Main Translations

• English: Coherent
• Thai: สอดคล้อง (sot khlong)
• Phonetic: sot khlong (pronounced as "sote khlawng" with a rising tone on "sot" and a mid tone on "khlong")
• Detailed Explanation: The term "สอดคล้อง" is primarily used in Thai to describe something that is logically consistent, well-organized, and makes sense as a whole. It often applies to ideas, arguments, or plans that fit together without contradictions. For instance, in academic or professional contexts, it conveys a positive connotation of clarity and intellectual soundness, emphasizing emotional reliability and semantic nuance in communication. Usage scenarios include evaluating speeches, reports, or strategies where coherence ensures effective understanding.
• Thai: เชื่อมโยง (chuea yong)
• Phonetic: chuea yong (pronounced as "chua yong" with a mid tone on "chuea" and a rising tone on "yong")
• Detailed Explanation: "เชื่อมโยง" serves as a secondary translation, focusing on the aspect of connecting ideas or elements in a unified manner. It highlights semantic nuances related to linkage and flow, often with a neutral to positive emotional connotation. This word is commonly used in creative or analytical scenarios, such as storytelling or problem-solving, where the lack of coherence could lead to confusion. It underscores the importance of interconnectedness in Thai culture, where harmonious relationships (both literal and metaphorical) are valued.

Overview of Usage Scenarios

The word "coherent" is primarily an adjective used to describe logical consistency, unity, and clarity in various contexts. It is commonly applied to ideas, arguments, narratives, or systems that are well-structured and easy to follow. Main usage scenarios include professional settings like business presentations for emphasizing logical flow, academic writing for ensuring argument integrity, everyday conversations for clear communication, and creative endeavors like storytelling. In Thai contexts, translations like "สอดคล้อง" or "เชื่อมโยง" reflect similar applications, with a cultural emphasis on harmony and practicality.

Example Sentences

Example Sentences in Different Scenarios

Business Scenario

• English: The manager's strategy was coherent and effectively addressed the team's concerns.
• Thai: กลยุทธ์ของผู้จัดการสอดคล้องกันและแก้ไขปัญหาของทีมได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ (kan yut thi khong puu ja nang sot khlong gan lae gae sai pan khong tim dai yang mi bprat tit tham)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "The manager's strategy" (subject, possessive noun phrase) + "was coherent" (predicate, adjective describing the strategy) + "and effectively addressed" (conjunction linking to a verb phrase) + "the team's concerns" (object, noun phrase).
• Structural Analysis: This sentence follows a subject-verb-object structure with a compound predicate. "Coherent" functions as an adjective modifying "strategy," highlighting logical consistency in a professional context. The use of "and" adds complexity, making it suitable for formal business discussions.

Leisure Scenario

• English: The plot of the movie was coherent, keeping us engaged throughout the story.
• Thai: โครงเรื่องของภาพยนตร์เรื่องนี้เชื่อมโยงกัน ทำให้เราดูอย่างสนุกตลอดเรื่อง (khrong reuang khong phap yon thur reuang ni chuea yong gan tham hai rao du yang sanuk ta lort reuang)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "The plot of the movie" (subject, noun phrase) + "was coherent" (predicate, adjective) + "keeping us engaged" (participial phrase acting as an adverbial modifier) + "throughout the story" (prepositional phrase).
• Structural Analysis: This is a simple declarative sentence with an embedded participial phrase for added detail. "Coherent" describes the plot's unity, making it ideal for casual leisure contexts like film reviews, where emotional engagement is key.

Formal Occasion

• English: The speaker delivered a coherent speech that resonated with the audience at the conference.
• Thai: ผู้พูดนำเสนอคำปราศรัยที่สอดคล้องกัน ทำให้ผู้ฟังประทับใจในที่ประชุม (puu phut nam sadao kham prasrai thi sot khlong gan tham hai puu fang prat thap jai nai thi prachum)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "The speaker" (subject) + "delivered" (verb) + "a coherent speech" (direct object, adjective modifying noun) + "that resonated with the audience" (relative clause) + "at the conference" (prepositional phrase).
• Structural Analysis: The sentence uses a complex structure with a relative clause to provide additional information. "Coherent" emphasizes logical flow in formal settings, enhancing the sentence's persuasive tone.

