issue vs problem

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    • I think that issue has a more neutral connotation and problem has a more negative connotation. Often, when there really is a problem, people use issue as a euphemism to avoid using the word problem.

    Ciao.
     
    I agree with pescara, though it should be pointed out that issue is used with people. So a person who has problems may be euphemistically characterized as having "issues."

    So you would never say, "The machine has a serious issue!"

    Also, we usually say issues in the plural, describing people with a variety of (psychological) problems.
     
    There's also an AE/BE difference here. In BE (at least when I lived in GB) an issue was a subject of debate: the environmental issue, political issues. I was surprised when I first heard an Italian use it as a synonym of problem and corrected him! I then discovered this AE use.
    It may be that this use of issue is now established in BE too.
     
    We certainly say issue for those kinds of things. In fact, it's so disconnected in meaning from problem that it never even entered my mind for this thread.
     
    The word "issues" became a relatively recent substitute for the word "problems" at least since the 1990s. I first noticed this change about 10 years ago in daily conversations.

    Some people even use the word "challenge" (e.g. "no challenge" instead of "no problem").

    I have to say, I find this tendency of Americans towards euphemism rather annoying. In some situations, it's appropriate to use euphemisms, but IMO Americans really over-do it. For me, it reveals a neurotic fear of anything that could be construed as "negative," which I suppose means "evoking unpleasant, hurtful, or unhappy feelings."

    As for me, I don't see any problem (haha) using the word "problem" (e.g., "you've got problems" instead of "you've got issues"). And I would think most English speakers wouldn't really notice it as a mistake if you went against the grain on this one.
     
    In this case I'd refer to the dictionary.com definition 5 of issue: "a point in question or a matter that is in dispute." I would also clarify that it can be used for an inanimate object, even if it's something people have to resolve: "There's an issue in the process that we need to address."

    In this sense there is an obstacle, but as pescara said, you neutralize the gravity of it by saying issue instead of problem. Of course you can abuse this (say, if you have a neurotic fear of anything that could be construed as negative), but it also gives you a means of grading the situation to it's actual level of seriousness.

    If you want to view all obstacles as "problems," be my guest, but if you're going to lump 300 million people into a box of neurotic fear, you might be the one overdoing it.

    Choosing not to use a euphemism may not be a grammatical error, but it may be an error in tact. Whether you tell people they have problems or tell them they have issues, you better not need any favors from that person, because you'll no longer be friends!
     
    I'm interested to see french learner06's contribution, which I missed at the time. As I suspected, it's quite a recent innovation also in AE. I'm sure that 25 years ago also an American would have said "we've got problems" and not "we've got issues".
    In any case, if "issue" is used as a euphemism for "problem" it indicates a change in meaning, because in no way could "issue" in its original meaning be a soft version of "problem". So we have to take note.
    Meanwhile, maybe the word "problem" has changed its meaning if it needs euphemisms!
     
    Let me give you my two cents input: Not to disagree with anyone but at least within the circle of people I work with on a daily basis; an issue has a softer cannotation and when not dealt with it properly it could lead to the creation of a problem. Ex. John and Peter don't agree on the rate they should use; if they don't deal with this issue now, it might become a problem later.
    Pescara is right to say that even when you think you have a problem, is sometimes better to say: let's work on this issue or let's try to resolve this issue than to use the word problem. A psychologist will never say: Let's work on your problem, but let's work on this issue. Is he or she being ambiguous? No, it's being correct and professional.
    Serif quoted the dictionary correctly to say: An issue is not yet a problem but a point of question or a matter that is in dispute. Therefore, I don't find it annoying when people try to be polite and use this euphemism (although it might not be the case) instead of being aggressive. It may be that they are simply using the word issue correctly as indicated in the dictionary, common sense.
     
