4 ms·
A meta-comment, but, what is the difference between "learnings" and "lessons"? Why use the former when we have the latter?
by NoraCodes 3y ago
A meta-comment, but, what is the difference between "learnings" and "lessons"? Why use the former when we have the latter?
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- bigdict 3y agolearnings = lessons learned
- Jolter 3y agoLessons may be given, but are not necessarily learned.
- c0pium 3y agoGotta earn those fat management consultant fees somehow. I’m sure there’s a whole team at McKinsey doing nothing but inventing new ways to say the same things.
- fl7305 3y agoIn Swedish, there's a commonly used word "lärdomar" which is a direct match for "learnings". But where the Swedish word sounds natural in that language, "learnings" just sounds wrong in English, even though it apparently is technically correct.
- furyofantares 3y agoLearnings implies a report of your own experience; lessons implies something prepared as teaching material for the audience. (In the context of the title sentence anyway.)
- xanderlewis 3y ago‘Lessons’ to me also seems to carry a sense of regret, as in ‘things (we) got wrong’. ‘Learnings’ is a more obscure word that I would take to mean something more neutral: literally ‘things (I’ve) learnt’.
- kagol 3y agoPerhaps "findings" over "learnings", based on your description?
- klooney 3y agoI've always associated it with Indian English, possibly it's a dialect thing that's spread from that community.
- xanderlewis 3y agoMaybe it’s Kazakh. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borat ;-)
- swatcoder 3y agohttps://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/learnings https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/learnings Beyond what's noted there (contemporary business jargon), English is diffused across the globe and has many regional variations that are different than class-signalling/formal American and British usage. As we all encounter each other online, it's not always worth over-analyzing word choice when you can understand the intent.
- bee_rider 3y agoI think when you ask what the difference between two phrases is, people will really dig down to try and find a difference. IMO in this context it is basically shorthand for “things I learned/lessons learned while tuning LLM…,” and either would be fine. It is sort of an informal list of stuff the author learned. In my experience (nothing special, just another native speaker) “lessons from <event>” is the more typical American (at least) English phrase. But it is sort of close to “Lessons on.” “Lessons on” would imply more refined material that is more narrowly focused on teaching. So I wonder if the author decided they just didn’t want to worry about any confusion, or the possibility that they might misuse a phrase.
- AlexCoventry 3y agoI think it's new. I've only heard it in the last few years.
- amccollum 3y agoThis usage of "learnings", while certainly more common in "business jargon" today, was used by Shakespeare: https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkID=cymbeline&Act=1&Scene=1&Scope=scene&LineHighlight=34#34 https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view....
- nescioquid 3y agoSome words in Shakespeare have different meanings today or have simply left standard usage. I don't think the presence of a word in Shakespeare means it is de facto good style to use today. From a correctness stand-point, I think a descriptionist would be satisfied with an attested usage, especially from such a source. From a style point of view, I still find myself feeling embarrassed for the author when I encounter this usage (which is my own problem).
- catlover76 3y agoI assumed the author was a non-native English speaker