the adverbial of reason or result

[diamondcutter]

Nowadays a lot of people use laptops. These computers are small and light so people can carry them to different places.

(From Kid’s Box 6, by Caroline Nixon, CUP)

In order to translate the sentences into Chinese, I have to know whether the so-clause above is the adverbial of reason or result. I’m inclined to the view that it’s the adverbial of result. At first, laptops were invented in order to be carried easily. But now laptops are available everywhere. If you get one, you can carry it to different places. That is to say, you'll achieve the result of easy-carrying once you get a laptop.

I’d like to read your points of view.

 

[emsr2d2]

Given the opening of the sentence, "so" expresses result. With a different opening, it could have a different meaning.

The computers are small and light so people can carry them around easily > The computers are small and light. As a result, people can carry them round easily.

The computers need to be small and light so people can carry them around easily > The computers need to be small and light in order to ensure that people can carry them around easily.

 

[PaulMatthews]

Nowadays a lot of people use laptops. These computers are small and light so people can carry them to different places.

I think it's ambiguous between a result adjunct and a purpose one.

In the result reading we can say that there's an entailment that people can carry them to different places. A comma after "light" would be likely.

In the purpose reading, the computers are made small and light so / in order that people can carry them to different places.

 

[jutfrank]

I completely agree that it's ambiguous between result and purpose. For that reason, it's a poor sentence, in my opinion.

I wonder if the writer was originally trying to go for the purpose meaning but somehow either got confused halfway through writing, or that there was some confusion in the editing stage, and it ended up sounding like a result. There ought to be a that following so to make the purpose meaning clear.

 

[emsr2d2]

After posting my first response, but too late to add anything to it before going to work, I realised that the sentence I said showed a result could also be read the other way. Sorry!

 

[diamondcutter]

Thank you all, teachers.

For kids to understand easily, maybe that sentence could be rewritten like this:

These computers are small and light, and people can carry them to different places.

What do you say?

 

[jutfrank]

Just add that after so, to make the meaning of purpose clear, then it's done.

Anyway, you're translating into Chinese, so why does it matter? Your goal is simply to translate the idea that laptops are specially designed to be portable. That's why they're small and light.

 

[Phaedrus]

Just add that after so, to make the meaning of purpose clear, then it's done.

Or add a comma after "light," to make the meaning of result clear: These computers are small and light, so people can carry them to different places.

The ambiguity in the "so"-clause seems to stem from the fact that computers are manmade things. There is no possibility of a purpose reading here:

These stones are small and light so people can carry them to different places.

Well, a purpose reading there would be possible to people who see the purpose of a Creator in every little thing, but that is a special discourse context.