I took a trip down to Mexico last week and I heard "so-so" in response to "Do you speak English?" Now, I'm used to hearing "so-so" more in the context of "all right" or "OK", but not as in "more or less". Is this usage correct or is it a lack of good teaching?
Learn English – Is “so-so” correct usage for “more or less”
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Yes, you can use content as you have there. An example from the link:
the greater part of the century was a time of content
The main difference (according to the dictionary I linked to) is that content as a mass noun means "a state of satisfaction" whereas contentment means "a state of happiness and satisfaction".
As to the popularity of the phrases in your title:
(Click the image to go to the site)
Google Ngrams clearly shows that content used in that way has greatly decreased in popularity in the last eighty years. That doesn't mean it's wrong, but it could become archaic usage over the next few decades.
Proponent(s) would be a great fit.
From Oxford's entry:
proponent (noun)
a person who advocates a theory, proposal, or project
A very similar word that works is proposer(s).
Best Answer
According to Merriam-Webster, "so-so" means "neither very good nor very bad."
According to The American Heritage Dictionary, "more or less" is an idiom meaning "basically, essentially."
I have often heard Japanese and Korean students of English also use "so-so" in terms of their English proficiencies, and based on cultural context (outward humility), I think they mean to say that they are okay at English, but not great, rather than the seemingly less humble meaning of "more or less" (saying they can basically speak the language).