II.2. ERRORS: TYPES AND CAUSES
II.2.2. Errors in the distinction of words whose initial letters are the same as
II.2.2.1. Errors in the distinction of the prefix un- with negative meaning and un- with the meaning of an opposite of a particular action The prefix un- derives from old English. According to Roger Lass (1999) in The Cambridge History of the English Language, the prefix un- remains the most common negative prefix. The prefix un- has two major meanings:
not, opposite and do the verse, for example, undo, untie, undress... Thus, students often misunderstand the meaning of the word having un-. This type of errors makes up 12%. Meanwhile, it can mean do the verse.
Students often attach it to the meaning of negation. In this case, the prefix un- does not express negation and it is not a negative prefix as well. The reason for their misunderstanding is that when the prefix un- carries the meaning of an opposite of a particular action, it is used with verbs. On the other hand, the prefix un- going with adjectives, adverbs and nouns carries the meaning of negation.
For example:
ROOT PREFIX UN-
satisfied: feeling that something is as good as it should be, or that something has happened in the way that you want do: to perform an action or activity
unsatisfied: not pleased because you want something to be better
undo: to reverse an action or activity
II.2.2.2. Errors in the distinction of the prefixes in- and im- with negative meaning and those referring to place or movement
Osamu Imahayashi and Yoshiyuki Nakaoin (2009) in the the book Aspects of the History of English Language and Literature state that the English negative prefix in- has been producing new words for hundreds of years in English vocabulary. In general, the meaning of the prefix in- is not, opposite or lack of something. However, Latin also uses the prefix in- in other ways, not necessarily for negation. The prefix in- also has the meaning of place or movement, for example, inside, inner, import, income, internal... This is the reason why a large number of students often have
trouble with the distinction of the prefixes in- and im- with negative meaning and those referring to place or movement. This type of errors accounts for 62.50%.
II.2.2.3. Errors in the distinction of the prefixes a- and an- with negative meaning and those with the meaning of being in a particular condition or way, or the meaning of being in, to, at or on something A-/ an- is a Greek prefix meaning not or without. It is found almost exclusively with words formed from Greek roots. You can usually spot these by the spellings: "ph", "th", "y", "rh", "chr", "pn", "mn", final "sis" or
"ic".
ROOT PREFIX A-/ AN-
Theist atheist
chromatic achromatic
Rhythmic arrhythmic
Symmetry asymmetry
However, besides the negative meaning, the prefix a- also carries the meaning of being in a particular condition or way, or the meaning of being in, to, at or on something.
ROOT PREFIX A-/ AN-
Live Alive
Far Afar
Bed Abed
This is the reason why many learners of English feel confused when they identify the meaning of a word having the prefix a-. Twenty-three per cent of the students in the survey made this error. For example, “far” means “a
long distance”, but “afar” does not mean “near”, it means “from a long distance away”.
II.2.2.4. Errors in the distinction of prefixes in- with negative meaning and in- with the meaning of emphasis and another shade of meaning In general, the prefix in- expresses the meaning of opposite or lack of something, as in the words, “inability”, “inadequate”, “incapacity” and so on. However, there are some special cases in which the prefix “in-” does not convey its original meaning. It conveys the emphatic meaning or another shade of meaning. For example, in “flammable” and
“inflammable”, “inflammable” is not the opposite of “flammable”. These two words have the same meaning and can be interchangeably used.
Another pair to consider is “valuable” and “invaluable”. Similarly,
“invaluable” is not the negation of “valuable”. Besides, the prefix in also changes the shade of meaning. The pair “famous” and “infamous” is a typical example. Obviously, “infamous” is not the negation of “famous”.
Both have the meaning “known to many people”, but they carry the opposite shade of meaning. While “famous” means “known for being good”, “infamous” means “known for being bad”. Due to the complexity of the prefix in-, many of the students were faced with this error. They misunderstood the meaning of the prefix, then the meaning of the word and the whole sentence as well.
Look at the following example:
Choose the correct answer:
The opposite word of “infamous” is…
A. famous B. notorious C. reputable D. shameful
Sixty-two point five per cent of the students made this error. They thought that famous was the negation of infamous, but actually, the opposite of
“infamous” is reputable. Notorious and shameful have similar shades of meaning of infamous (noted for something bad or shameful). Famous has the positive shade of meaning, but infamous possesses the negative shade of meaning.
II.2.2.5. Errors in the distinction of the prefix non- with negative meaning and non- with the meaning of nine
In the book The Cambridge History of the English Language (1999) it is stated that the prefix non- came into English from Latin through Old French. Non- is a neo – classical prefix which is often used to indicate negation as in nonexistent; refusal or failure as in noncooperation;
exclusion from a specified class of persons or things such as nonfiction;
and lack or absence, especially of a quality associated with what is specified, for example, nonobjective or nonevent. Interestingly, the prefix non- in Latin also has the meaning of nine. In such cases, it may change its form into nona, for example, nonagon, a nine – sided polygon. Another example is nonet which refers to a group of nine. For example, in music, a nonet is a composition which requires nine musicians for a performance.
The meaning of “nine” is rarely mentioned and used in everyday English.
Therefore, a great number of students feel confused when identifying its meaning for the first time. This type of errors makes up 45.5 %.