About the recent Red Shirt gathering in Pattaya,

"มีคนมีร่วมชุมนุมประมาณ 5,000 คน"

What is the function of the second "มี"? Would the sentence be correct without it?

Seems like a typo...

I suppose it would depend on how much respect the writer should be afforded!

Is there any such thing as incorrect Thai? If มี were a typo how would it be written มีคนร่วมชุมนุมประมาณ 5000 คน or มีคนรวมชุมนุมประมาณ 5000 คน ?

I suppose we all know what it means because we have the context, maybe the writer likes to put it the way he does, it might sound ok to a native speaker or it could be that it doesn't matter.

I am quite serious, is there any reason for suspecting that มี is a typo?

I'm not sure it's a typo either. There's a few hits from google here that might shed some light.

Edited September 14, 201015 yr by SoftWater

I also think the sentences is correct. There are just too many very similar examples on google.

The first มี means "There are"

The second มี means seems to mean "have" - "having the activity of joining the gathering" - "having a join in the gathering" or more simple "having a gathering".

Without the second มี the sentence is also correct.

I found this similar sentence:

ถ้ามีคนมีจีบแฟนคุณ

The second มี seems very similar to the มี in Davids example. It looks like in this case มี seems to indicated somebody is having some flirting activity.

I think we should look up the use of มี in our grammar books, maybe we can find a hint over there.

Edited September 14, 201015 yr by kriswillems

I still think these are typos for มา. มีคนมาร่วม or มีคนมาจีบ. สระอี and สระอา are catercorner from each other on the keyboard, which would explain why similar sentences are so commonplace.

But I'm happy to be wrong on this. We're just waiting around for a native to set us straight I suppose!

"ถ้ามีคนมีจีบแฟนคุณ"

I wonder if there are two clauses here, each with its own "มี"; might it be:

"Wherever people are present, someone will flirt with your girlfriend."

What do you think?

"มีคนมีร่วม" - The latter มี sure is a typo. It has to be "มีคนมาร่วม".

"ถ้ามีคนมีจีบแฟนคุณ" - ถ้ามีคนมาจีบแฟนคุณ is the correct version.

I guess that's Rikker - 1, The Rest of Us - 0

(and I bet David knew it was a typo all along anyway...)

Edited September 14, 201015 yr by SoftWater

I guess that's Rikker - 1, The Rest of Us - 0

(and I bet David knew it was a typo all along anyway...)

So what does it do to the meaning? มา is opposite to ไป so is it just a matter of style or does it position the writer, does it mean that he is a redshirt, or a resident of the place and the redshirts outsiders, how should it be interpreted?

I am trying to find out if it matters very much when these small words appear.

The presence of มา doesn't have much effect on the meaning.

With มา:

มีคนมาร่วมชุมนุมประมาณ 5,000 คน

"5,000 people came to participate in the rally."

Sans มา:

มีคนร่วมชุมนุมประมาณ 5,000 คน

"5,000 people participated in the rally."

As Yoot confirmed, the sentence doesn't make sense with มี instead of มา -- that was just a typo.

And if replacing มา with ไป:

มีคนไปร่วมชุมนุมประมาณ 5,000 คน

"5,000 people went to participate in the rally."