English Language & Usage Asked by TwoBob on December 23, 2020
Here are some examples of ‘different’ from the Internet:
What is the added value of using ‘different’ in these sentences?
The only meaningful meanings I can ascribe are either ‘unusual’ or ‘various’. If any of the other definitions apply, the constructions become, in my perception, redundant.
Take for instance #2. The four senses are obviously different, so why stress it? By a stretch of imagination, I can assume it means unusual/special.
But what about #4.? Is Google looking for RIs to work in ‘unusual/special’ countries and not in the common or ordinary ones?
In the case of #3., the word ‘different’ does not appear in the source Russian text. So, ‘in four provinces’ should suffice.
Finally, to keep it short(er), is #6. about ‘unusual’ parts of speech? I think not.
It seems to me that, in many such cases, ‘different’ is used simply because it is available.
These are the definitions of ‘different’ in the online MW Dictionary (partially quoted):
1: partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality : DISSIMILAR
2: not the same: such as
a: DISTINCT
different age groups
b: VARIOUS
different members of the class
c: ANOTHER
switched to a different TV program
3: UNUSUAL, SPECIAL
she was different and superior
What is the added value of using 'different' in these sentences?
"Different" is added in a sense of "having individual differences" when the speaker or writer then intends to enumerate those differences.
Answered by Greybeard on December 23, 2020
- […] visited several schools in three different communities […]
- […] the verses of Kabir have four different senses; illusion, spirit, intellect, and the exoteric doctrine of the Vedas.
- In November 1805, Prince Vasili had to go on a tour of inspection in four different provinces.
- Google Research Intern, PhD, 2021 in 8 different countries.
- On two (n) different occasions.
- How many different parts of speech can the f-word be used as?
(a) In most of these examples, omitting 'different' would have the pragmatic effect of making the sentence sound weaker. 'They visited schools in three communities' for instance sounds less emphatic, somehow less committed, than when 'different' is included. Redundancy has to be balanced against this.
(b) As Greybeard says, 'different' also carries the meaning of
- not alike in character or quality; distinct in nature; dissimilar:
The two brothers are very different even though they're identical twins.
and at least example (1) carries this sense as a denotation/connotation.
(c) 'Different' also carries the 'distinct' [non-overlapping] sense:
- distinct; separate.
on two different occasions
[Lexico]
I'd say this sense is at least strongly connoted in example (2), and hinted at in most of the others.
Answered by Edwin Ashworth on December 23, 2020
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