diving semantics

[dfx]

I am not going anywhere with this, just thought it would be a interesting discussion. After a few replies with different answers, I think it is safe to assume that the statements are at least ambiguous.

FTR, I don't think the first statement is really that ambiguous. If you talk about depth, then "more" is deeper and "less" is shallower. The second one is confusing because hardly anyone speaks and thinks of depth in terms of "higher" and "lower".

 

[uncfnp]

FTR, I don't think the first statement is really that ambiguous. If you talk about depth, then "more" is deeper and "less" is shallower. The second one is confusing because hardly anyone speaks and thinks of depth in terms of "higher" and "lower".

Agree. And I prefer shallower to more shallow. Personal preference.

 

[nimoh]

FTR, I don't think the first statement is really that ambiguous. If you talk about depth, then "more" is deeper and "less" is shallower. The second one is confusing because hardly anyone speaks and thinks of depth in terms of "higher" and "lower".

I think you're right, everyone that has replied seems to agree that in the first statement the second dive is shallower, so it probably isn't ambiguous.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'm with nimoh and would use the phrase "more shallow". Also a personal grammatical preference.

 

[fjpatrum]

I had an interesting conversation recently, where there was a lot of confusion regarding intended meaning of sentences. I probably thought about the discussion too much, but I came up with a few phrases related to diving that I think are a little odd.

For each of these, ask your self was the second dive deeper or shallower?

1. My dive this morning was to 80', my second dive was less than that.

2. My dive this morning was to 80', my second dive was higher than that.


I would ask that you answer before reading other responses. Also, feel free to add other sentences related to diving that are a little ambiguous.

In both of those I would assume that the person speaking meant shallower, but I would clarify, just to be certain I understood correctly.

 

[windapp]

How about... I saw an awesome shark on my first dive, and some really cool seahorses on my second. Who cares how deep the dives were?

 

[nimoh]

How about... I saw an awesome shark on my first dive, and some really cool seahorses on my second. Who cares how deep the dives were?

best answer yet!

...unless the follow up statement is "I am feeling a little pain in my elbow"

 

[doctormike]

1. My dive this morning was to 80', my second dive was less than that.

2. My dive this morning was to 80', my second dive was higher than that.

1. The second dive was shallower

2. You drove up to a mountain lake for the second dive.

I have never heard the word "higher" used to refer to the depth of a dive, and I spend a LOT of time on these forums!

Now, is it "I dived a lot this season" or "I dove a lot this season"...?

 

[Tigerman]

I had an interesting conversation recently, where there was a lot of confusion regarding intended meaning of sentences. I probably thought about the discussion too much, but I came up with a few phrases related to diving that I think are a little odd.

For each of these, ask your self was the second dive deeper or shallower?

1. My dive this morning was to 80', my second dive was less than that.

2. My dive this morning was to 80', my second dive was higher than that.


I would ask that you answer before reading other responses. Also, feel free to add other sentences related to diving that are a little ambiguous.

Both 2nd dives where shallower than 80 feet. less than 80 means anything up to and including 79 feet - which is shallower.
Higher could mean higher by elevation, higher by water column or higher up on the reef, all being in effect shallower. That said, higher would be a kinda weird way to express my depth in the first place though..

 

[ladyfishdvr]

This kind of reminds me of a conversation I had with someone who said " When you ask how far it is to get somewhere, why do most people reply in miles, but people in this area reply in time?"

I guess it depends on your perspective. Who cares if its a mile away if its gonna take you 30 minutes to drive there.... at 5pm or 5 minutes at noon.

Perhaps the person saying "My second dive was higher than that" is a more visual thinker.