Al la enhavo

Double negative - Nemalofta

de Alkanadi, 2014-septembro-29

Mesaĝoj: 6

Lingvo: English

Alkanadi (Montri la profilon) 2014-septembro-29 15:21:38

I just saw this word in a course: nemalofta

Wouldn't it be easier to just say ofta?

michaleo (Montri la profilon) 2014-septembro-29 15:52:03

Alkanadi:I just saw this word in a course: nemalofta

Wouldn't it be easier to just say ofta?
Nemalofta means that something isn't malofta but it doesn't have to mean that something is ofta.

Similarly, neofta means that something isn't ofta but it doesn't have to mean that something is malofta.

Tio ne estas malofta. = Tio estas nemalofta.
Tio ne estas ofta. = Tio estas neofta.

nornen (Montri la profilon) 2014-septembro-29 17:27:22

How would you arrange according to frequency the words ofte, malofte, neofte and nemalofte?

ofte > neofte > nemalofte > malofte ???

michaleo (Montri la profilon) 2014-septembro-29 17:51:35

nornen:How would you arrange according to frequency the words ofte, malofte, neofte and nemalofte?

ofte > neofte > nemalofte > malofte ???
Both "neofte" and "nemalofte" are between "ofte" and "malofte" which are extreme values but it's not precise how much they are distant from these values.

Rugxdoma (Montri la profilon) 2014-septembro-29 17:56:52

nornen:How would you arrange according to frequency the words ofte, malofte, neofte and nemalofte?

ofte > neofte > nemalofte > malofte ???
It is not a question of four points, each having a specific place on a line. Neofta ranges from normala to malofta. Nemalofta has a range including normala and ofta.

erinja (Montri la profilon) 2014-septembro-29 23:17:14

It's like saying "not bad". It doesn't mean good!

Ne malofta is a bit like saying "not infrequent".

"She was not an infrequent visitor to my house". Not necessarily frequent, but not infrequent either.

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