@ColinTheMathmo has drawn our attention to an interesting ambiguity in English. There seem to be some regional patterns, and I'm curious about prevalence of the two interpretations in different parts of the English-speaking world.
I thought it might be interesting to make a series of polls for different places. Choose based on where you think your dialect of English comes from.
Polls in thread:
@robinhouston I observe that it might in the longer run be necessary to distinguish areas of the US, and areas within England.
But this is a start to see what happens.
Also, there's a lot to page through, so you might not get many replies. Even so, I'll boost the initial post and we'll see what happens.
@ajsoley You seem very certain of that. But some people in the UK are adamant that everyone in the UK would say they caught the train, and yet I know people who say otherwise.
Why are you so absolutely certain that *everyone* in the US would say they missed the train? Is it just because of your certainly, and the certainly of those you know?
@ColinTheMathmo @ajsoley The first example I found from BBC news: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7292869.stm
(Rather a grisly example, I'm afraid)
“Calling to her friends, the girl is heard saying: "Oi, are they breathing? Are they breathing?
She tells the operator: "Just about they said. Just about, they are both just about breathing...they've both got their eyes closed."“
@ColinTheMathmo @ajsoley Here's a less nightmare-inducing example:
“"I think they all look after number one," says Janet Rimmer. "It's a different world from ours, isn't it? I mean, I can just about imagine what I'd do if I won £7m on the lottery. But this ... It's like an alien world, far, far away. How he can justify putting all that money into the banks, I do not know."”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/oct/14/marketturmoil-creditcrunch
@robinhouston I interpret that as they can't actually imagine it, although they can get close.'
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo Is this one any better?
“I just about made it to the bar, breathlessly, before a family-sized heart-starter, followed by another one... and another, helped me regain my composure as I wiped away the tears of mirth.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/jun/14/secretdiaries.pressandpublishing
(I'm not sure you can interpret this as meaning he _didn't_ make it to the bar, because in that case where did he get the “family-sized heart-starter” from?)
@ColinTheMathmo @ajsoley @robinhouston
If I "just missed" the train, I didn't catch it.
"Just about caught the train" could only mean "caught the train." Any other meaning would lead to confusion. If further conversation revealed they'd missed the train, I'd ask where they grew up/learned English.
Born, raised, and i mo chónaí in the USA, never set foot in Europe, India, Australia, or Africa.
So yeah, there are differences across the USA.
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston
That's an idomatic expression to denote a state of surprise or shock. The question of falling wouldn't occur to me at all. Thinking about its meaning, I'd conclude there may not even have been a chair, unlike the train in the original question.
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston
"Just about," in some parts of the USA, means "barely," as in "I just about caught the train."
I'm just reporting my experience. I only saw this particular discussion when I got the notice the earlier poll, with all the English language speakers lumped together, had closed.
There is no one American English.
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston
I live in MD. My parents and theirs were born in the USA.
How about you?
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston
We both stand enlightened.
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston
I looked around, but it keeps bringing up examples for the meaning "only concerning/concerned with"
So I went to Coal Speak because it's generally more accurate than most maps, etc. that I've seen. At least it gets "sleigh riding" correct. But there's no entry for "just about" in it.
I guess it's something like "could (not) care less" where multiple, conflicting meanings find use.
That's all I got.
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston
Exactly. When I say "I just about died", that doesn't mean I'm dead. When I say "I just about fell out of my chair", that doesn't mean I'm on the floor. And when I say "I'm just about done", that doesn't mean I'm done yet.
"Just about" means "nearly" or "close but not quite". If you "Just about caught the train" that means you almost, but not quite, caught the train, which means you're left standing on the platform and not in the train.
@ajsoley @ColinTheMathmo @robinhouston NOBODY?
That seems rather a daft statement
The results are in! There is quite a bit of variation within countries, but roughly speaking:
• if someone from the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand says they just about caught the train, that probably means they missed it
• if someone from England, Ireland or India says they just about caught the train, that probably means they caught it
@dermotryanie @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] @[email protected] It has just occurred to me that I informed a couple of students over Christmas that they had just about passed their end of semester exams... Whoops...
robinhouston
Colin the Mathmo
Aaron Soley
Mimi Runs with Scissors
Steve Slatcher
Joe Gilvary
Bathsheba Grossman
Jenny Fx
SpryOldLorax
GeorgeWL
Martin Kimber
Peter Lee
simon gray