11 uses
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1 —8 uses as in:
It was the deciding factor.
Definition
something that affects a result or outcome
- Although other factors may be involved, the census data from 1990 and 2000 appear to document what she observes.five — Hispanic Immigration: Reconquest or Assimilation? (94% in)
- The war between the two camps has blazed up with particular belligerence in our times, as language issues engaged social conservatives and liberals and became a factor in the so-called culture wars.one — The Language Wars (2% in)
- Where one fits on the prescriptivist/descriptivist spectrum is probably determined by many factors, including education, temperament, and general outlook on life—and age.one — The Language Wars (81% in)
- Another factor in changing our language is a quality every visitor to America notices: speed.one — The Language Wars (94% in)
- Another Factor: Local Pride and Identity So—mysterious forces within society, operating beneath consciousness, are driving significant language change, making Americans from one region harder for others to understand at a time when other mass trends in our society are toward conformity.two — Changing Dialects: Dingbatters Versus Hoi-Toiders (76% in)
- Some believe that Midland speech acquired its prestige as a reaction to two factors: the large increase in European immigration early in the twentieth century, just as the hitherto limitless abundance of free land in the West came to an end.three — Toward a Standard: Putting the "R" in "American" (38% in)
- Another factor is twenty-four-hour news on cable TV and radio, where much of the reporting is done ad lib, making acceptable the values of spoken language, discursive and colloquial, an intellectual exercise different from that demanded in written reportage.three — Toward a Standard: Putting the "R" in "American" (76% in)
- But language may also be a factor in perpetuating the social morbidity—for instance, why 27 percent of blacks fail to graduate from high school, compared with 16 percent of whites; and why only 14 percent of blacks get a college degree, compared with 26 percent of whites.six — Bad-mouthing Black English (2% in)
There are no more uses of "factor" flagged with this meaning in Do You Speak American?.
Typical Usage
(best examples)
? —3 uses
exact meaning not specified
- So—there is an evident, self-conscious class factor in how people wish their speech to be perceived.three — Toward a Standard: Putting the "R" in "American" (15% in)
- One factor important to Jesse Sheidlower is that "American English has always been very inclusive of new terms.one — The Language Wars (86% in)
- There is still a dispute, too specialized for nonlinguists like us, over whether the Creole theory of black linguistic development means there is a deeply embedded structure in black language or whether, in Cukor-Avila's words, "factors such as education, age, and social class were also significant in determining linguistic choices.six — Bad-mouthing Black English (39% in)
There are no more uses of "factor" in Do You Speak American?.
Typical Usage
(best examples)