Submitted 11 months ago by Hjalamanger@feddit.nu to [deleted]
I’ve seen .: used two times now, and I really wonder what is? The first time I saw it was in an extract from the Swedish dictionary SAOL in NE. They used it something like this so:
History.: since year x
More lately I saw it used in this comment by @nodsocket@lemmy.world like so:
What make bikes so expensive?
R.: The willing of people to buy them.
What is this? Were does it come from? Should I use it?
I’ve seen it as an easier to type version of the “therefore” symbol which is three dots in a triangle ∴
The symbol is used in math and logic. Try reading the word “therefore” in place of the symbol and see if it makes sense in context.
I always just thought ∴ meant you were being targeted by Predator.
“R.:” looks like an appreviated form of “Reply:”/“Response:” but since “History” isn’t abbreviated it just looks like a typo to me.
Maybe the period is for abbreviation. In that comment, from a cursory glance, maybe R. means Response.
Am I missing some comments somewhere? All I see are people telling you the difference between the latin ie and eg. Nobody has commented on your query.
I can see 4 top level comments earlier than yours that address the OP, without being involved in the ie eg debate. I’m on the same instance as you too so idk why you wouldn’t see them. caching problems with your app or browser?
Must be the app, as now I cannot even see my own comment that you replied to.
PlexSheep@feddit.de 11 months ago
Normally, it’s just abbreviation with a double colon afterwards.
Instead of
GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 11 months ago
FYI, “i.e.” comes from the Latin id est, meaning “that is”.
“e.g.” means “for example”, from the Latin exempli gratia.
The meaning is a little different, though the two are often interchanged. You should use “i.e.” to clarify a singular meaning (think “in other words…”) and use “e.g.” to give one of potentially many examples.
See merriam-webster.com/…/ie-vs-eg-abbreviation-meani… for more examples and explanations.
wjrii@kbin.social 11 months ago
For English speakers, you can mentally substitute "idiom explained" and "example given" as a mnemonic to help remember the difference.
PlexSheep@feddit.de 11 months ago
Good to know. I’m not a native English speaker. I was going for the equivalent of the German “z.B.” - “zum Beispiel”.
kirklennon@kbin.social 11 months ago
The abbreviation i.e. is short for "id est," literally "that is." English-language alternatives would be "that is to say" or "in other words."
The abbreviation e.g. is short for "exempli gratia," meaning "for example.
seitanic@lemmy.sdf.org 11 months ago
The way I remember it is “i.e.” means “In other words” and “e.g.” means “for Example”.
Cockmaster6000@sh.itjust.works 11 months ago
I.e. is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase for “in other words”. E.g. would be “for example”