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a general matter

English translation: in general / generally

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:as a general matter
Selected answer:in general / generally
Entered by: Tony M

23:15 Jun 1, 2020
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Bus/Financial - Human Resources / Company Policy
English term or phrase: a general matter
A sample sentence is:

This is a purposely narrow definition because, as a general matter, commercial speech is a less protected form of expression under the First Amendment...

Can matter be taken as a kind of [informal] rule? That is, a general matter = a rule of thumb?
ErichEko ⟹⭐
Indonesia
Local time: 16:42
generally
Explanation:
It's just a rather pompous and old-fashioned way of saying 'generally' or 'in general' — I'd be wary of translating it too literally word-by-word as 'a general rule', which makes it a little too formal, and leaves you no room to menœuvre should that actual expression arise.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2020-06-02 05:00:20 GMT)
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Oh I see this is EN-US, which is why it sounds a little quaint to me as a Brit.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 11:42
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6generally
Tony M


  

Answers


5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
generally


Explanation:
It's just a rather pompous and old-fashioned way of saying 'generally' or 'in general' — I'd be wary of translating it too literally word-by-word as 'a general rule', which makes it a little too formal, and leaves you no room to menœuvre should that actual expression arise.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2020-06-02 05:00:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oh I see this is EN-US, which is why it sounds a little quaint to me as a Brit.

Tony M
France
Local time: 11:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 50
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you Tony, and yes, it should be an amateurish question.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  philgoddard: It sounds odd in US English too.
31 mins
  -> Thanks, Phil!
agree  Asmaa Hussein
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Asmaa!
agree  Mark Robertson
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Mark!
agree  Yvonne Gallagher: looks odd to me too. Prefer "in general" here
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Yvonne!
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): in general.
9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Tina!
agree  Daryo
15 hrs
  -> Thanks, Daryo!
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