Synonyms

[haji]

There's no such things as synonyms. Your teachers lied to you.
The words we use are filled with an incredible amount of nuance
and there are none that are exactly interchangeable.

yeah

 

[woops]

that's what you hear from time to time but it's hard to see a difference sometimes/occasionally

 

[Clinamenic]

In short, I agree, but I'd assert that synonymity is strictly provisional, that there are situations wherein word replacement is tolerable.

That said, I maintain that the thesaurus is a throughly mediocre device, whose target audience is limited to those seeking to "spruce up" their cover letters, and would probably put it in such terms.

 

[haji]

"nuance" is a rubbishy word so crude and gauche/naive

 

[haji]

that's what you hear from time to time but it's hard to see a difference sometimes/occasionally

in my ear there are subtle differences in frequency and duration between "from time to time", "sometimes" and "occasionally", no?

 

[woops]

to me it sounds like something someone would say not because it's completely true but because they want it to be true to intiidate others with their massive word power.

 

[woops]

in my ear there are subtle differences in frequency and duration between "from time to time", "sometimes" and "occasionally", no?

i would have said, nuanced differences

 

[haji]

In short, I agree, but I'd assert that synonymity is strictly provisional, that there are situations wherein word replacement is tolerable.

which sort of situations?

 

[Clinamenic]

which sort of situations?

Low stakes ones, generally, wherein the fuss you'd make dissecting the semantics and etymology wouldn't be warranted by the marginally more sophisticated phrasing.

 

[haji]

to me it sounds like something someone would say not because it's completely true but because they want it to be true to intiidate others with their massive word power.

possibly/probably a factor,
but still a nice linguistic provocation

 

[Clinamenic]

Low stakes ones, generally, wherein the fuss you'd make dissecting the semantics and etymology wouldn't be warranted by the marginally more sophisticated phrasing.

And I say that as someone who adores semantics and etymology.

 

[Clinamenic]

which sort of situations?

Also maybe in situations where you've awkwardly used the same word more than once in close proximity. But as a rule I don't take kindly to the notion of synonyms. In fact, I suggest we add them to the list of Enemies of Dissensus.

 

[haji]

Low stakes ones, generally, wherein the fuss you'd make dissecting the semantics and etymology wouldn't be warranted by the marginally more sophisticated phrasing.

yeah i was thinking talking to 2nd language speakers or people who won't appreciate your subtle coding i guess

 

[luka]

I'm strongly opposed to nuance. What it actually means is absence of clarity

 

[woops]

Also maybe in situations where you've awkwardly used the same word more than once in close proximity.

actually there's a term for this, it's called "ELEGANT VARIATION" and you're supposed to avoid it.

 

[luka]

as i said the other day Prynne uses repetition in a way that is very 'unpoetic' not incantatory or rhythmic, just flat. very particular to him.

 

[Clinamenic]

actually there's a term for this, it's called "ELEGANT VARIATION" and you're supposed to avoid it.

Yeah I'd rather just avoid the situation entirely than force a synonym.

 

[woops]

what i mean is you want to avoid saying "first he claimed that _____, then he asserted _______, then averred that _____" better to use just one verb

 

[haji]

In short, I agree, but I'd assert that synonymity is strictly provisional, that there are situations wherein word replacement is tolerable.

That said, I maintain that the thesaurus is a throughly mediocre device, whose target audience is limited to those seeking to "spruce up" their cover letters, and would probably put it in such terms.

maybe the thesaurus will help you get closer to what you actually mean

 

[woops]

this lot are using a special thesaurus