as with/for/regards

[Sun14]

Hello, my friends,

I was wounding whether as with, as for and as regards can be used interchangeably. I saw a sentence on wikipedia:

As with other types of language variation, there tends to be a spectrum of registers rather than a discrete set of obviously distinct varieties – numerous registers could be identified, with no clear boundaries between them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Register_(sociolinguistics)

Since this website is so well-known, I believe the use of "as with" should be formal and standard.

Would you give me some advice? Thank you.

 

[Keith Bradford]

These three phrases are all possible but do not have the same meaning.

As with compares case A with case B and says they are similar. E.g. As with other types of language variation (= case A), there tends to be (in case B which I am discussing now) a spectrum of registers ...

As for and as regards do not compare two similar cases. They introduce a new case, usually contrasting it with several previous ones. E.g. Britain and France have always had large navies. As for Switzerland, it has no sea-coast and therefore no sea-going ships.

 

[Sun14]

These three phrases are all possible but do not have the same meaning.

As with compares case A with case B and says they are similar. E.g. As with other types of language variation (= case A), there tends to be (in case B which I am discussing now) a spectrum of registers ...

As for and as regards do not compare two similar cases. They introduce a new case, usually contrasting it with several previous ones. E.g. Britain and France have always had large navies. As for Switzerland, it has no sea-coast and therefore no sea-going ships.

Thank you very much.

 

[EdisonBhola]

As with compares case A with case B and says they are similar. E.g. As with other types of language variation (= case A), there tends to be (in case B which I am discussing now) a spectrum of registers

When we use "as with" to compare two cases, do the two cases necessarily have to be similar to each other rather than different?

Many thanks!

 

[Keith Bradford]

Oh, yes. That's the meaning of "as".

If you want to compare things that are different you need something like: "In contrast to A, we find B..." or "Whereas A does this, B does that..." or "Unlike A, case B is different..."