to the same problem to sharing

English translation: See explanation below...

13:55 Nov 26, 2008

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

English term or phrase: to the same problem to sharing

The link between alchemy and credit-money thus operated on many different levels, ranging from a common metaphor to solutions to the same problem to sharing the same underlying conceptual framework.

I am confused by the number of "to" and not sure about the sentence parsing:

-"problem to sharing the same...." or
-"from a common metaphor to [...] and to sharing the same...."?

Stéphanie Soudais KudoZ activity Questions: 1102 (none open) (95 closed without grading) Answers: 2852 France
Local time: 12:46

Selected answer:See explanation below...

Explanation:
ranging from
[a common metaphor]
to
[solutions to the same problem]
to
[sharing the same underlying conceptual framework]

'ranging from... to...' gets a little awkward when there are more than 2 items in the list, as here.

Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 12:46

Grading comment

Thank you Tony

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

3 +2

See explanation below...

Tony M

4 +1

reword

Ken Cox

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

See explanation below...

Tony M
France
Local time: 12:46
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 309

Grading comment

Thank you Tony

28 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

reword

Explanation:
Personally, I would reword this as 'including a, b and c' or ; such as a, b and c'. As suggested, the construction 'ranging from x to y to z' is a cliché in German and is used even in situations where it is logically inappropriate, and old (linguistic) habits die hard; many people form sentences in a learned language using the structures of their native language.

Here there is no range to speak of (a range extends from two end points of a continuum); the three items mentioned are unrelated (at least in the first instance) and thus cannot form the end points of a range.

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Note added at 30 mins (2008-11-26 14:26:04 GMT)
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sorry, that should be ...or 'such as...

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Note added at 31 mins (2008-11-26 14:27:04 GMT)
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and 'a range extends between two end points'

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Note added at 37 mins (2008-11-26 14:33:48 GMT)
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And as Tony M said, these are actually items in a list, not points on a range. This 'from a to b to c' construction is often used in German to indicate that list is not exclusive -- in other words, they are examples and other examples could also be mentioned.

Ken Cox
Local time: 12:46
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 27

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Ken

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