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with little or no warning

English translation: no warning, or not a very long period of warning

05:29 Aug 27, 2019
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Law/Patents - Medical: Health Care / with little or no warning
English term or phrase: with little or no warning
Good day,

this is a legal consent regarding VBAC

i need to know
:( I have also been advised that a rupture of the uterus may occur with little or no warning to my health care team or me.)

does this "with little or no warning" mean a small amount of warning might occur, a "too late warning" might occur, or no warning at all might occur?

Please if you are not 100 % positive, do not reply to this.

Appreciations
Rahaf ziad
Syria
Local time: 01:35
Selected answer:no warning, or not a very long period of warning
Explanation:
It means it might occur without any warning at all, or with only a very short period of warning.
We can't usually talk about an 'amount of warning', but warning in this sort of sense almost invariably refers to a time element — so you might have (say) only a few hours' warning.
I think if it had been intended to mean 'no warning, or only subtle signs as warning', they would certainly have phrased it differently.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2019-08-27 08:27:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Goodness, I don't know which "senior linguists" you may have consulted, by in En there really is no controversy: 'a little' means 'some', 'a small quantity', whereas 'little' means 'some', but usually with an implication of not very much / epmhasizing the lack thereof; but it never means 'nothing at all', that would be quite wrong!
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:35
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6no warning, or not a very long period of warning
Tony M


  

Answers


23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
no warning, or not a very long period of warning


Explanation:
It means it might occur without any warning at all, or with only a very short period of warning.
We can't usually talk about an 'amount of warning', but warning in this sort of sense almost invariably refers to a time element — so you might have (say) only a few hours' warning.
I think if it had been intended to mean 'no warning, or only subtle signs as warning', they would certainly have phrased it differently.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2019-08-27 08:27:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Goodness, I don't know which "senior linguists" you may have consulted, by in En there really is no controversy: 'a little' means 'some', 'a small quantity', whereas 'little' means 'some', but usually with an implication of not very much / epmhasizing the lack thereof; but it never means 'nothing at all', that would be quite wrong!

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Notes to answerer
Asker: I asked because there is this controversy regarding " a little, Little". most senior linguists translate "little" as NOTHING AT ALL, while a little as "some".

Asker: i see thanks


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mark Robertson
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Mark!
agree  Arabic & More
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Amel!
agree  Jennifer Caisley: Spot-on!
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Jennifer!
agree  B D Finch: Goodness knows where the "senior linguists" were dredged up from if they fail to understand basic English!
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, B!
agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tina!
agree  Christine Andersen
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Christine!
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