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Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: pooka on August 15, 2007, 12:12:38 PM

Title: As if, as though
Post by: pooka on August 15, 2007, 12:12:38 PM

Is there a difference between these expressions?  "If" is conditional.  It is a logical function.  

if 1 then 1 = T
if 1 then 0 = F
if 0 then 1 = T
if 0 then 0 = T

Right?  Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Title: As if, as though
Post by: Jonathon on August 15, 2007, 12:16:20 PM

The two expressions are completely equivalent. link (http://www.bartleby.com/68/50/550.html)

I'm not sure what logical functions have to do with it, though.

Title: As if, as though
Post by: pooka on August 15, 2007, 12:57:50 PM

I think they are different because "though" can mean "in spite of", "even if", "notwithstanding" and "however" (from dictionary.com).  It has a quality of butness.

Title: As if, as though
Post by: Jonathon on August 15, 2007, 01:07:45 PM

If and though both have a lot of different meanings, and they overlap a bit. One of the meanings of if is "even though" or "although perhaps," so I have no problem seeing how the two phrases can mean the same thing.

Title: As if, as though
Post by: Porter on August 15, 2007, 01:10:00 PM

"as if" != "as" + "if"

Title: As if, as though
Post by: pooka on August 16, 2007, 06:24:51 AM

Yes, the "as" muddles things up quite a bit, and yet it does have a logical operation in:  A is to B as C is to D.

Do I have the truth table of "if" right?  I looked up sentential logic on wiki and it didn't really cover that.

I think the truthfulness of Though depends more on the agent, and If depends more on the patient.

Put another way, I think "as if" is to behave according to the appearance, while "as though" is to behave according to inherence.  

I'm not sure if that's even a real word.

Ah.  

Quote

2. Philosophy. the relation of an attribute to its subject.

(sorry about the gratuitous editing.)

Title: As if, as though
Post by: Jonathon on August 16, 2007, 07:42:27 AM

*shrug*

The usage guides I've consulted say that "as if" and "as though" are exactly the same. I have never seen anyone draw a distinction between them.

And I don't remember enough about truth tables to tell you off the top of my head whether that's right or not.