"No measurable talent"

[kiezel52]

When someone says "He possesses no measurable talent"

Does it mean that he has no talent at all, he is talentless

or

Does it mean that he has more talents than you can count.

 

[larsboen]

Sounds like a put-down to me. It must mean that his talents are very limited ...

 

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[BobK]

I nearly deleted no. 3, which doesn't contribute to the discussion. By giving an example of a different meaning of 'Talent' it might be thought, if anything, to confuse. But on second thoughts I left it, as an example of that other usage. But people interested in the phrase 'no measurable talent' can safely ignore the last post.

kiezel52: it's hard to measure talent. The person described as having 'no measurable talent' might have some talent, but not enough to make an impression on whatever system is being used to measure it. As an example, think of something that is more easily measured - say, rainfall. Rainfall is typically measured in millimetres. If it rains quite hard for an hour, there might be 10mm of rainfall. But if there's a tiny sprinkle of drizzle for a few seconds there would be 'no measurable rainfall' - the container at the weather station would perhaps get slightly damp but that's all. So, as larsboen said hi: both of you), this could sound like a put-down (good word, by the way ;-)).

b

 

[Nicholas Saephanh]

When someone says "He possesses no measurable talent"

Does it mean that he has no talent at all, he is talentless

or

Does it mean that he has more talents than you can count.

In this case, I think it's perspective. A "glass half full" kind of moment. Both could very well be true.

 

[Tdol]

In this case, I think it's perspective. A "glass half full" kind of moment. Both could very well be true.

I don't see how the positive interpretation works. It's no talent or so little that it cannot be measured for me.

 

[BobK]

:up: I see what Nicholas means, but in the positive case the normal thing to say would be something like 'his/her talent is limitless/knows no bounds/is off the scale/is immeasurable...'

b

 

[Tdol]

It would work with immeasurable, but not with no measurable IMO.

 

[Raymott]

I agree. Its similar to 'valueless' (negative) and 'invaluable' (positive).
To me, "no measurable talent" means "no talent". I could be swayed if anyone came up with a legitimate native use of "no measureable talent" meaning "a lot of measurable talent". But even then, I'd agree that it's used that way, not that it makes any sense.

 

[Nicholas Saephanh]

Of course! You guys are correct. I guess I should have pondered a bit more on the matter. Another reason I chose to participate in this forum was to help train my mind to think about things in a more in depth manner. I have a problem with writing and speaking impulsively. Discipline, knowledge, and clarity are what I seek on my journey!