"Drift" and "Drift"

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - In a post on social media, an author wrote, “The rain was pouring down. Leaves began to drift into the yard...”. This sentence describes a heavy rain pouring down on the street, the water quickly rose, causing dry leaves to drift into the yard.

A reader commented, wondering: “Dặt vào” or “giặt vào”? The writer answered “Lương hiệu” (meaning writing “giặt vào” or “dặt vào” is both correct).

However, many other readers do not accept.

So, which spelling is correct, “drift in” or “drift out”? Or are both correct?

Let's look in the dictionary to see how "drift" and "drift" are used.

- Dai Nam Quoc Am Dictionary (Huynh Tinh Paulus Cua) explains "drift" as "to be carried out by the wind and waves, or to be brought in", and lists "drifted to the shore" = "to be brought to the shore"; "drifted out" = "to be brought out, to be removed, to be set aside"; "drifted" = "to be carried out, or to be brought somewhere"...

With the word “dất”, this dictionary explains it as “to spread out, to loosen, not to gather together” and lists: “dất ra” = “to leave, loosen”; “dất lưu lưu” = “to pull the firewood apart to keep it far apart; to reduce the firewood, reduce the fire”.

Thus, according to Huynh Tinh Paulus Cua's explanation, when describing drifting, it must be written as "drifting"; and when talking about "putting out, leaving out, setting aside" or "spreading out, loosening up, not allowing to gather together", it is okay to write "drift" or "drift". Accordingly, writing "The leaves began to drift into the yard..." is completely correct.

Some later published dictionaries:

- Vietnamese dictionary (Khai Tri Tien Duc Association) explains “drift” as: “Tossed away by the wind and waves”, and gives the example “The rain made the whole pond of duckweed drift. The boat was pushed by the waves to the shore. Literature: Flowers drifted, duckweed drifted (Kieu)”. With the word “drift”, this dictionary explains it as “sparse, spread”, and gives the example “Fabric drifted, thread drifted”.

- Vietnamese dictionary (Le Van Duc) explains “drift” as “Drift, lost, drifting, aimless”, and gives the example “Drift boat, drifting duckweed, drifting flowers”. With “dất” (verb), this dictionary explains as “Load out, spread apart, not to pile up”, and gives the example “Dất wood, drifted pile of sand”; and “dất” (adjective) means “Sparse, loose, not thick, not tight: Drifted fabric, drifted thread”.

Some other dictionaries such as the General Vietnamese Dictionary (Dao Van Tap), the New Vietnamese Dictionary (Thanh Nghi), have similar explanations.

Thus, the dictionary of the Khai Tri Tien Duc Association and Tran Van Duc, along with a number of other authors, clearly distinguishes: “giất” is used for drifting, being pushed away indefinitely; and “đất” is associated with the case of making something loose, separate, or become loose, far apart, no longer tight or tight. Accordingly, writing “Lã bộ gậy vào nhà...” is not a spelling mistake.

Some dictionaries published even later:

- Vietnamese dictionary (edited by Van Tan) only records “drift” and explains it as “Being pushed to one side <> Drifting cloth; Drifting duckweed”.

- Vietnamese dictionary (Hoang Phe editor, Vietlex version), "drift" section, instructions for viewing "drift". The "drift" section explains two meanings: - "to be pushed to one side, somewhere", and gives the example "drifting duckweed ~ "The children ran to both sides, splashing water." (Doan Gioi)"; - "spread out [often referring to textile fibers]", for example "the fabric surface has been drifted".

- The Great Vietnamese Dictionary (edited by Nguyen Nhu Y) only collects “dặt”, not “giặt”, and explains “dặt” (verb) as “Being pushed to one side, one place: The raft drifted to the shore <> drifting duckweed, drifting clouds”; explains “dặt” (adjective) as “Dản dài ra: a shirt worn for a long time, the fabric drifts away”.

Thus, in Vietnamese, there is a distinction between “giất” (drifting), and “đất” (being drifted away, thinned out). Later on (especially now), people tend to simplify, not distinguishing “giất” from “đất” anymore, but returning to a common way of writing “đất”. However, the subtlety in writing the distinction between “giất” in “Bèo giất Mây trôi”, “Tiết thay cái bà nước trong/ để cho bèo mặt, bèo ong giai trong” (Ca dao), and “đất” in “vải bị đit”, is still the choice of many people. And so, considering the change of words, writing “trôi giất” or “trôi dất” is both correct.

Man Nong (CTV)

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giat-va-dat-255246.htm