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Nem on 31 October 2017
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StarDoor said:
Nem said:

I am not very inclined to continue conversation with you. It is your problem that you decided to take it personally.

English words are not yours alone. Many of the words are shared by multiple languages and have similar meanings. Try learning more languages and you'll see.

But, read below if you want to learn.

I don't know how you reading that but i will explain the logic behind the meaning. But i will explain below.

Indeed, this may be an american issue because you only have 2 parties. So, whoever is up is therefore defaulted to the majority. Theres no need for any more distinctions.

This meaning to the majority word comes from comparing the groups, let's say, so this doesn't get politic.

Take group A 40%

        group B  30%

        group C 20%

       group D  10%

By your common definition there is no majority. But you still need a way to say wich sample is bigger. The word majority took that meaning aswell as we saw in alinea c.

How is it a majority when it's less than 50%?

The way it is called a majority it's because it's a majority when comparing the different samples (groups in our case).

Sample A wich is 40% when compared between them Is 66% compared to sample C 33% (wich was 20%).

Sample A compared to sample D is 80% to 20%.

This group is the majority compared to every other group and is thus an accepted used of the word. It's a relative majority.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/relative-majority

If you want to say that they are the majority when looking at the universe the term for it is absolute majority.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/absolute-majority?s=t

 

So, either use of the word Majority is correct or insuficient in both cases. So, the word took both meanings.

I'm not sure why you're accusing me of taking it personally when you were the one who took more offense than I could have possibly imagined from the mere statement of your home country. I think it's reasonable to assume that native speakers have a better grasp on their own language than foreigners. You're the one who decided to start slinging insults by saying that I "lack education".

Moving on from that, in the situation that you are describing, we would say that group A is a plurality, as Dulfite and I have both already said. 

The terms "absolute majority" and "relative majority" are almost never used in the United States because there are more concise alternatives, but people would still have understood your meaning had you just used "relative majority" in the first place. If you merely say that something is a "majority," everyone will assume that you're talking about an absolute majority, because that is how the word is used.

"Relative majority" is interchangeable with "plurality".
"Absolute majority" is interchangeable with "majority".
"Relative majority" is NOT interchangeable with "majority".

...

Well, you were the one that attacked me by trying to somehow undervalue me or my birth country. Tbh i hardly understand where the idea comes from, unless you really don't know. And again, the word "majority" is not yours alone.

And for the definition. It's there in the dictionary. Majority is an insuficient description, wich is why it works on both cases. You do know that words can have more than one meaning right?

Or you can think you know more than the dictionary and declare your rules. I guess it's your right to believe whatever you want.

And you know, i don't contest that Plurity can be another way to adress it.

But if you look at the definition.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plurality

c :a number of votes cast for a candidate in a contest of more than two candidates that is greater than the number cast for any other candidate but not more than half the total votes cast

 

Its 3c. Theres many other more common meanings for the word.

So, contradiction much?

 

Dude, just leave it. Words have several meanings. Not knowing all of them is not shameful. But beeing arrogant and thinking you do when you don't know  doesn't gain you any respect.

Like from my POV i can admit i used a meaning in a word that many don't seem to be familiar with. I will try to say what i mean in a different way in the future, so it doesn't become this clash again. But, it wasn't wrong.

Last edited by Nem - on 31 October 2017