Jolt Country

This is a language question. Let's see what the right answer is.

There is no right answer, unless you mean ten beers is equal to one pretty good start.


THE
MUST BE GETTING
CLOSE TO SATURDAY
AARDVARK

If you have ten apples, and someone asks you "do you have one apple?" do you say yes or no?

If I knew the answer to the question, I wouldn't have asked it, see?

Yeah you would. You already know the answer to this language question.

Is this a quantum statement thing? Like if you have a hole and fill it in halfway you still have one hole?

The apple answer would be yes because the querent wants to know if a single apple is separate from a group of apples. The person with ten apples (we'll call him the greengrocer) responds to the querent (we'll call him the customer): "Yes, I have one apple. Do you wish to buy it or will you steal it from me and then go on a long sea voyage in search of King Kong?"


THE
THREE FOR A DOLLAR
AARDVARK

If you have 10, you also have 1, yes. Anything else is a computer science weirdo being weird.

The problem is, depending on the context and the inflection, I think both yes and no are proper answers.

"Do you have an old computer?"

"No, I have ten of them."
"Yes, I have ten of them."

Without context, it's difficult to determine whether "an" means "just one" or "any."

Nobody said "an". This is just about "one".

pinback wrote:Nobody said "an". This is just about "one".

Actually, that's crucial because it depends on whether the person is being asked in a way in which they are being queried on an inventory basis or an exact basis.

The reason you're being asked may also have to do with whether the person wants some from you (whether to buy, borrow or leech) or is just curious.

Part of your poll raises that point: "Yes, I do have one" or "No I have ten," can also be related to how the something is packaged.

If you have a twenty, a five, and a ten in your pocket or wallet, do you have one dollar? Clearly, you do not even though you have thirty-five dollars.

So you could have a ten dollar bill, and be asked if you have one dollar, the answer can be yes, or no, depending on whether you take the question as an inventory (then the answer is no) or as a value (then the answer is yes).

This actually is a good question, like the "sandwich" one I proposed a few months ago.

So let me add that as a secondary question, "if you have a ten dollar bill, and are asked if you have one dollar, do you say 'yes,' or 'no' and do you qualify your answer?"

And further, if you have the ten items, but not on you, such as in the bank or at home, how do you answer? (Substitute "in storage" for "bank" for things other than money.)

Also this all presumes you give a shit and would answer the question, or answer it honestly.

Yes. It's a true statement. In fact, it's true ten times.

Tdarcos wrote:

pinback wrote:Nobody said "an". This is just about "one".

Actually, that's crucial because it depends on whether the person is being asked in a way in which they are being queried on an inventory basis or an exact basis.

Heeeey, Paul's back! Where ya been all week, buddy?