    abbott said:
    Let me give you my two cents input: Not to disagree with anyone but at least within the circle of people I work with on a daily basis; an issue has a softer connotation and when not dealt with it properly it could lead to the creation of a problem. Ex. John and Peter don't agree on the rate they should use; if they don't deal with this issue now, it might become a problem later.
    Pescara is right to say that even when you think you have a problem, is sometimes better to say: let's work on this issue or let's try to resolve this issue than to use the word problem. A psychologist will never say: Let's work on your problem, but let's work on this issue. Is he or she being ambiguous? No, it's being correct and professional.
    Serif quoted the dictionary correctly to say: An issue is not yet a problem but a point of question or a matter that is in dispute. Therefore, I don't find it annoying when people try to be polite and use this euphemism (although it might not be the case) instead of being aggressive. It may be that they are simply using the word issue correctly as indicated in the dictionary, common sense.
    Click to expand...
    As explained here, I'd have no problem:D in using the word "issue" this way because it corresponds with the original meaning: a subject of discussion or controversy. But I'd have more difficulty in saying John and Peter have an issue about the rate they should use. On the other hand I might easily say The issue (the subject of the discussion/dispute) is the rate they should use.
    In my (old) vocabulary an unresolved issue can become a problem, but I wouldn't call a small problem an issue, I don't see it as a synonym.
    If a machine breaks down, I say we have a problem (something that creates difficulty). If we disagree about whether to repair it or replace it, that is an issue: how to solve the problem.

    To summarize: if a bridge is broken and I can't cross the river, that's a problem; in no way would I call it an issue, not because of the size of the problem but because it's something that exists objectively, not a matter of opinion.
    If we discuss why the bridge is broken, why it hasn't been repaired or why a boat hasn't been provided, that's an issue, not a problem.

    The discussion of this issue:D should probably be transferred to the English Only forum.
     
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    I totally agree with you Einstein, that is exactly what I tried to convey when I said that an issue when not dealt with it properly, it could lead to a problem. Your words: In my vocabulary an unresolved issue can become a problem. Up to here we agree, except for your difficulty in using it in my example, which can easily be change to: John and Peter disagreed. Why? what is the issue? the rate they should use. For the sake of not confusing further smart woman and/or others, should we say that an issue is a point of question or a matter that is in dispute and a problem is an obstacle which makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose. Would love to continue with this issue but I am afraid it might become a problem for our moderators, so let's move it to an English only forum. One can never stop learning from others.
     
    I think a rather practical way for Italians to understand the difference is to translate issue with questione and problem with problema.
     
    MünchnerFax said:
    I think a rather practical way for Italians to understand the difference is to translate issue with questione and problem with problema.
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    Then why do we translate To be or not to be, that is the question as Essere o non essere, questo è il problema ? :D
    Maybe we should re-write Shakespeare: To be or not to be, that is the issue.;)
     
    Thanks for your discussion about this issue ( or problem :) ) . But can I extend the content of this thread ? Can anyone tell me what difference between matter and issue and trouble.
     
    pescara said:
    I think that issue has a more neutral connotation and problem has a more negative connotation. Often, when there really is a problem, people use issue as a euphemism to avoid using the word problem.

    Ciao.
    Click to expand...

    Yes, you're right - it's an annoying euphemism. Apparently we have to be positive all the time. It's part of the "mustn't think negative" philosophy. A problem is definitely something wrong whether or not it can be sorted out. On the other hand, issue literally means something that emerges, eg the latest issue of a magazine etc., and also one's children, as in "he died without issue." It can also be used in the sense of something that comes out of a discussion, meeting etc. These things might be positive, neutral or negative.
     
    In Italiano si potrebbe distinguere tra "questione" e "problema": "la questione (issue) Meridionale"; "la questione dell' inquinamento"- "il problema del debito

    pubblico". Però il termine "questione" mi ​sembra in via di abbandono.
     
    smart_woman07 said:
    Hello,
    can someone explain to me the difference between issue and problem?:confused:
    Many thanks in advance!
    Ciao.
    Click to expand...
    The meaning of the word issue, from the 1962 Oxford English dictionary is, the action of going, passing or flowing out. For example to issue a parking ticket or a referee could issue a yellow card as a warning or an old meaning could be, in child birth, without issue;without offspring.
    I have noticed the misuse of issue since about the year 2000.
    While the meaning of words are always changing and evolving with the passage of time, I feel that the word issue is misused instead of problem.
    For example a software company might write, this update resolves an issue in a program. Where as in my opinion, they should write, we have issued this update to solve a potential problem in this software program.
    Perhaps one reason the word problem has gone out of favour, is that it sound negative and aggressive. For example in the Glasgow dialect " whits yer problem pal".
     
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