different than?

[jennie77]

In the early sentece I asked (regarding "as good an education), one of you said that comparison should be done with things in same level.

Then, what about the sentence below?

I'm trying to find someone of a different cultural background than myself.

Seemingly, the compared objects are "someone" and "myself",
But what is different here is "cultural background", isn't it?
A little bit confusing....

And one more question...
As far as I know, usually, after than, there come subject and verb clause.
(Just like "He solved the problem differently than I did.")
But here, there's just "myself"

Is it O.K?
Sounds a little akward......

Give my deep thanks to you all who always gladly help us learn more of English.

[ponpoco256]

Yes you are right.

What is to be compared with "someone's cultural background" is "my cultural background".
So careful speakers would say "I'm trying to find someone of a different cultural background than mine".

But there are a lot of native speakers who say "than myself" or "than me".

"He solved the problem differently than I did" is a perfect sentence.

ponpoco

[danmahaffey]

Originally Posted by ponpoco256

Yes you are right.

What is to be compared with "someone's cultural background" is "my cultural background".
So careful speakers would say "I'm trying to find someone of a different cultural background than mine".

But there are a lot of native speakers who say "than myself" or "than me".

"He solved the problem differently than I did" is a perfect sentence.

ponpoco

What's wrong here, guys, is different than. Than is used to compare. Different is not a comparative form of anything. Contrast different with taller than, wider than, heavier than, etc. Nothing can be different than. A thing can only be different from.

And it doesn't help different to make it become differently. You can't say he did it differently than me. You still must use from.

Given all that, where are we? Try, I'm trying to find someone of a different cultural background from mine.

P.S.-Don't use myself unless it is clearly reflexive, which in this case it is not. (I hate myself when I'm dogmatic.)

[ponpoco256]

Hello

I've learned "different" can be construed with either "from", "than", or "to".

Googlily:
"X is different from mine":66,100,
"X is different than mine":36,000
"X is different to mine":11,2000

ponpoco

[danmahaffey]

Originally Posted by ponpoco256

Hello

I've learned "different" can be construed with either "from", "than", or "to".

Googlily:
"X is different from mine":66,100,
"X is different than mine":36,000
"X is different to mine":11,2000

ponpoco

Oh, ponpoco, don't learn English from Google. Google is more brainless than a parrot. It will give you anything and everything that the internet has recorded.

Technically, than is a preposition to use for comparitive adjectives, and different is not in comparative form. If you were brave enough to say that A is more different that B, then you would be using different than correctly (but more different has problems of its own). The British like different to, and some of their grammarians are opposed to that form. I do not have an opinion of it for them. But I do not support it in the American dialect.

[ponpoco256]

When I say something here, I check them by four grammar books, and by five dictionaries. Google is used only to know the frequency of the usage and the social register level (degrees of formality).

Webster says about different in its usage note as follows:

Random House Webster College Dictionary

Although it is frequently claimed that different should be followed only by from, not by than, in actual usage both words have occurred for at least 300 years and are standard in all varieties of spoken and written American English. From is more common today in introducing a phrase, but than is also used: "New York speech is different from (or than) that of Chicago". "Than" is usually used to introduce a clause: "The stream followed a different course than the map showed". In sentences of this type, when from is used instead of than, more words are necessary : "a different course from the one the map showed". In British English to frequently follows different : "The early sketches are very different to the later ones". "Different" in the sense "unusual" is well established in all but the most formal American English : The décor in the theater is really different.

ponpoco

[danmahaffey]

Originally Posted by ponpoco256

When I say something here, I check them by four grammar books, and by five dictionaries. Google is used only to know the frequency of the usage and the social register level (degrees of formality).

Webster says about different in its usage note as follows:



ponpoco

Ponpoco, I know you are a scholar. I would expect no less of your research than the check of multiple dictionaries you cited. Your reference to Google in your earlier answer surprised me since I am sure you are as aware of its deficiencies as I am. I admit I overreacted. And the esteemed Random House has certainly identified a common, though incorrect, usage of different than.

None of the above, however, changes the meaning of the word than into from. Again we are at the point of an English transition. We are asking the language to allow an unusual and special definition for one word (than=from) in one situation and not others (different than=different from) so that some speakers can use it wrongly, because to use it correctly is difficult for them. Maybe the language (and by that I mean, respected authors, speakers, and institutions) will concede the point in time. Today, however, I don't think than means from when preceded by different.

As for the sentence in the dictionary, The stream followed a different course than the map showed, a correct sentence would be, The stream followed a different course from what the map showed.

At this point, since I like to think we are all adults, I don't have to ask anyone to agree with me. If you are comfortable with different than, this falls into my category II, preference or style choices. (It's only English, not world peace.) Carry on.

[ponpoco256]

I have no intention to become another Temico, but I'd like to say that I have a feeling from my experience online that many of Americans or British people tend to believe only what they speak everyday represents the standard of English. They often say like "This is correct because I speak so" or "This is incorrect because I don’t speak so". I feel this way of saying is kind of the arrogance native speakers of a language would have, whatever language it may be. Speaking about me, I can say rather easily about math matters what is correct and what is incorrect. But, as far as a language concerned, I have a feeling it might be not so easy to say what is correct and what is incorrect; what you or we can say easily would be only "common or uncommon around me".

ponpoco

[danmahaffey]

Originally Posted by ponpoco256

I have no intention to become another Temico, but I'd like to say that I have a feeling from my experience online that many of Americans or British people tend to believe only what they speak everyday represents the standard of English. They often say like "This is correct because I speak so" or "This is incorrect because I don’t speak so". I feel this way of saying is kind of the arrogance native speakers of a language would have, whatever language it may be. Speaking about me, I can say rather easily about math matters what is correct and what is incorrect. But, as far as a language concerned, I have a feeling it might be not so easy to say what is correct and what is incorrect; what you or we can say easily would be only "common or uncommon around me".

ponpoco

I humbly acknowledge the truth of your observation.