singer in an opera. This term is used to describe somebody who acts like the star of the show and has an inflated view of their importance, resulting in them being very temperamental and what could be described as a diva. It is unfortunate, but a very high percentage of professional athletes are famous for being fussy, temperamental, moody, arrogant, vain and believe that they are better than everyone else.

When some native speakers of English try to write the noun prima donna, they make the mistake of creating the eggcorn pre-Madonna.

This error happens because writers are not familiar with how the Italian term should look, so they try to spell words the way they think they sound when they are spoken. As we know from Thai English, it is always risky to guess how to spell an English word based on how we think it sounds, because we may be wrong about the pronunciation. The mistaken spelling of pre-Madonna means before the Madonna. While TU students may be most familiar with the pop star Madonna, her name derives from the Madonna or representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central images for the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The term Madonna is from the Italian, meaning ‘my lady’. Images of the Madonna and Child type are very popular in Christian art.

One way to avoid making this mistake is to be aware of the usage in English of the letters prima at the start of a word. These letters always mean first, as in the following words:

• Primacy
• Primarily
• Primary
• Primate

If we recall that this is a common English usage, then we are more likely to spell it correctly as prima donna and not make the mistake of trying to spell it as pre-Madonna, as an eggcorn.

Another examples of an eggcorn is if we write by error mist of things instead of the correct midst of things. As we know, the word midst means in the middle of something. For example:

Chanchai was unable to join his friends and play badminton because he was in the midst of studying for his midterm exams.

If we do not hear the words midst correctly when it is pronounced, or write it too fast without paying attention, it is easy to leave out the letter d, which leaves us with another word, mist.

Mist is caused by small droplets of water suspended in air, often seen where warm, moist air meets sudden cooling. Since the word mist is a familiar term in English, spell check programs, such as the one offered by Microsoft Word, will not inform us if we make the mistake of writing mist when we really mean to write midst.

The surest way to avoid making this error is to be careful or whenever possible, try not to use the word midst, since it is usually possible to replace it with an alternative word, unless we are quoting from an original source. For example:

Chanchai was unable to join his friends and play badminton because he was busy studying for his midterm exams.

or

Chanchai was unable to join his friends and play badminton because he was in the middle of studying for his midterm exams.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)