Jomega@lemmy.world to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world · edit-21 day agoDespite being true, the sentence "Most people are Chinese." sounds weird when spoken out loud.message-squaremessage-square27linkfedilinkarrow-up181arrow-down141file-text
arrow-up140arrow-down1message-squareDespite being true, the sentence "Most people are Chinese." sounds weird when spoken out loud.Jomega@lemmy.world to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world · edit-21 day agomessage-square27linkfedilinkfile-text
minus-squareTenniswaffles@lemmy.blahaj.zonelinkfedilinkarrow-up2arrow-down10·2 days agoMost doesn’t mean or imply more than half, its the largest group, or greatest in quantity, biggest piece, etc. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/most https://www.thefreedictionary.com/most https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/most
minus-squareLordMayor@piefed.sociallinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up5·edit-215 hours agoThe definitions you link all include a meaning of “most” that is “a majority of”. Context matters. “China has the most people.” Here it means the greatest quantity. “Most people are Chinese.” Here it means a majority of people are Chinese. That’s just how English works. Also, India has the most people, not China.
minus-squareTheReanuKeeves@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up3·2 days agoI hope you were drunk and or high when you decided it would be a good idea to comment this
minus-squareThymos@discuss.tchncs.delinkfedilinkarrow-up1·2 days agoBut in this case there is a larger group than the Chinese people, i.e. all the people that are not Chinese. If “most people are not Chinese” is true, then “most people are Chinese” cannot be true.
Most doesn’t mean or imply more than half, its the largest group, or greatest in quantity, biggest piece, etc.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/most
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/most
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/most
The definitions you link all include a meaning of “most” that is “a majority of”. Context matters.
“China has the most people.” Here it means the greatest quantity.
“Most people are Chinese.” Here it means a majority of people are Chinese.
That’s just how English works.
Also, India has the most people, not China.
I hope you were drunk and or high when you decided it would be a good idea to comment this
But in this case there is a larger group than the Chinese people, i.e. all the people that are not Chinese. If “most people are not Chinese” is true, then “most people are Chinese” cannot be true.