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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Infer/imply
I have recently been told that a speaker implies and a listener infers. My friend Don can imply that I am a no-good louse when he speaks, or I can infer that Don is saying I am a no-good louse.
But I cannot say to Don "what are you inferring?" The listener is the inferrer, not the speaker.
Is this correct?
But I cannot say to Don "what are you inferring?" The listener is the inferrer, not the speaker.
Is this correct?
Top answer
"[/nq] Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.
- "[/nq] Sure you can.
- But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.
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62 Answers
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[nq:1]But I cannot say to Don "what are you inferring?"[/nq]
Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.
Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.
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I believe a better choice in this particular context is the word "insinuate": "What are you trying to insinuate"?
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[nq:2]But I cannot say to Don "what are you inferring?"[/nq]
[nq:1]Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.[/nq]
That's an old favourite of those who think there's something clever about encouraging weak use of language.
Matt, you were right. And it may be quite useful to be suspicious
[nq:1]Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.[/nq]
That's an old favourite of those who think there's something clever about encouraging weak use of language.
Matt, you were right. And it may be quite useful to be suspicious
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[nq:1]I have recently been told that a speaker implies and a listener infers. My friend Don can imply that I ... I cannot say to Don "what are you inferring?" The listener is the inferrer, not the speaker. Is this correct?[/nq]
Yes, it is correct.
Mind you, it's such a common error that I suspect it goes unnoticed by many speakers especially since context usually makes it clear as to who i
Yes, it is correct.
Mind you, it's such a common error that I suspect it goes unnoticed by many speakers especially since context usually makes it clear as to who i
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[nq:1]Matt, you were right.[/nq]
What on earth is wrong with saying to Don "what are you inferring?", if Don is in fact inferring something?
What on earth is wrong with saying to Don "what are you inferring?", if Don is in fact inferring something?
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[nq:2]Matt, you were right.[/nq]
[nq:1]What on earth is wrong with saying to Don "what are you inferring?", if Don is in fact inferring something?[/nq]
The example that Matt gave indicates that Don is indirectly stating his opinion of Matt - implying that Matt is a louse. It is, of course, possible that Don is basing his statement on something he has heard about Matt and is therefore infer
[nq:1]What on earth is wrong with saying to Don "what are you inferring?", if Don is in fact inferring something?[/nq]
The example that Matt gave indicates that Don is indirectly stating his opinion of Matt - implying that Matt is a louse. It is, of course, possible that Don is basing his statement on something he has heard about Matt and is therefore infer
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[nq:2]But I cannot say to Don "what are you inferring?"[/nq]
[nq:1]Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.[/nq]
Pedantic or not, it's a warning I've seen many times in usage manuals and so forth. But I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen that mista
[nq:1]Sure you can. But it is indeed an old favorite of the linguistic pedant to point out that using "infer" in the sense of "imply" is incorrect.[/nq]
Pedantic or not, it's a warning I've seen many times in usage manuals and so forth. But I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen that mista
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[nq:1]But I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen that mistake in my lifetime. Perhaps it was more common in the old days.[/nq]
Googling for "are you inferring" gives 772 hits, and I'm pretty sure that in most cases what is meant is "are you implying".
Googling for "are you inferring" gives 772 hits, and I'm pretty sure that in most cases what is meant is "are you implying".
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[nq:1]On 10 Dec 2004, Matt Shepherd wrote[/nq]
[nq:2]I have recently been told that a speaker implies and ... listener is the inferrer, not the speaker. Is this correct?[/nq]
[nq:1]Yes, it is correct. Mind you, it's such a common error that I suspect it goes unnoticed by many speakers especially since context usually makes it clear as to who is doing the implying/inferring.[/nq]
Why do
[nq:2]I have recently been told that a speaker implies and ... listener is the inferrer, not the speaker. Is this correct?[/nq]
[nq:1]Yes, it is correct. Mind you, it's such a common error that I suspect it goes unnoticed by many speakers especially since context usually makes it clear as to who is doing the implying/inferring.[/nq]
Why do
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[nq:1]Why do people want to conflate these two words?[/nq]
Original Sin.
Mike.
Original Sin.
Mike.
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