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Double negative - Nemalofta

de Alkanadi, 29 de septiembre de 2014

Aportes: 6

Idioma: English

Alkanadi (Mostrar perfil) 29 de septiembre de 2014 15:21:38

I just saw this word in a course: nemalofta

Wouldn't it be easier to just say ofta?

michaleo (Mostrar perfil) 29 de septiembre de 2014 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 (Mostrar perfil) 29 de septiembre de 2014 17:27:22

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

ofte > neofte > nemalofte > malofte ???

michaleo (Mostrar perfil) 29 de septiembre de 2014 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 (Mostrar perfil) 29 de septiembre de 2014 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 (Mostrar perfil) 29 de septiembre de 2014 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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