What does the expression "if anything" mean

[jonathanfvaldez]

Hi Joe,

It's been a while since I last visited and I'm glad to see that all is well (at least in the Forum). Like many of our kababayans here in Los Angeles, CA, my family and I are glued to the TV watching broadcasts on the progress of the relief efforts in the areas devastated by Yolanda. We all hope and pray for our countrymen especially in those hard-hit areas.

More than twice, I've come across the phrase "If anything," my latest "meeting" with it being this afternoon when I read a study with this excerpt: “I do not believe that substituting more precise words and phrases for an equivocal word would decrease the scientific quality of the writing.  If anything, I felt that the precision of the communication process was improved in the 110 instances in which the 'e-word' was replaced.  Equivocal words can always be replaced by other words or phrases that convey a more precise meaning in a scientific context." (italics mine)

Please clarify when, how, etc. "If anything" is used. I googled it but I think it's better to consult with the word maven.

Thanks.

Jonathan

[Joe Carillo]

I’m sorry to say that all’s not well in the Philippines today after the devastation wrought by the quelling of the MNLF rebellion in Zamboanga, by the Bohol 7.2-magnitude earthquake, and now by Typhoon Yolanda. Many parts of the nation are in a veritable state of calamity—people, habitations, commerce, infrastructure, governance, the public sphere and all—and I don’t think we’ll be seeing the end to it in the immediate future. We just have to brace ourselves for the long, backbreaking effort towards recovery and rehabilitation.

Now regarding your question about the usage of “if anything” in this excerpt that you presented:

I do not believe that substituting more precise words and phrases for an equivocal word would decrease the scientific quality of the writing. If anything, I felt that the precision of the communication process was improved in the 110 instances in which the ‘e-word’ was replaced.  Equivocal words can always be replaced by other words or phrases that convey a more precise meaning in a scientific context.

The idiom “if anything” is used to convey the sense that someone or something is different when the speaker isn’t absolutely sure if there really is any change or difference. The closest meaning of it that I can think of is “if at all” or, in a more comparable or measurable sense, “if in any degree,” as in “If anything, the government response to the Typhoon Yolanda disaster has shown that the Philippines is never too ready for the severe weather disruptions projected to be brought about by climate change” or “Your flawed solution to that quadratic equation has demonstrated that, if anything, you need a refresher course in advanced algebra.”

In Tagalog, I would think that the closest equivalent idiom to “if anything” is “kung tutuusin,” as in “Kung tutuusin, mukhang walang kalatoy-latoy ang tugon mo sa napakalaking problemang hinaharap ng bayan ngayon” (“If anything, it looks like your response is too ineffectual for the huge problem being faced by the country today.”) 

What we have to keep in mind is that the usage of “if anything” suggests tentatively that something may be true—often the opposite—of something previously said or implied. This is actually the case with the passage that you provided. The declaration of the first sentence, “I do not believe that substituting more precise words and phrases for an equivocal word would decrease the scientific quality of the writing,” is supported by the next sentence, whose use of “if anything” serves to emphasize that such word or phrase substitutions indeed can improve rather than impede the communication process.

I hope that this has adequately clarified the usage of “if anything” for you.

[jonathanfvaldez]

Thanks, Joe. Yes, the idiom "If anything" is much clearer now.

I'm sorry for my "all is well" statement. I simply misspoke. What I wanted to convey was (at least) the Forum is still going strong. As the kids might say: "my bad."

BTW, is "first foray" redundant, given that one definition of "foray" is "an initial attempt"?

Thanks.

Jonathan

[BenK]

If I may jump into this conversation, I'd like to share a personal rule based on how I understand "if anything". I have always defined it -- and I make no assertion that I am correct, only that I am consistent -- as "if [what I am about to explain in the sentence that follows has any meaning/is indicative of] anything," [then it means/indicates this]. To check it, a slightly longer phrase can be substituted; if it makes sense, "if anything" is okay, if not, go back and try again:

- "If this/that means anything"
- "If this/that teaches/tells us anything"
- "If this/that will result in anything"

...and so on.

[Joe Carillo]

Thanks, Joe. Yes, the idiom "If anything" is much clearer now.

I'm sorry for my "all is well" statement. I simply misspoke. What I wanted to convey was (at least) the Forum is still going strong. As the kids might say: "my bad."

BTW, is "first foray" redundant, given that one definition of "foray" is "an initial attempt"?

Thanks.

Jonathan

The phrase “first foray” isn't redundant at all. The sense of “foray” is not “an initial attempt” but “a brief excursion or attempt, especially outside one’s accustomed sphere” or “a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils.” “Foray” conveys not “initialness” but “briefness” or “suddenness.” Thus, the use of “first foray” in the following sentence is definitely not redundant: “Her first foray into fashion modeling was forgettable, but her second made her so widely acclaimed as to be considered international beauty queen material.”

[Joe Carillo]

If I may jump into this conversation, I'd like to share a personal rule based on how I understand "if anything". I have always defined it -- and I make no assertion that I am correct, only that I am consistent -- as "if [what I am about to explain in the sentence that follows has any meaning/is indicative of] anything," [then it means/indicates this]. To check it, a slightly longer phrase can be substituted; if it makes sense, "if anything" is okay, if not, go back and try again:

- "If this/that means anything"
- "If this/that teaches/tells us anything"
- "If this/that will result in anything"

...and so on.

BenK, I absolutely agree with your method for figuring out the sense of the phrase "if anything" in a sentence. I could hardly improve on it.