The abbreviations e.g., i.e., and viz.

In academic articles and theses written in Thai English, abbreviations such as e. g., i. e., and viz. are often used incorrectly.

The abbreviation e.g. is brief, serious-looking, and businesslike, which may be why writers of Thai English are drawn to it. Or e.g. may just remind them of eggs, a key ingredient in many tasty Thai dishes such as Khai Jiao, Kai Loog Keuy, and Pad Thai. For whatever reason, anyone who uses e.g. should take the time to understand what it means and where it should appear. In the original Latin, e.g. is short for exempli gratia. That means for example or for the sake of example. If you use e.g., the reader will expect one or two instances or examples to follow, not a complete list:

The Plan was developed taking into account the various directives and initiative of the ASEAN Leaders (e.g., the Vientiane Action Programme).

The technical assistance focus on building capacities of ASEAN countries in various aspects of bond market development (e.g., infrastructure support).

Very few Thai writers have an absolutely perfect command of English. How bold and daring it is to get involved with yet another difficult language, Latin, and its abbreviations. Yet Thai writers of academic English regularly do this each time an abbreviation such as i.e. or e.g. is used. How much more sensible to avoid such Latin abbreviations entirely and use good English words until the writer’s command of English is so flawless that there is time available to also master Latin. Until then, if you mean for example, why not just say for example? Some guides to academic writing argue that such abbreviations as e.g. are much too informal for the purposes of articles or theses anyway. You should take the time to write out full expressions in English rather than rely on such abbreviations. The Chicago Manual of Style states that such abbreviations are “normally confined to bibliographic references, glossaries, and other scholarly apparatus.” In other words, they have no place in the body of your thesis or article.

Still, if you feel your sanook will be ruined if you do not use these abbreviations and stubbornly insist on using them, try to remember a few basic rules. The abbreviation e.g. suggests that an example or a few examples will be given. It does not suggest that the list will be complete, so there is no need to add etc. at the end of the sentence.

When to use i.e.

Yet another Latin abbreviation, i.e., is also frequently found in Thai English theses and articles, often used in wrong ways. In Latin, i.e. is an abbreviation for the phrase id est, meaning that is, in other words, or that is to say. If you use the abbreviation i.e., you are warning the reader that you plan to say the same thing you have just said either in a different way or with more details. You are suggesting that in effect, what you have just said can be restated in another way, prefaced by the abbreviation i.e. You will be adding clarification, explanations, or just restating something after i.e, but you will not be offering a list of details. If you intend to offer a list of details, then the correct abbreviation to use would be e.g. and not i.e.:

As a result, the following goods are recognized as being produced in ASEAN: goods wholly produced in ASEAN, i.e., goods that consist only of materials obtained in the ASEAN countries.

The latter are meant as stepping stones for an overall EU-ASEAN (i.e., region-to-region) Free Trade Agreement, once the ASEAN Economic Community takes on a more concrete form after 2015.

Once again, the words that is or in other words are perfectly clear and useful, and if you prefer to avoid dealing with Latin abbreviation entirely, no reader will ever blame you for using English terms instead.

Comma or no comma after e.g. and i.e.

In most standard usage, a comma follows e.g. or i.e., as in the examples above. Some grammar experts claim that this is appropriate for American English, while in British English there is no comma after the e.g. or i.e. This seems to be a subject of some debate, since English language documents about ASEAN which tend to be written in British English do include a comma after e.g. and i.e. So to be safe, it is probably best to include a comma after e.g. and i.e. in your thesis or academic article if you still insist on using these abbreviations. Whatever you decide, make sure that the comma does or does not appear consistently, every time you use these abbreviations. Otherwise this can create a messy, confused impression, as if you forgot what kind of English you were writing.

What appears before e.g.

There is no debate over the fact that some kind of punctuation mark is always present before e.g.:

I enjoy spicy soups, e.g. tom yum gai and tom yum pla.      

Note that it would be incorrect English to write:

I enjoy spicy soups, i.e. tom yum gai and tom yum pla.      

Just as it would be wrong to say:

I did not succeed in the class, e.g. I failed the subject.

It would be correct usage to write:

I prefer Thai poets (e.g. Sunthorn Phu, Chaofa Thammathibet, and Phraya Sisunthonwohan) to the Kingdom’s prose writers.

Please note that it is wrong to use e.g. as a simple synonym of the word example, as in this incorrect usage:

Muay Thai is an e.g. of combat sport.

Yet another Latin abbreviation, viz.

In case all of the above has not turned you off Latin abbreviations entirely, and you have not sensibly decided to stick to English words in future, here is yet another complication. The Latin abbreviation viz. is also found in Thai English writing, amazingly enough. Few if any of the writers who use it realize that it is abbreviation of the Latin word videlicet, meaning namely, that is to say, as follows, specifically, or as an illustration. The abbreviation viz. is different from e.g. because it suggests that what will follow is not just an example or two, but a complete list of what is being described. Also, viz. is different from i.e. in that it offers further details and information about what is being discussed, and does not just restate in a different way what has already been said. Unlike i.e. and e.g. which can appear in stuffy, pedantic academic writing, viz. is almost never seen except in examples of Thai English and the like, where strenuous efforts are supposedly being made to impress the reader with the writer’s weighty erudition. It really is best to say namely or that is to say instead of viz., but if that will spoil your academic experience and leave you feeling frustrated, examples of its use follow:

Then came the first music-reproducing media, viz., the music box and the player piano.

I have four maternal aunts who are still alive, viz.: Jaruwan, Supichaya, Saowalak, and Arunprapa.

The noble gases, viz., helium, neon, argon, xenon, krypton, and radon, show a non-expected behavior when exposed to this new element.

Again, there are many effective ways of saying the above things in English without using difficult Latin abbreviations.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).