RE: limit vs. refine

["Andrew Warren" <awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com>]

Barker, Evelyn G wrote:

> Is there a generally accepted usage for "limit" vs. "refine" when
> talking about a search? In other words, is there something that spells
> out when in an interface you use "limit a search" vs. "refine a
> search"? Do they mean or imply different functionality, and is this
> spelled out in a style book or other authoritative place?

Evelyn:

I have no authoritative reference for you, but I see two subtly
different meanings: To me, both words mean "narrow the search", but I'd
use "limit" to mean "narrow the search by restricting it to a subset of
the possible sources (e.g., to one website rather than the entire web,
or to pages in a specific language or format), and "refine" as meaning
"narrow the search by adding more keywords to my search string" or
"search within the results of my previous search".

If I saw "limit" or "refine" where I expected the other word, though --
or if I ever saw "narrow" in place of either word -- I certainly
wouldn't be confused.

-Andrew

=== Andrew Warren  - awarren -at- synaptics -dot- com
=== Synaptics, Inc - Santa Clara, CA
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