Informal Occasion

• English: Your explanation wasn't coherent, so I got confused during our chat.
• Thai: คำอธิบายของคุณไม่สอดคล้องกัน ทำให้ฉันงงระหว่างคุย (kham a thibai khong khun mai sot khlong gan tham hai chan ngng bai nai khuy)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "Your explanation" (subject) + "wasn't coherent" (predicate, negative form of adjective) + "so I got confused" (conjunction linking to a result clause) + "during our chat" (prepositional phrase).
• Structural Analysis: This compound sentence uses a negative adjective for contrast, common in informal conversations to express frustration. It highlights the word's role in everyday critique.

Example Sentences in Different Sentence Types

Declarative Sentence

• English: The essay is coherent and well-written.
• Thai: งานเขียนเรียงความนี้สอดคล้องกันและเขียนได้ดี (ngan khian reiang khwam ni sot khlong gan lae khian dai di)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "The essay" (subject) + "is coherent" (linking verb + adjective) + "and well-written" (conjunction + adjective phrase).
• Structural Analysis: A straightforward declarative structure that states a fact, with "coherent" as a predicate adjective for description.

Interrogative Sentence

• English: Is your plan coherent enough to implement?
• Thai: แผนของคุณสอดคล้องกันพอที่จะนำไปปฏิบัติได้ไหม (phaen khong khun sot khlong gan por thi ja nam pai patibat dai mai)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "Is your plan" (subject + auxiliary verb) + "coherent enough" (adjective with modifier) + "to implement" (infinitive phrase).
• Structural Analysis: This yes/no question inverts the subject and auxiliary verb, using "coherent" to question logical feasibility.

Imperative Sentence

• English: Make sure your argument is coherent before presenting it.
• Thai: ตรวจสอบให้แน่ใจว่าคำโต้แย้งของคุณสอดคล้องกันก่อนนำเสนอ (dtriang sohp hai nae chin wa kham toe yaeng khong khun sot khlong gan kon nam sadao)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "Make sure" (imperative verb) + "your argument is coherent" (subordinate clause) + "before presenting it" (adverbial clause).
• Structural Analysis: An imperative command with a conditional clause, where "coherent" advises on quality improvement.

Exclamatory Sentence

• English: What a coherent explanation that was!
• Thai: นั่นเป็นคำอธิบายที่สอดคล้องกันอย่างยิ่ง! (nan pen kham a thibai thi sot khlong gan yang ying!)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "What a" (exclamation starter) + "coherent explanation" (noun phrase with adjective) + "that was" (relative clause).
• Structural Analysis: This exclamatory sentence expresses surprise or admiration, with "coherent" intensifying the emotional response.

Example Sentences of Different Difficulties

Simple Sentence

• English: The story is coherent.
• Thai: เรื่องราวนี้สอดคล้องกัน (reuang raw ni sot khlong gan)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "The story" (subject) + "is coherent" (verb + adjective).
• Structural Analysis: A basic subject-predicate structure, ideal for beginners to understand "coherent" in isolation.

Intermediate Sentence

• English: Despite the challenges, her speech remained coherent and inspiring.
• Thai: แม้จะมีความท้าทาย แต่คำปราศรัยของเธอยังสอดคล้องกันและสร้างแรงบันดาลใจ (mae ja mi khwam tha tha yai tae kham prasrai khong thoe yang sot khlong gan lae sang raeng ban dal jai)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "Despite the challenges" (prepositional phrase) + "her speech remained coherent" (subject + verb + adjective) + "and inspiring" (conjunction + adjective).
• Structural Analysis: This sentence includes a concessive phrase, adding contrast while maintaining focus on "coherent."

