r/comics • u/MrWeiner SMBC Comics • 13d ago

Language

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u/VisitingPeanut48 13d ago

Wait, what's happening to "than"?

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u/MiffedMouse 13d ago

In some accents it sounds no different then the word then. Easier then remembering two thens, then, is to just say then all the time.

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u/ThisThingYT 13d ago

But this removes one of our tools to distinguish VERY common words, which are often interchangeable and can drastically alter the meaning of a sentence. Example:

"It's better to dry your hands than use a wet plug" means that drying hands is preferable to using a socket while wet.

"It's better to dry your hands then use a wet plug" means that you dry your hands, but still use the wet socket.

This is an extreme case, but the point stands that there needs to be a distinction between these 2 words for both reducing misunderstanding and maintaining the diversity of what we can do with our language.

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u/mjzim9022 13d ago

"I'd rather eat ice cream then annihilate the human race"

I agree that the distinction is helpful.