Are clarity and clarification synonymous?

[DaveC426913]

"This comment is unclear; can you provide some clarification?"
"This comment is unclear; can you provide some clarity?"

 

[fresh_42]

Clarity describes a property of something; clarification describes an action by someone. I think, providing clarity is impossible; only establishing, creating, or producing clarity.

We have Klarheit (clarity) and Klärung (clearing) in German, but clearing means something else in English, so it has to be replaced by clarification. Klarifizierung wouldn't be a German word. We use the English term clearing for the process of clearing in economics.

Edit: For the record. The German word for clearing is Glattstellung (literally: putting smooth).

 

[DaveC426913]

Clarity describes a property of something; clarification describes an action by someone. I think, providing clarity is impossible; only establishing, creating, or producing clarity.

Isn't 'providing' an easy subsitute for 'establishing', 'creating', or 'producing'?

 

[fresh_42]

Isn't 'providing' an easy subsitute for 'establishing', 'creating', or 'producing'?

Well, providing is a delivery, and you cannot deliver a property in my opinion. But this is nitpicking on a high level.

 

[DaveC426913]

Well, providing is a delivery, and you cannot deliver a property in my opinion.

No, I get it. But, likewise, can you establish, create, or produce a property?

But this is nitpicking on a high level.

Yes but this is why I asked the question.


(ChatGPT notes the same distinction as you. Clarification is an action, whereas clarity is a state. It also notes they are occsionally interchanged idiomatically.)

 

[fresh_42]

But, likewise, can you establish, create, or produce a property?

I think you can "make" something clear that wasn't before. But how do you deliver clarity? It cannot be seen independently of the object/subject that is clear or isn't. Providing clarity sounds like providing redness, e.g..

 

[difalcojr]

"This comment is unclear; can you provide some clarification?"
"This comment is unclear; can you provide some clarity?"

The first sentence is correct English, the second not. Sure sounds the same, though, easily misused, probably.

We have Klarheit (clarity) and Klärung (clearing) in German, but clearing means something else in English, so it has to be replaced by clarification. Klarifizierung wouldn't be a German word. We use the English term clearing for the process of clearing in economics.

I like how the German word for clarification means clearing, as in clearing up the confusion which led to the lack of clarity. (This problem does not have clarity; it needs clarification.)

 

[fresh_42]

I like how the German word for clarification means clearing, as in clearing up the confusion which led to the lack of clarity. (This problem does not have clarity; it needs clarification.)

We also use specific verbs for clarity and clarification. Google translates them with "bring" and "provide", which don't hit the point. "Für Klarheit sorgen" sort of means to manifest clarity, which Google translates to provide clarity, and "Klärung herbeiführen" means something similar to "bring clarification", which Google simply translates to clarify. I guess Google isn't fit for the subtleties between a property and an action. To clarify is certainly better than providing clarification, and making it clear is probably better than providing clarity. Providing clarity sounds to me as if there is such a thing called clarity that could be delivered. This only makes sense if a consensus about an unclear situation has already been achieved, and the property thus needs to be delivered. You cannot provide clarity if the other side has already assumed clarity. To provide clarification makes sense since it can be read as providing clarification to someone.

The topic is interesting in both languages. And they both don't bother about my distinction between property and action in everyday use. Language is often not logical.