More or less

Quick one: a colleague of my fiancée undertook a week-long course in Aragón somewhere. It was a residential/intensive sort of deal and went well. At some point during the week, in the midst of a debate, Gemma's colleague used the English phrase "…more or less…". Her English teacher, who is Spanish, reprimanded her and advised that "more or less" is an import into English from the Spanish "mas o menos". She was told, in no uncertain terms, that the average Englishman wouldn't understand what was meant by the phrase.

Now, wishy-washy as it is, I'm pretty sure that "more or less" is not a Spanish invention. I'm not sure how to prove this, but I'd go further and say that Spanish hasn't had much influence on English, when compared with - say - Urdu, French, Hindi and others. Besides, I'm convinced that any natural English speaker would understand the possible equivocation of this simple term.
Oh, and I've just had a question read out on BBC Five Live. And sort of half answered by historian Niall Ferguson.

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May 26, 2006 | Filed Under Spain 

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