Complex Sentence

• English: Because the data was not coherent, the researchers had to revise their hypothesis, which ultimately led to a breakthrough.
• Thai: เนื่องจากข้อมูลไม่สอดคล้องกัน นักวิจัยจึงต้องทบทวนสมมติฐานของตน ซึ่งในที่สุดนำไปสู่การค้นพบครั้งสำคัญ (neueng jaak khwahm sam mai mai sot khlong gan nak wi jai jeung torg tab thuean sam mat thi ban khong ton teung nai thi sut nam pai su kwaang khan phop krang sum kan)
• Grammatical Breakdown: "Because the data was not coherent" (subordinate clause) + "the researchers had to revise" (main clause) + "their hypothesis" (object) + "which ultimately led to a breakthrough" (relative clause).
• Structural Analysis: A multi-clause structure with subordination, where "coherent" drives the cause-effect relationship, suitable for advanced contexts.

Related Phrases and Expressions

Synonyms/Near Synonyms:

• Consistent – Used to describe something that maintains the same logical thread, often in arguments or behaviors (e.g., "A consistent plan ensures success").
• Logical – Refers to reasoning that follows a clear sequence, emphasizing rationality (e.g., "Her logical explanation made the concept easier to grasp").

Antonyms:

• Incoherent – Describes something disorganized or illogical, often leading to confusion (e.g., "The incoherent speech failed to convince the audience").
• Disjointed – Implies a lack of connection between parts, similar to fragmented ideas (e.g., "The disjointed narrative lost the reader's interest").

Common Collocations:

• Coherent argument – Refers to a well-structured debate or reasoning, commonly used in legal or academic settings (e.g., "Building a coherent argument requires evidence").
• Coherent speech – Describes a talk that flows logically, popular in public speaking (e.g., "Practice ensures a coherent speech delivery").

Cultural Background and Usage Habits

Cultural Background:

• Cultural Point 1: In Western cultures, particularly English-speaking ones, coherence is highly valued in communication as a symbol of intellectual rigor and clarity. For example, in American education, coherent writing is emphasized in essays to promote critical thinking. In Thai culture, the concept aligns with "sod khlong" (harmony), reflecting Buddhist influences where balanced and interconnected ideas foster social harmony.

Usage Habits:

• Habit 1: "Coherent" and its Thai equivalents are frequently used in professional and educational environments, with high popularity among students, academics, and business professionals. It is less common in casual conversations but appears in media critiques, making it applicable to formal groups rather than everyday informal ones.

Grammar Explanation

• Grammatical Function: "Coherent" functions as an adjective, typically modifying nouns (e.g., "coherent plan") or appearing in predicate position (e.g., "The plan is coherent"). It can act as a subject complement or object complement in sentences.
• Tense and Voice: As an adjective, "coherent" does not change with tense; it remains the same across past, present, and future contexts (e.g., "was coherent," "is coherent," "will be coherent"). In passive voice constructions, it describes the state of the subject without alteration (e.g., "The argument was made coherent by revisions").

References

Etymology and History:

The word "coherent" originates from the Latin "cohaerens," the present participle of "cohaerere," meaning "to stick together." It evolved through Middle French as "cohérent" in the 16th century and entered English to describe physical adhesion before expanding to mean logical consistency by the 17th century. This evolution reflects a shift from literal to abstract usage, influenced by the Scientific Revolution's emphasis on structured thought.

Literary References:

• From George Orwell's "1984": "His thoughts were coherent, but they led him into a trap." (Source: Orwell, G. 1949. Nineteen Eighty-Four. Secker & Warburg) – Here, "coherent" highlights the protagonist's logical but dangerous reasoning, underscoring themes of control and clarity in dystopian literature.
• From Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice": "Elizabeth's defense was coherent and witty." (Source: Austen, J. 1813. Pride and Prejudice. T. Egerton) – This illustrates "coherent" in social discourse, emphasizing intellectual poise in 19th-century English novels.