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 that it takes two to tangle instead of the correct idiomatic expression in English, that it takes two to tango.

The noun tango describes a dance that originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the early twentieth century, performed by two dancers with synchronized movements. The tango has been called a dance of sorrow, as it expresses serious themes.

The Thammasat University Library owns a recording of celebrated tango melodies that may be heard at the Rewat Buddhinan Audiovisual Center on the Underground 2 level of the Pridi Banomyong Library, Tha Prachan campus.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added the tango to the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. According to the UNESCO website,

The Argentinian and Uruguayan tradition of the Tango, now familiar around the world, was developed by the urban lower classes in Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the Rio de la Plata basin. Among this mix of European immigrants to the region, descendents of African slaves and the natives of the region known as criollos, a wide range of customs, beliefs and rituals were merged and transformed into a distinctive cultural identity. As one of the most recognizable embodiments of that identity, the music, dance and poetry of tango both embodies and encourages diversity and cultural dialogue. It is practised in the traditional dance halls of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, spreading the spirit of its community across the globe even as it adapts to new environments and changing times. That community today includes musicians, professional and amateur dancers, choreographers, composers, songwriters, teachers of the art and the national living treasures who embody the culture of tango. Tango is also incorporated into celebrations of national heritage in Argentina and Uruguay, reflecting the widespread embrace of this popular urban music.

The idiomatic expression it takes two to tango means that two people involved in a challenging situation are both responsible in some way, or have chosen to participate in something that requires two people for it to happen. This is sometimes used about an argument or other conflict, suggesting that one person alone cannot argue, but an argument requires two participants. Some usage examples:

Busarakham and Duangkamol, two cousins who live in Lopburi, will never manage to agree unless they sit down to discuss their subjects of discord; it takes two to tango.

The Senate of Thailand, the upper house of the National Assembly of Thailand, will never pass a new piece of legislation unless proponents and opponents of the proposed law resolve their differences and arrive at a compromise; it takes two to tango.

Because of the frequent context of conflict, it is natural that a mistake should be made by those who are not familiar with the idiom or do not hear it well. They may confuse the verb tangle, which has an informal meaning of becoming involved in a conflict or fight with someone else. The verb tangle sounds a lot like the noun tango, so a poster used to illustrate this blog shows a film from over 100 years ago that is called the TANGO TANGLE. By confusing these two similar terms, the correct way of stating the expression it takes two to tango becomes the erroneous it takes two to tangle.

As with many eggcorns, the error makes some kind of linguistic sense, but it is still a mistake that should be avoided whenever possible. One way to get it right might to consider the standard definition of the verb tangle, to twist together into a confused mass, as when rope becomes tangled.

Since in a thesis, we should almost always use formal English as a sign of respect for the subject matter of our research and our readers, we should try not to use informal English usage of verbs such as tangle. In the case of the verb tangle, the formal definition makes no sense if we put it in the mistaken phrase it takes two to tangle.

An even easier way to avoid this mistake would be to visualize two dancers doing the tango, and this may help us to keep the correct spelling of the noun tango.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)