| Sidor om ämnet: < [1 2 3 4] | When did "probably" become "likely? Trådens avsändare: Tom in London
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Phil Hand 
Kina
Local time: 15:58
Kinesiska till Engelska
| Not meaningless | Oct 13, 2013 |
Tom in London wrote:
'Your company will likely suffer losses"
That's horrible. And to my ears, meaningless.
Aesthetic reactions are one thing, but for sense you have to defer to actual usage. Here's the relevant note from an online dictionary:
Usage Note: Used as an adverb likely is most commonly preceded by a modifier such as very or quite: He will quite likely require some help with his classes. But the unmodified use of likely is common enough in educated writing, and though it might be better avoided in highly formal style, it should not be regarded as incorrect: They'll likely buy a new car this year.
| | | | Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 08:58
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
TOPIC STARTER | Actual usage? | Oct 13, 2013 |
Phil Hand wrote:
(snip) you have to defer to actual usage. Here's the relevant note from an online dictionary (snip)
Actual usage is not clear, and one doesn't necessarily need to defer to "online dictionaries".
Actual usage: "They'll likely buy a new car this year." Grammatically wrong, but more importantly, ugly !
Actual usage: "They'll probably buy a new car this year." Grammatically correct, and not ugly !
I rest my case.
[Edited at 2013-10-13 15:31 GMT]
| | | | DS Trans
USA
Local time: 03:58
Franska till Engelska
+ ...
| Conversationally | Oct 13, 2013 |
The replacement of likely for probably is uncommon conversationally in the US. There is no need for alarm - probably will likely retain its dominance both in written language and conversation. (I do see the utility of using both for linguistic diversity though.)
If the use of likely has indeed increased (I haven't noticed it), it is simply because language is always changing and evolving. Evolution and linguistic differences can sound wrong, even if they are completely natural.... See more The replacement of likely for probably is uncommon conversationally in the US. There is no need for alarm - probably will likely retain its dominance both in written language and conversation. (I do see the utility of using both for linguistic diversity though.)
If the use of likely has indeed increased (I haven't noticed it), it is simply because language is always changing and evolving. Evolution and linguistic differences can sound wrong, even if they are completely natural. Many British usages sound odd to me, but in the end, I think that these differences enrich our language rather than degrade it.
Regarding "prolly" - it is slang, prolly more common in urban areas.
[Edited at 2013-10-13 17:28 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
Storbritannien
Local time: 08:58
Medlem (2008)
Italienska till Engelska
TOPIC STARTER | it isn't it's, it's its. | Oct 13, 2013 |
Denise Stan wrote:
The replacement of likely for probably is uncommon conversationally in the US. There is no need for alarm - probably will likely retain it's dominance both in written language and conversation. (I do see the utility of using both for linguistic diversity though.)
If the use of likely has indeed increased (I haven't noticed it), it is simply because language is always changing and evolving. Evolution and linguistic differences can sound wrong, even if they are completely natural. Many British usages sound odd to me, but in the end, I think that these differences enrich our language rather than degrade it.
Regarding "prolly" - it is slang, prolly more common in urban areas.
"The replacement of likely for probably is uncommon conversationally in the US."
Not so. I have just heard it used on "Washington Today" (CSpan) by a Congressman who said something like "Speaker Reid will likely arrive at a compromise figure for the borrowing limit".
It nearly put me off my lunch.
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Quote from the Urban Dictionary:
Prolly
Shortened version of "probably". Typically used in online conversations, although REALLY lazy people have started using it in verbal conversations as well...
I'm feeling lazy so I prolly won't bother doing homework.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=prolly
| | | | DS Trans
USA
Local time: 03:58
Franska till Engelska
+ ...
I think the verbal form of prolly came first. (I've heard it for years.)
Thank you for pointing out my mistake so prominently, Tom. I do know the rules but will take the time to proofread my forum posts in the future.
| | | | DS Trans
USA
Local time: 03:58
Franska till Engelska
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
Not so. I have just heard it used on "Washington Today" (CSpan) by a Congressman who said something like "Speaker Reid will likely arrive at a compromise figure for the borrowing limit".
It nearly put me off my lunch.
Yes, I could image that. But I still doubt you'd hear it that often in less formal settings. I can't picture myself using it in everyday conversation.
| | | | neilmac
Spanien
Local time: 09:58
Spanska till Engelska
+ ...
| I think I understand... | Oct 13, 2013 |
An interesting thread, with 99% of the posts being reasonable and balanced. I tend to use "likely" if the text is aimed at an audience under US English influence, for example in Mexico.
However, I'd say that "ugly" is in the eye/ear/etc of the beholder.
PS: I used"likely" in one text last night...
[Edited at 2013-10-14 08:48 GMT]
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| Perhaps a victory of the Anglo-Saxon over the Latinate? | Oct 13, 2013 |
Tom in London wrote:
This mainly seems to be happening in American English.
I've noticed that the beautiful word "probably" has now been replaced with "likely".
This substitution produces an ugly result when placed in context (to my ears "I'll probably come tomorrow" sounds more mellifluous than "I'll likely come tomorrow").
Why has this happened? Any theories, you linguistics experts out there?
I'll probably never adopt this change myself because if I did, I would have to say "I'll likely never adopt this change myself" and that's not likely to happen !
Short old words are the best and all.
| | | | Giles Watson
Italien
Local time: 09:58
Italienska till Engelska
In memoriam | The eye of the beholder | Oct 13, 2013 |
Tom in London wrote:
Actual usage: "They'll likely buy a new car this year." Grammatically wrong, but more importantly, ugly !
Actual usage: "They'll probably buy a new car this year." Grammatically correct, and not ugly !
[Edited at 2013-10-13 15:31 GMT]
"Right" and "wrong" are terms I prefer to avoid when discussing language.
If you have a descriptive, rather than prescriptive, take on grammar, "likely" and "probably" in the above examples are both grammatically coherent disjunctive adverbs but their connotations may differ depending on the context and the reader.
Like Tom, I have noticed the increasing frequency of the unmodified adverb "likely" in written English but as a Scot I don't find it so much ugly as couthie.
| | | | mjbjosh
Local time: 09:58
Engelska till Lettiska
+ ...
| Shift? Probably not, not likely | Oct 21, 2013 |
Tom in London wrote:
Although I think the very way in which the word "awesome" is used to describe anything and everything, rather than things that are genuinely awesome, is **probably** an import from teenage America.
[Edited at 2013-10-12 12:15 GMT]
This semantic shift, if it is any at all, is seen in many languages (German, Dutch, French, Russian, Latvian).
| | | | mjbjosh
Local time: 09:58
Engelska till Lettiska
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
But what's the reason for replacing "probably" with "likely"? If there were a good reason I might accept this change.
Well, nobody actually knows why a particular language change takes place. Some words end up to take up totally opposite meanings in different languages — 'magnus' for 'big' in Latin, 'mazs' in Latvian for 'small'. Both have the same origin. I'm too lazy to look for more examples, this was just one that I remembered from the top of my head. But i've honestly seen many examples when reading ethymological dictionaries.
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