Linguist Forum
Languages => Language-specific analysis => English => Topic started by: lingual on April 20, 2014, 02:39:14 AM
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hi everyone
I have a question, does the word “discover” make sense in the following text?? Is it meaningful?
About ten percent of the population is left-handed, and it seems to run in families. The cause seems obvious: genetics. However, identical twins, who have identical genetics blueprints, are not necessarily both left-handed or right-handed. This would appear to discover the theory that being left-handed is inherited.
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I wouldn't use the word to discover here - discover needs a 'discoverer'. I'd use the word 'show' instead.
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Also: identical genetic
s blueprints.
Edit: Hmm, it doesn't show the strikeout quite as I had expected. It should be 'genetic'.
(I'd also opt for 'show' in this context).
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Hi Corybobory and lx
Thanks a lot for your attention.
In this text, in the two first lines, writer believed that the cause of handedness is genetic, but identical twins are not necessarily both left-handed and right handed, so that the reason behind handedness is not genetic. I think in the sentence:
“This would appear to discover the theory that being left-handed is inherited.”
The word “discover” should be replace by a word that have the meaning of “contradicting”, am I right?
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It's hard to tell. "Discover" does not mean that. Maybe "reveal". "Discover" must have an agentive subject, like a person.
"Contradict" would fit that context, yes. But I don't feel that I have enough information from that sentence to understand the intended meaning. Maybe contradict, maybe reveal, maybe show. But I'm just guessing.
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No, 'discover' in this context doesn't mean the same thing as contradicting. I think perhaps you are thinking of 'uncover'? This means the same as show, but has more connotation of surprise perhaps. Neither of these have the meaning of contradicting either.
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But "uncover" still does not fit well without an animate subject, like a human.
"The data uncovered the truth" sounds very awkward to me.
I think the best word is "reveal", if that meaning is correct.
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I have a question, does the word “discover” make sense in the following text?? Is it meaningful?
About ten percent of the population is left-handed, and it seems to run in families. The cause seems obvious: genetics. However, identical twins, who have identical genetics blueprints, are not necessarily both left-handed or right-handed. This would appear to discover the theory that being left-handed is inherited.
Genetic is what we inherit .isnt it. So the fact that identical twins are not necessarily both left-handed or right-handed contradict it .doesnt it?
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The data in the text show that there is no evidence for supporting the theory that handedness has any genetic base or is inherited, so I think “reveal or show” cannot logically be a proper choice.
Yes mallu, you exactly said what I mean :)
Based on this I think the theory didn't show anything, because the data contradicted it. So the word “discover” should be replace by another word, but which word????
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I really have no idea. That sentence is far enough from English that I don't know how to interpret it.
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I have a question, does the word “discover” make sense in the following text?? Is it meaningful?
About ten percent of the population is left-handed, and it seems to run in families. The cause seems obvious: genetics. However, identical twins, who have identical genetics blueprints, are not necessarily both left-handed or right-handed. This would appear to discover the theory that being left-handed is inherited.
Genetic is what we inherit .isnt it. So the fact that identical twins are not necessarily both left-handed or right-handed contradict it .doesnt it?
Are you possibly thinking of the word "dispute"? Discover, as others have mentioned, has the meaning of "reveal" or "uncover," and in this context for me has the meaning that the finding supports "the theory that being left-handed is inherited," because it reveals the theory.
However, "dispute" is also kind of weird, because it also selects for an animate agent.
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Thank you all,
So based on all of the answers:
1. discover is a wrong word in this sentence
2. the data do not support the theory
3. the sentence will be rewrite as following:
"This would appear to contradict the theory that being left-handed is inherited."
What's your idea?
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Looks good to me! Although I would use "this result," since bare demonstratives can be difficult to resolve.