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Thread: Phrase 'inter alia'

  1. #1
    mafto is offline Newbie
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    Default Phrase 'inter alia'

    Greetings.
    I'd like to ask you if you think using 'inter alia' in a diploma thesis is appropriate or not. Dictionaries say it is 'formal', which I think is OK. But I've found some clues on the internet that it is used mostly in legal texts and my thesis is not the case. So what do you think, please? Should I use 'among other things' instead? I kind of like that phrase but to be honest - I've never encountered it before I looked it up in a dictionary so I'm afraid it may be quite rare.
    Thanks for help.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Phrase 'inter alia'

    Quote Originally Posted by mafto View Post
    Greetings.
    I'd like to ask you if you think using 'inter alia' in a diploma thesis is appropriate or not. Dictionaries say it is 'formal', which I think is OK. But I've found some clues on the internet that it is used mostly in legal texts and my thesis is not the case. So what do you think, please? Should I use 'among other things' instead? I kind of like that phrase but to be honest - I've never encountered it before I looked it up in a dictionary so I'm afraid it may be quite rare.
    Thanks for help.
    I'd use "among other things".
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    Allen165 is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: Phrase 'inter alia'

    NOT A TEACHER.

    I would add that "among other things" is not the only possible translation of "inter alia," which is probably one of the reasons why the Latin expression is preferred in legal writing.

    "I've studied biology, chemistry, and physics, among other subjects."
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    mafto is offline Newbie
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    Default Re: Phrase 'inter alia'

    Thank you both, so I used 'among other things' after all :)

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    freezeframe is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: Phrase 'inter alia'

    From my North American perspective, use Latin only if it's accepted terminology in the field you're discussing or if there's no way around using Latin (quotes, etc). Otherwise it looks pretentious.*

    *Others might disagree.
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