Jan 31, 2005 17:46
19 yrs ago
2 viewers *
English term
Sonu
atmosphere versus environment
Non-PRO
English
Social Sciences
Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
These terms sound similar to a layman like me but there will certainly be a subtle difference between the two and I'd be thankful if someone could explain the same.
Responses
+13
5 mins
Richard Benham
France
France
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
France
When quality counts
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English, French to English, English
Selected
literal versus figurative
Literally, the atmosphere is the air. "The environment" just means the surroundings, including the air, but other things as well.
Figuratively, the "atmosphere" of a place generally refers to the way it makes you feel. So we might say that a particular restaurant has a cheerful atmosphere. It can also refer to the mood of a group of people.
"Environment" is used less often in this sense; it more often refers to the physical surroundings. Sometimes it refers to both, as in "a safe and non-threatening environment"--i.e. there is no physical danger, and the person does not feel intimidated by anything....
Hope that answers your question.
Figuratively, the "atmosphere" of a place generally refers to the way it makes you feel. So we might say that a particular restaurant has a cheerful atmosphere. It can also refer to the mood of a group of people.
"Environment" is used less often in this sense; it more often refers to the physical surroundings. Sometimes it refers to both, as in "a safe and non-threatening environment"--i.e. there is no physical danger, and the person does not feel intimidated by anything....
Hope that answers your question.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Melanie Nassar
: good explanation, it's important to know that atmosphere is often used figuratively
16 mins
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Thanks.
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Alaa Zeineldine
17 mins
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Thanks.
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mstkwasa
: Absolutely, I would put it as atmosphere=figurative, environment=concrete. / Yes, you are right about "atmosphere" referring to the air but in this case, I thought we were talking about "nice atmosphere/environment" as you have explained so well.
24 mins
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Thanks. Of course, "atmosphere" can refer, in a literal and concrete sense, to the air.
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Philip Taylor
35 mins
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Thanks.
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RHELLER
: sometimes they can be interchangeable
46 mins
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Thanks,...as I *hope* I made clear.
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Vita Merkulova
1 hr
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Thanks.
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Ken Cox
: see also comment to Alaa's reply
2 hrs
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Thanks. I was, I think, making a similar point in saying that "Environment ... more often refers to the physical surroundings."
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giogi
2 hrs
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Thanks.
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Ramon Somoza
4 hrs
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Thanks.
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Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
4 hrs
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Thanks.
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Jörgen Slet
: Edit, I deleted the comment text because it arose from disregarding the subject area :)
7 hrs
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Thanks.
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Asghar Bhatti
11 hrs
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Thanks.
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Rahi Moosavi
14 hrs
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Thanks.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to all of you!"
+4
13 mins
Alaa Zeineldine
Egypt
Egypt
Native in English
&
English
Egypt
The best in IT ... and in Automotive
Native in: Arabic 
, English
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, English, and 1 more.
attitudes and feelings vs. conditions and facilities
The explanation is based on your choice of subject areas, namely social science, etc. So we're talking about the atmosphere at work, at home, etc., not related to physics or earth sciences.
It is difficult to pinpoint an exact difference, and I am sure the two words can be used interchangeably. The distinction I am making above is based on the personal impact the two words would leave me with if they are mentioned in the same sentence. It is difficult to support this impact with linguistic evidence, and I doubt that such evidence exists.
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It is difficult to pinpoint an exact difference, and I am sure the two words can be used interchangeably. The distinction I am making above is based on the personal impact the two words would leave me with if they are mentioned in the same sentence. It is difficult to support this impact with linguistic evidence, and I doubt that such evidence exists.
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Peer comment(s):
| agree |
humbird
: Yes I believe the asker is referring the matter in social science environment (as indicated in subject area), and not in natural science. In that your answer explains the difference well.
1 hr
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| agree |
Y-Fi
: good, i saw only the biology-aspect
1 hr
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| agree |
Ken Cox
: Yes, in the social/sociological context I'd be inclined to use 'atmosphere' to refer to perception or subjective experience and 'environment' to refer to 'objective' circumstances -- e.g the atmosphere of an office versus the office environment.
2 hrs
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| agree |
Jörgen Slet
: Edit, I deleted the comment text because it arose from disregarding the subject area :)
7 hrs
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+3
3 hrs
Maria Chmelarova
Native in: Slovak
Works in: English to Slovak, English to Czech, Slovak to English, and 2 more.
see more >>>
from geographical and biological point of view:
atmosphere is the whole mass of air surrounding the earth
environment is the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors ( as climate, soil, and living things ) that act upon an organism or an ecological community.....( including human )
atmosphere is a part of environment .....
atmosphere is the whole mass of air surrounding the earth
environment is the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors ( as climate, soil, and living things ) that act upon an organism or an ecological community.....( including human )
atmosphere is a part of environment .....
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jörgen Slet
: The meanings of these two words can vary a lot, depending on the context/subject area. Your explanation fits wonderfully within these boundaries, but whether it's what the asker wants is hard to say :) // Edit: of course, silly me :)
3 hrs
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Thanks. Yes, we don't know. But judging by his category, "Social science " might fit to his request.
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Y-Fi
: and I tool a double disagree for a similar one, hoo hoo!
9 hrs
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| agree |
paolamonaco
19 hrs
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Thank you Paola
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Discussion