To Apologize

[Tywais]

Normally I use ขอโทษ when apologizing but due to a mistake on my part I sent an SMS to my wife apologizing. I thought I would be clever and use something different, in this case ลุแก่โทษ. I asked if everything was spelled right and she said no, the ขอโทษ part was wrong. Looked it up on line and showed it to her and her sisters and they've never heard of it before.

Is this due to being a highly polite form or just my misunderstanding of its' use? Have to admit it was funny showing her such a word exists.

The other forms are ขออภัย and สมา and wondering what the differences are.

[DavidHouston]

I am sure that others have more to say, but this is the definition of the phrase in the Royal Institute Dictionary:

ลุกะโทษ, ลุแก่โทษ ก. สารภาพผิดยอมให้ลงโทษตามแต่จะเห็นสมควร.

The Domnern-Sathienpong dictionary translates this phrase as, "to confess [for the purpose of] seeking clemency."

I would attempt a translation of the RID definition as "to confess ones errors (or crime) and be willing to accept any punishment which (the courts or the authorities) deem appropriate." A common English phrase might be "to throw oneself on the mercy of the court."

Maybe the phrase you mention is a legal formulation not used in everyday speech. Any other thoughts?

Edited July 13, 2008 by DavidHouston

[thithi]

we don't use ลุแก่โทษ fpr apologizing. it's kind of old thai language.

and the ขออภัย is official.

and the สมา , as i'm from the north of thailand. i think it's northern thai language as i've never heard of any mid-thai says that bfor.

northern thai ppl say it ขอสมา and ขอขมา for mid-thai ppl

[Tywais]

Thanks for the answers. I have also heard โทษที่ from someone who has called me and realizes it is a wrong number. Sounds rather odd to me so don't know if it is colloquial or not.

[thithi]

yeh it is colloquail. we use it a lot.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks, tywais, for bringing this up. I wrote a long scene in my novel about ajarns in MaeHongSon, where the farang English teacher makes a big mistake and insists on apologizing to the Thai ajarn he has offended. It goes like this at the beginning, "...I’m sorry. I should go apologize to Ajarn Judysknock, and tell her that I am sorry.”

Apologies are seldom made in Thailand. “Ajarn Robert – you say what? You say you want to say you sorry? What you mean?”

“Ajarn Prathong, yesterday I made a mistake. So I need to go tell her that I made a mistake. There’s nothing wrong with apologizing, is there?”

“Apologize, Ajarn Robert? I hardly know word. I think apologize mean you say that you do bad..."

The book probably makes too big a deal of it, but it has to do with not losing too much face if you are in a position of power. True?

[mike_l]

Thanks for the answers. I have also heard โทษที่ from someone who has called me and realizes it is a wrong number. Sounds rather odd to me so don't know if it is colloquial or not.

I believe that's actually โทษที without the mai ek tonemark on ที, ที being the word for 'time ; occasion'. In that context ที is used as a kind of 'softening' particle (like หน่อย) which gives a sense of 'just this one time' to the sentence and implies that the offending action again won't happen again.

[Tywais]

I believe that's actually โทษที without the mai ek tonemark on ที, ที being the word for 'time ; occasion'. In that context ที is used as a kind of 'softening' particle (like หน่อย) which gives a sense of 'just this one time' to the sentence and implies that the offending action again won't happen again.

Thanks for that information, I wasn't really sure if it was the same spelling or not. My original spelling implies 'place' rather then 'time' so makes sense, plus I now remember the speaker using a mid tone with it (ที).

[gburns57au]

I believe that's actually โทษที without the mai ek tonemark on ที, ที being the word for 'time ; occasion'. In that context ที is used as a kind of 'softening' particle (like หน่อย) which gives a sense of 'just this one time' to the sentence and implies that the offending action again won't happen again.

Thanks for that information, I wasn't really sure if it was the same spelling or not. My original spelling implies 'place' rather then 'time' so makes sense, plus I now remember the speaker using a mid tone with it (ที).

It would probably translate to "sorry for wasting your time"