• otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    A “generation” is colloquially ~14-20 years, and “several” means 7+. Keiko’s high as balls again. 🤦🏽‍♂️

    edit: if “several” generations “by any reckoning” were able to fit into ~85 years’ time, it would require 10yr olds becoming parents in each generation, consecutively. What the actual, Keiko. Words matter. Ew.

        • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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          1 day ago

          I agree with the poster below, in that they’re ambiguous terms used interchangably, descriptive linguistics and whatnot. But in my brain, they’re hard coded as couple=2, few=3, several=4+, a bunch= 10 or more, but not 12. Can me 10, 11, 13+, but can’t specifically be 12. That’s a dozen.

          • criitz@reddthat.com
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            1 day ago

            I agree with these, except I would use a bunch to mean as low as say, 5 or 6. Like a bunch of bananas at a grocer.

            • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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              1 day ago

              I could get behind this. The low end of a bunch isn’t as clearly defined in my head as the others. So long as it isn’t precisely 12, it’s okay. Lol. Also, 6 is often “half dozen” but not always.

        • criitz@reddthat.com
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          1 day ago

          Haha, sorry! I know people like to give very specific meanings to words like a few, several, or some, but colloquially to me they are intentionally ambiguous and all basically mean “a small amount, more than 2”

      • otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 day ago

        TBF, even three “generations” in that span assumes parenthood by 28 (2021: 30, FYI), and 4+ generations by 7 years apiece — putting it well beyond reality “by any reckoning”.

      • Rusty@lemmy.ca
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        17 hours ago

        Heroes of might and magic III taught me when I was a kid that Few means 1-4 and several means 5-9 and I refuse to receive any other explanations