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[off-topic] Interestingly, "half a dozen" makes it sound bigger by relating to twelve (12), while "a handful", while closer to the truth, would somehow diminis

[off-topic] Interestingly, "half a dozen" makes it sound bigger by relating to twelve (12), while "a handful", while closer to the truth, would somehow diminish the impact. PS: I suggest that "a hanfdful" is closer to the truth, because any value different than 5, 6, 7 could have been named more appropriately. e.g. 2-3: a couple 4: a handful 5-6: a handful - half a dozen 7: half a dozen (somehow) 8-9: about ten 10: ten 11-12-13: a dozen ... If I sounds like I'm pointing fingers, see me as a target as well. I want to highlight this as a funny/interesting bias in numbering as a communication technique. If someone in the crowd has a name or reference for it, I'm still curious.

rustyminnow 5y ago
I also find this interesting. I'd argue that "a couple" can really only refer to two, but "a few" could be 2/3/4. I think the issue though, is when you say "a handful is closer to the truth" it sounds like you're correcting gp and telling them how many languages they know/use. Perhaps gp does use exactly 6 languages so saying a half dozen IS accurate? I personally use a "fair number" of languages on the regular as well.
- bradknowles 5y ago
  In this vein, the funniest thing I ever heard is that the Bible (of all documents), actually tells us what a “few” is. Namely, eight. See 1 Peter 3:20 at https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/3-20.htm https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/3-20.htm
- xcambar 5y ago
  I am obviously not in a position to claim any authority over the number of languages GP is working with :) Even if "half a dozen" is accurate, the usage of such indirect phrasing has some effect on the reader. Whether it is conscious or not, "half a dozen" reader bigger than 6. No harm intended on my end.
dspillett 5y ago
I'd argue that a “handful” is a bad measure as it is far too subjective. Even in the physical world rather than the murky depths of analogy. I've seen handful used to mean a wide range of numbers, some using it as an alternative to “a few”, some to mean around the order of 10, and so on. Half a dozen is much more likely to be interpreted by each reader as more-or-less the same scale. Heck, it might be entirely accurate or even an understatement. I use four languages actively (c#, JS, SQL, Bash), five if you count PowerShell (though I only touch that at most once or twice a month ATM, so I'm not counting that as active). I find it very easy to believe many out there actively create new stuff in 6 or more, especially if they work on multiple sets of projects (day job current, day job legacy, personal experiments, open source projects, ...).

rustyminnow 5y ago

I also find this interesting. I'd argue that "a couple" can really only refer to two, but "a few" could be 2/3/4. I think the issue though, is when you say "a handful is closer to the truth" it sounds like you're correcting gp and telling them how many languages they know/use. Perhaps gp does use exactly 6 languages so saying a half dozen IS accurate? I personally use a "fair number" of languages on the regular as well.

bradknowles 5y ago
In this vein, the funniest thing I ever heard is that the Bible (of all documents), actually tells us what a “few” is. Namely, eight. See 1 Peter 3:20 at https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/3-20.htm https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/3-20.htm
xcambar 5y ago
I am obviously not in a position to claim any authority over the number of languages GP is working with :) Even if "half a dozen" is accurate, the usage of such indirect phrasing has some effect on the reader. Whether it is conscious or not, "half a dozen" reader bigger than 6. No harm intended on my end.

dspillett 5y ago

I'd argue that a “handful” is a bad measure as it is far too subjective. Even in the physical world rather than the murky depths of analogy. I've seen handful used to mean a wide range of numbers, some using it as an alternative to “a few”, some to mean around the order of 10, and so on. Half a dozen is much more likely to be interpreted by each reader as more-or-less the same scale. Heck, it might be entirely accurate or even an understatement. I use four languages actively (c#, JS, SQL, Bash), five if you count PowerShell (though I only touch that at most once or twice a month ATM, so I'm not counting that as active). I find it very easy to believe many out there actively create new stuff in 6 or more, especially if they work on multiple sets of projects (day job current, day job legacy, personal experiments, open source projects, ...).