Discussion Forum (Archived)
Guest
I see how *sooner than later* may look odd from the grammatical perspective, but I must admit that this *oddity* wouldn't strike me as such if I heard it spoken (and chances are I have heard it spoken that way and not even noticed this phenomenon). It's also funny because I myself actually never add *rather* nor *than*. The only version I know and use is *sooner or later*. If, however, I did want to emphasize that something will happen *sooner* than *later*, then I would probably add *rather than*, but I'd yet have to observe myself more for that at this point. I wonder what others have to share.
Glenn said:
It seems that the expression "sooner rather than later" has, in my circles, been shortened to the rhetorical tautology "sooner than later." It makes me want to chuckle, but I'm getting used to it. I think I will stick to the traditional version.
Any thoughts or comments?
I, too, shall stick with the traditional version. However, the comparative form using than seems to be so grandly misused, but still accepted in its misuse. What can we do?
For example, what if I were to say, "I love Liz more than you"? Do I love Liz more than you love Liz, or do I love Liz more than I love you? Context may explain it away, but that doesn't make the initial sentence grammatical. Sadly, I've seen too much ungrammatical writing to believe that the traditional construction will yet prevail. C'est la vie.
tunawrites said:
However, the comparative form using than seems to be so grandly misused, but still accepted in its misuse. What can we do?
For example, what if I were to say, "I love Liz more than you"? Do I love Liz more than you love Liz, or do I love Liz more than I love you? Context may explain it away, but that doesn't make the initial sentence grammatical. Sadly, I've seen too much ungrammatical writing to believe that the traditional construction will yet prevail. C'est la vie.
I don't blame that one on "than", or grammar, but on the carelessness of the writer, or the lack of contemplation about the listener's apprehension. "I love Liz more than you do" and "I love Liz, more than I do you" or "more than I love you" are perfectly clear. I find many writers, not to mention casual speakers, perfectly understand their own speech from within their own perspective, and are surprised when it's not perfectly clear to everyone else.
(Year after year, I was entirely unsuccessful in explaining to my wife why asking me a question from another room, using pronouns and prepositional phrases that required pointing, was ineffective. "Why did you put it over there on that?")
Bill 5 said:
(Year after year, I was entirely unsuccessful in explaining to my wife why asking me a question from another room, using pronouns and prepositional phrases that required pointing, was ineffective. "Why did you put it over there on that?")
Ha! I love it. I constantly get the same thing, but I've come up with a stock -- and generally nonsense -- response. So, for example, when I hear from the kitchen, "Why did you put that on the refrigerator?", I say, "So the dogs won't eat it." It only occasionally makes any sense.
tunawrites said:
Bill 5 said:
(Year after year, I was entirely unsuccessful in explaining to my wife why asking me a question from another room, using pronouns and prepositional phrases that required pointing, was ineffective. "Why did you put it over there on that?")
Ha! I love it. I constantly get the same thing, but I've come up with a stock -- and generally nonsense -- response. So, for example, when I hear from the kitchen, "Why did you put that on the refrigerator?", I say, "So the dogs won't eat it." It only occasionally makes any sense.
Aha, a jolt of recognition!
Q: "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?"
A: "The cypress tree in the garden."
"Sooner or later" is the more familiar phrase, but it has a different meaning, i.e., "eventually." We're looking for the idiom that has the meaning "now is preferable to later."
I think "sooner than later" is an example of usage-meaning conflation. The primary meaning of "sooner" is the comparative form of "soon." As a secondary meaning, though, it can be used as a synonym for "rather": "I'd sooner walk to work than take the bus." So some people might subconsciously sense that the use of "sooner" subsumes the need for "rather," while in fact that alternative meaning is absent from the contextual usage here. "I'd sooner eat sooner than later," sounds odd and redundant (even though correct) and so some might say instead "I'd sooner than later eat now," which is both nonsensical and nongrammatical, but probably "feels right" for speakers who have a strong instinct for concise rhetoric that avoids repetition.
If I eat now, I think that now is sooner than it is later. However, where does the distinction arise between how soon something is opposed to how late it is? I could see that eating in the year 2101 might be later than eating in the year 2045. However, eating in 2101 might be sooner than eating in the year 2250. But it is more sooner than 2250 than it is later than 2011. Using "more sooner" as the comparative of "sooner" also sounds redundant, and is probably ungrammatical. Then again, sooner could be a specific period of time, which is somewhat indefinite. However, we can be nearly certain that something that occurs sooner will occur sooner than something that occurs later. However, if an event is certain to happen later, then sooner or later it still will occur, but that time will be sooner the later it becomes. That is to say, if were to decide to run for mayor in the year 2031, that won't be for another 20 years. But later (in the year 2030, for instance), it will be sooner than it would be today. But if something is going to happen which I would prefer to happen soon, I might say that it will happen sooner or later, but I would rather it occur sooner rather than later.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
1 Guest(s)