“a couple of weeks” ≠ a fortnight

retired_cRankLin · 11-14-2007, 07:41 AM

It would be impossible to set an exact date on the patch release, no one could really know how long t would take to get everything spot on.

In Miles' statement about the patch I don't think he meant to come across that he was making a promise on the patch being released in exactly 2 weeks. Perhaps his choice of words could have been better,but it reads to me like he is using the word "couple" very loosly and did not mean it as a set in stone profit.

Yes I'm annoyed that the game was released so badly bugged and may not buy another version until I know it is bug free, but now I think it is sensible to wait until the patch is down 100% before releasing it to an already very critical public.

retired_cRankLin · 11-14-2007, 07:42 AM

set in stone "promise" doh

retired_lisa strom · 11-14-2007, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jimbokav1971:
There is a difference in the UK and US use of the word couple.

<BLOCKQUOTE>[edit] Usage notes
In U.K. usage, couple is followed by of when used to mean "two", as in "a couple of people". In US usage, of is often omitted, as in "I went there a couple times".
In the U.S., "a couple of things" or people may be used to mean two of them, but it is also often used to mean any small number. The latter usage is disputed.
The farm is a couple of miles off the main highway [=a few miles away].
In the U.K., "a couple of" almost always means just two
We’re going out to a restaurant with a couple of friends [=two friends].

Maybe SI are embracing "Soccer". </BLOCKQUOTE>Indeed, There is a difference between the US and the UK meaning of quite a number of words and not only couple. FOOTBALL and SOCCER is another example.

I am from Singapore, Singapore is a former British Crown colony and thus a lot of our culture and our language is pass down from the British. As such we treat a couple of as just 2

retired_lisa strom · 11-14-2007, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by neil220779:
It would be impossible to set an exact date on the patch release, no one could really know how long t would take to get everything spot on.

In Miles' statement about the patch I don't think he meant to come across that he was making a promise on the patch being released in exactly 2 weeks. Perhaps his choice of words could have been better,but it reads to me like he is using the word "couple" very loosly and did not mean it as a set in stone profit.

Yes I'm annoyed that the game was released so badly bugged and may not buy another version until I know it is bug free, but now I think it is sensible to wait until the patch is down 100% before releasing it to an already very critical public.

Indeed, I am not expecting SI to release the patch before it is tested to be working PERFECTLY, but their "loosely term promise" gave us false hopes. Why drive our hopes UP so high and don't fulfill it? Why can't revert back to the good old days that no dates are given no matter how much begging and asking for a date to be given?

retired_w0lfpack1 · 11-14-2007, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by reddevil0728:
In the first place, no dictionary is ever 100% right, there is bound to be some discrepancy in their definitions given and the most important thing, is SI expecting us to think of only the definition number 14? Everyone is different. The best they can do is to make it clear or not even say anything at all.

In this case, however, its very clear that the idiom meaning of a couple of is different from the literal meaning of couple.

In much the same way that, say, changed his mind, if one were to take the literal interpretation of, one might think he replaced his brain.. but its obvious in all usage that the idiom meaning, decide to do something different from what had been decided earlier is what the speaker intends to say.

retired_lisa strom · 11-14-2007, 07:47 AM

I would also appreciate someone from SI to enlighten us on some of the question which I posted in the 8.01 "beta patch" thread.

I would appreciate if someone could answer why was a “Pre-Gold Demo” version of the game NOT released for the community to try it out and discover any major bugs before the Gold Demo was released? It was the case previously where a “Pre-Gold Demo” version was release and many major bugs were discovered and corrected before the Gold version was released. In addition, why the game was released less than 20 days after the Gold Demo was released as such there isn’t enough time for the Sports Interactive team to actually start the process of coming up with a new patch for the game so that it can be release as soon as possible when the game goes into retail.

Which Ter ignored the whole thing and just side step and said I ignored the rest of the quote when I didn't. I only Emphasize the part which I am trying to argue for.

retired_lisa strom · 11-14-2007, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Amaroq:
<BLOCKQUOTE>Originally posted by reddevil0728:
In the first place, no dictionary is ever 100% right, there is bound to be some discrepancy in their definitions given and the most important thing, is SI expecting us to think of only the definition number 14? Everyone is different. The best they can do is to make it clear or not even say anything at all.

In this case, however, its very clear that the idiom meaning of a couple of is different from the literal meaning of couple.

In much the same way that, say, changed his mind, if one were to take the literal interpretation of, one might think he replaced his brain.. but its obvious in all usage that the idiom meaning, decide to do something different from what had been decided earlier is what the speaker intends to say. </BLOCKQUOTE>Please refer to Jimbokav1971 post thank you

retired_cRankLin · 11-14-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by reddevil0728:
<BLOCKQUOTE>Originally posted by neil220779:
It would be impossible to set an exact date on the patch release, no one could really know how long t would take to get everything spot on.

In Miles' statement about the patch I don't think he meant to come across that he was making a promise on the patch being released in exactly 2 weeks. Perhaps his choice of words could have been better,but it reads to me like he is using the word "couple" very loosly and did not mean it as a set in stone profit.

Yes I'm annoyed that the game was released so badly bugged and may not buy another version until I know it is bug free, but now I think it is sensible to wait until the patch is down 100% before releasing it to an already very critical public.

Indeed, I am not expecting SI to release the patch before it is tested to be working PERFECTLY, but their "loosely term promise" gave us false hopes. Why drive our hopes UP so high and don't fulfill it? Why can't revert back to the good old days that no dates are given no matter how much begging and asking for a date to be given? </BLOCKQUOTE>

If you are going to be picky about what words he used, then I'd like to point out he never made any "promises" about a specific date.

It is simply a general statement to give us a rough idea of when he hopes the patch will be ready. I think you're taking this all a bit too literally to be honest.

I'm not loking to pick a fight, I just think we are looking at his post differently :thup:

retired_w0lfpack1 · 11-14-2007, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by reddevil0728:
Please refer to Jimbokav1971 post thank you

Thanks.

Jimbokav, please provide a link supporting your post.

Searching specifically for U.K. English sources, I find supporting definition for "a couple of" meaning "a few" in informal usage at:
http://dictionary.cambrige.org/ - Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
www.askoxford.com - Compact Oxford English Dictionary

I don't find any support for the assertion "In the U.K., 'a couple of' almost always means just two.."

.. and even then, if the 'except' to the statement 'almost always' is - as noted in the 'dictionary.com' "Usage note" - "with measurements of time and distance", then that would seem to moot the remainder of the argument.

(In that case, it would have a 'precise' meaning for 'a couple of friends' and the imprecise meaning for 'a couple of weeks'.)

retired_qwerty · 11-14-2007, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by neil220779:

If you are going to be picky about what words he used, then I'd like to point out he never made any "promises" about a specific date.

It is simply a general statement to give us a rough idea of when he hopes the patch will be ready. I think you're taking this all a bit too literally to be honest.

I'm not loking to pick a fight, I just think we are looking at his post differently :thup:

"We will be releasing a final version of the patch in a couple of weeks, once we're happy with it and have gone through a full test cycle internally. " From Miles Jacobson in the sticky.

That is a promise. It is a not 'general statement to give us a rough idea of when he hopes the patch will be ready'. There is no suggestion of 'hope' in the original statement.

“a couple of weeks” ≠ a fortnight

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“a couple of weeks” ≠ a fortnight