Does the Misuse of Infer and Imply Bug You?

[BvBPL]

Lately I've seen a lot of people misuse the words infer and imply. Specifically it is not uncommon to suggest that a speaker is inferring something in his statement when he is actually implying something.

Does the misuse of these words frustrate anyone else?

 

[Zelig]

I don't associate with people who misuse those words.

 

[TomYo689]

Implying inference of misuse

 

[warpus]

I have never really noticed anyone make this mistake before, but now I probably will. Thanks a lot.

 

[Dachs]

I don't see this all that much.

This thread probably would've been more effective if "misuse" were spelled correctly in the thread title.

 

[Mise]

Yes it bugs me. I hear it a lot at work.

How's this for a trainwreck of a sentence? "I suggest we continue to process the [certificate that we issue] as usual and amend any alterations necessary as and when we have clarity."

(Note that the certificate is something that we issue, not something that we process.)

 

[BvBPL]

Sounds like a business that will misuse "impact" at lot too, Mise.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

No. I hate grammar nazis and grammar nazi threads.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Ok, I'll take one for the team (all the people reading this thread not knowing the difference......a tad cocky BvBPL not explaining in the OP by the way ).

So what's the difference? I'm guessing with no confidence at all that the listener infers something from what is being said while a speaker implies.

 

[Mise]

Yes that's basically it. Although it's not just about "listeners" and "speakers": you can infer things from actions and behaviours (you can infer resentment from someone's facial expressions or frustration from the way they folded their arms), as well as from natural forces like waves or the motion of the sun (you can infer that the Earth revolves around the Sun from the way the stars move about in the sky).

Here's what TFD says about it: Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions.

 

[BvBPL]

Ok, I'll take one for the team (all the people reading this thread not knowing the difference......a tad cocky BvBPL not explaining in the OP by the way ).

Oh come on. That would deny you the opportunity to look it up on your own! Giving you the answer isn't a benefit, it does a disservice because you then don't have the onus to look it up yourself.

(plus I don't want to post something at 3 in the morning about a niggling bit of grammar and then be proven wrong)

Here's what TFD says about it: Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions.

I don't dispute the general notion that a speaker implies and a listener infers. However, it is interesting to note that Webster says a valid definition for infer is to "hint" and gives an example of the speaker hinting. Which is very similar to, but not exactly the same as, suggesting something without saying it out right.

I sort of suspect that the Webster definition of infer for "hint" is a bone to the vernacular use of the word, as distinguished from the proper traditional use.

However, just because the parlance suggests you could occasionally use the two interchangeably doesn't mean they are synonyms in any way. For example, one might say that the Constitution creates an implicit right to privacy, but no one should ever say that it creates an inferential right, even if that right is only distinguished and limned by inference from the scholar.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It doesn't bug me, and I may misuse it at times, but I would like to be corrected in those instances.

 

[Mise]

I see grammar (and spelling) in the same way as I see basic arithmetic. Everyone makes spelling and grammar mistakes, just like everyone sometimes flubs a simple sum, but we ought to want to spell correctly and write grammatically. There's no shame in having someone point out a spelling, grammar, or arithmetic error.

 

[Quackers]

Nope, I don't have a metal rod up my arse

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Nope, I don't have a metal rod up my arse

Outta room?

 

[Quackers]

Being the raging homosexual I am - of course

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

That was quite a leap to assuming I meant penises???

 

[Quackers]

I don't think "What an adult man puts up his arse" is a too far a leap from that dude
What are you suggesting?

 

[Mise]

I assumed he meant your head

 

[Kennigit]

disregardless of misproper usage of various words, I don't think it's anything to get bothered about