“Seeing Them Write Incorrectly, I Feel a Lingering Unease” : Causes of Thai Spelling Problems and Explanatory Strategies to Resolve Thai Spelling Issues in the Textbook “Pakiranamphotchanart”

Abstract

         This article studies the causes of Thai spelling problems and the explanatory Techniques to address Thai spelling issues in Phraya Srisundaravohara (Noi Acharyankura)’s textbook, “Pakiranamphotchanart”. The study shows that the textbook addresses common spelling errors among students. These include errors arising from words with the same sound (homophones), words with similar sounds, written forms that do not communicate the pronunciation, misguided analogy or prior incorrectness, lack of orthographic knowledge, and words having multiple pronunciations or meanings. The author employs several explanatory techniques for problematic words, including comparing words in sets with illustrative examples, explicitly clarifying orthography or standardized word usage patterns, and explaining them based on grammatical principles and linguistics. These techniques promote correct understanding and memorization of standard forms. Consequently, the textbook provides greater detail on frequently misspelled Thai words than previous Thai language textbooks and resolves “incorrect” and “non-standard” Thai language usage, by the educational reform mission initiated by King Chulalongkorn.