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> I disagree that or is ambiguous There are examples of inclusive “or” in natural language. When the waiter asks: “Would you like cream or sugar?”, it’s not me
by thih9 6y ago
> I disagree that or is ambiguous
There are examples of inclusive “or” in natural language. When the waiter asks: “Would you like cream or sugar?”, it’s not meant to imply that you should pick only one; it’s fine to answer “both” (example from: https://divisbyzero.com/2009/09/27/is-or-an-inclusive-or-or-an-exclusive-or/ https://divisbyzero.com/2009/09/27/is-or-an-inclusive-or-or-... ).
- chrismorgan 6y agoAnd if you put a comma in, then it reverts it to exclusive or: “Would you like cream, or sugar?” This may depend on locale, however; I’m speaking of Australian English, and it’s possible that in some locales there may be a verbal cue to indicate the exclusive or but that it wouldn’t be spelled in any way. (As it stands, you could still have a pause before the “or” permitting inclusive or with two inqusitive portions: “Would you like cream? Or sugar?”) This is a large part of why I dislike prescribed Oxford comma, because it undermines this legitimate use of a comma to alter the semantics.