I have recently noticed a phenomenon in English that seems quite common. The phenomenon is regarding the usage of certain adverbs:
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Practically should mean in a practical manner. But it is often used to mean almost or mostly: e.g. "She was practically fainting from lack of air."
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Essentially should mean in essence or in an essential manner. But it is also often used to mean almost or mostly: e.g. "I am essentially done with my courses this semester"; "He was essentially an adult although he was technically a child."
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Reasonably should mean in a reasonable manner but it is used to mean quite or somewhat: e.g. "The food was reasonably good", or "She remained reasonably calm despite her fear."
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Ridiculously should mean in a ridiculous way but it is often used to mean extremely or overly.
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Basically should mean in a basic or fundamental sense but it is often used to mean almost or mostly.
There does seem to be some sense to this. For instance, when I say "I am essentially done with my courses this semester", what I might mean is that in essence I am done. But in casual use, I don't think most people think of it this way. If I say "I'm essentially finished eating" I don't mean to suggest that I am finished in some essential way, or that I have some essential property as if I were finished. Rather, I mean "I'm almost finished eating." Similarly, "She remained reasonably calm" suggests that she was quite calm, not necessarily that her calmness was reasonable or rational. If I wanted to say that her calmness was rational, I would have said "she remained rational and stayed calm".
My questions are:
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Does this phenomenon have a name? There seem to be a lot of adverbs that are used in this way.
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Is this usage correct, or should one only use adverbs like practically, reasonably, basically when they can actually be substituted with practically speaking, in a reasonable way, and in a basic manner?
Best Answer
In each of the example sentences of the OP, someone chose a word that approximated a more complex thought, and presented the language in a sentence. Then someone reads the word, and chooses an interpretation of the speaker's thought. In some examples, the OP interpretation may be closer than others. Only the original writer could confirm the actual meaning, but allow me to suggest a possible meaning for each adverb that shows how the usage was
essentially,
basically,
reasonably and
practically correct:
The original adverb choice builds on a root meaning. It replaces the complex thought, answering an adverbial query:
approximate interpretation is the name of this phenomenon:
approximate ODO
interpretation WNWD (1960)
The writer approximates the meaning in his mind by using a word. Understanding that there would be many appropriate adverbial queries, the reader interprets an approximate meaning from the usage. Approximate interpretation is the reason our conversations can be so interesting--even intense.