"a little different" vs. "a little bit different"

[Jaakov]

Dear all:

What is the difference between
"a little different" and
"a little bit different"
in a phrase like
"This code is a little [bit] different from the one found on page 4."

Best regards

Jaakov.

[Don Phillipson]

"Jaakov" <jaakovR...@roDELETETHIS.ru> wrote in message
news:kvnd29$uuf$4...@speranza.aioe.org...

> What is the difference between
> "a little different" and
> "a little bit different"
> in a phrase like
> "This code is a little [bit] different from the one found on page 4."

Any difference is in the idiolect of the speaker.
(No useful difference is inherent in the language; none can be
documented in either grammar book or lexicon.)

--
NB: new @address via Xplornet
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

[Leslie Danks]

Jaakov wrote:

> Dear all:
>
> What is the difference between
> "a little different" and
> "a little bit different"
> in a phrase like
> "This code is a little [bit] different from the one found on page 4."
>

The meanings are the same. To me, "a little" sounds more formal than "a
little bit", which I wouldn't write (except perhaps in a letter to someone I
know very well), but would certainly say.

--
Les (BrE)
This article is a honeypot for typo-spotters.

[peter]

I think it might be a question of degree Jakov.

"A little different" has about it a feeling of "well it's different but
only a little different", signifies that the difference may not be so
much as to be of concern.

"A little bit different", strangely enough this might also be used by a
speaker to denote that there is a lot of difference but the speaker is
being polite or perhaps not being direct in stating his or her true
assessment of the difference. This might appear as, "well it is a little
bit different", with the emphasis on "is" and possibly also on "little"
it might signify that there is a lot of difference but the speaker is
being too polite to say so. As has been posted before, this is very
idiomatic and possibly even the sort of use that might appear in a
particular culture of English-speakers where being blunt is to be
avoided.

[Jaakov]

Thanks to everyone!!!

Best regards,

Jaakov

[Jaakov]

Peter, thank you for a careful answer!

[CDB]

On 04/09/2013 6:32 PM, Jaakov wrote:
> schrieb Jaakov:

>> What is the difference between
>> "a little different" and
>> "a little bit different"
>> in a phrase like
>> "This code is a little [bit] different from the one found on page 4."

There's no difference in meaning, but "a little bit different" seems to
be a bit more emphatic than "a little different". The difference is
smaller -- a matter of connotation.

Grammatically, "a little" and "a little bit" in that context are both
noun phrases being used as adverbs to modify "different", and there's no
great difference between the noun phrases "a little" and "a little bit".

[Test]

Thank you!

[Jaakov]

Let me thank you a lot for the answer!

[abc]

CDB wrote:
> On 04/09/2013 6:32 PM, Jaakov wrote:
>> schrieb Jaakov:
>
>>> What is the difference between
>>> "a little different" and
>>> "a little bit different"
>>> in a phrase like
>>> "This code is a little [bit] different from the one found on page 4."
>
> There's no difference in meaning, but "a little bit different" seems to
> be a bit more emphatic than "a little different". The difference is
> smaller -- a matter of connotation.

That's the difference I think I hear too.
With "bit" I'd expect the difference to be smaller.
abc

[adriano...@gmail.com]

> Best re> Jaakov. kaioalmeida