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I just had the following exchange with a co-worker:

Me: Do you prefer a rubber band or do you prefer a clippy thing?
Her: I would prefer neither.
Me: You would prefer either.
Her: Well I can't prefer either because...
discussion ensues
Me: So you have no preference.
Her: I have no preference.

I gave her a rubber band, but I still wonder:

Can one prefer neither if none of the presented options meet one's preference, which nonetheless exists?

My feeling is that I prefer either, while likely incorrect, is an acceptable usage in the course of banter to play off the repetition of the word prefer and to mirror the question's construction.

My primitive Google searches return nothing helpful. The best search result in the archives is not really relevant: Which is correct: "prefer X to Y" or "prefer X over Y"?

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vidget
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    "I prefer neither" is short for "I prefer neither X nor Y" which implies "I don't want X and I also don't want Y". An extremely literal reading of "I don't prefer X" might mean "I would accept X", but that is a stretch. "I prefer either" means that "I prefer X and I also prefer Y (both are acceptable)". Given that, which one did you want to mean? It is not clear – Mitch Jan 08 '13 at 21:48
  • "I prefer either" and "I prefer neither" are actually idiomatic expressions and don't really bear close examination. @Mitch has explained the meaning [and that should be an answer]. – Andrew Leach Jan 08 '13 at 22:00
  • This might be related to answering "or" questions with "yes". "Do you want vanilla or chocolate ice cream?" "Yes, please." (Where the affirmative is deliberately vague about whether the responder wants vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, or one scoop each.) – Marthaª Jan 08 '13 at 22:32
  • Here, wouldn't the answer be 'No'? The answer I'd give would be 'I'm not bothered' or 'Is there nothing else?' – Edwin Ashworth Jan 08 '13 at 23:43
  • My take on "I would prefer neither" is that the speaker would prefer, eg, to use a stapler instead of a rubber band or a paper clip (clippy thing). –  Jan 08 '13 at 23:47

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Let's look at this logically. "Prefer" means "to like better or value more highly" (according to Collins English Dictionary). So "I prefer neither" means that I do not like one better than the other, that is, both choices are equally acceptable. That seems like a rational statement to me.

"I prefer either" would mean that you might like one better or you might like the other better. This seems to me a rather non-sensical statement, or at least a very non-committal one. I suppose if you were trying to suck up to the boss and he asks which of two proposals you prefer, you might cautiously say, "Umm, I could prefer either. Which do you like?" Or more seriously, if there were three options, you might say "I prefer either A or B" in the sense of "I prefer either A or B over C", that is, I don't want C, but I'd go for either of the other two options.

Jay
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  • My dictionary definition (Chambers) of neither is: "not either/not at all/in no case". So to say "I prefer neither" does not mean that both choices are equally acceptable, it means that you don't want either of them. (It's very hard to write about this without using the words either and neither and possibly causing further confusion!) – Mynamite Jan 08 '13 at 22:28
  • And all this came to mind when I initially pondered the question! Albeit, in a rather unnavigable flurry of thought. @Myanmite, both choices can be equally acceptable in that neither is acceptable, both are somewhat acceptable, or both are perfectly acceptable. – vidget Jan 08 '13 at 22:35
  • I don't think anyone would actually interpret the statements this way. "I prefer neither" would be understood to mean you have no use for either of them. "I prefer either" would be understood to mean that you find them both about equally useful. – David Schwartz Jan 08 '13 at 22:45
  • Let's not look at this logically, since that's not how meanings are actually determined. – Henry Jan 08 '13 at 22:52
  • I can see how I prefer either can, in conversation, mean this, but it still seems grammatically incorrect if there are only two choices. – vidget Jan 08 '13 at 23:00
  • Folks who are saying that "I prefer neither" means "I don't want A and also I don't want B" are, it seems to me, confusing "prefer" with "want". If I said, "I want neither", yes, that would mean that I don't want A and I don't want B. But "prefer" doesn't mean "want", it means "want this one more than that one". So to my ear, "I don't prefer A" doesn't mean "I don't want A", rather it means that I don't have a greater desire for A than I have for B. Either I value B more or I value them the same. ... – Jay Jan 09 '13 at 07:22
  • ... Without further information you don't know I value both equally highly or see both as equally worthless. On thinking about this further, I suppose I could see someone saying "I prefer neither" to mean "I want neither" in the sense of, not between A and B I prefer neither, but rather between A, B, and none, I prefer none. That is, if the choice is A, B or neither, I prefer neither. – Jay Jan 09 '13 at 07:26
  • @DavidSchwartz Well, that's not how I interpret them, so your statement that "I don't think anyone would interpret them this way" is easily proven to be mistaken. It may be that I'm the only person in the world who interprets them this way, but I am somebody! I am not a number, I am a free man! – Jay Jan 09 '13 at 07:28
  • @Jay: You're assuming "I prefer neither" would be understood as "I prefer neither to the other". That conclusions requires ignoring the context. The context is not "Do you prefer X to Y?" or "Do you prefer X or Y?". The context is, "Do you prefer X or do you prefer Y?". In that context, it would be understood to mean that neither is preferred to other things. Nothing in the context compares the two things to each other. – David Schwartz Jan 09 '13 at 11:23
  • @DavidSchwartz Hmm, it seems to me that the context is asking, What do you want me to give you to hold those things together, a rubber band or a clippy thing? I understand the options to be one or the other. I suppose if in context what he means is "do you want (a rubber band or a clippy thing) to hold those things together, or would you prefer something else?", then, yes, that would be different. – Jay Jan 09 '13 at 20:11
  • Jay's comments so far more or less summarize my initial thoughts on the question. – vidget Jan 29 '13 at 20:33
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If A and B are equally agreeable, then I would not make a choice:

I wouldn’t prefer either.

I don’t prefer either.

If they’re both disagreeable, then I would choose nothing:

I would prefer neither.

I prefer neither.

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Jon Purdy
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    Succinctly put! – Mynamite Jan 08 '13 at 23:05
  • I'm confirming that this answer is consistent with the definition of 'prefer.' As per my other comment, there is an illustrated distinction between having preference for a third, unstated option ("I prefer neither") and having no preference ("I neither prefer"/"I don't prefer either"). "I prefer either" is only technically correct if one goes on to state preference for either of two options over some other (also stated) options: I prefer either A or B over C. Thanks! http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefer – vidget Jan 29 '13 at 20:43
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I prefer neither means you definitely do not want a rubber band or a clippy thing.

I prefer either is not grammatically correct, but in the context of banter and playfulness it means you don't mind which you have.

Mynamite
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  • "I prefer either" works for me. – Mitch Jan 08 '13 at 21:50
  • @Mitch If you really don't mind which you have, surely you wouldn't say "I prefer...."? That's my thinking anyway. You could answer simply "Either" – Mynamite Jan 08 '13 at 22:13
  • However, I prefer neither doesn't imply exactly this; it only implies that the speaker would not rather have one than the other. See my comment on the next answer, too.. – vidget Jan 08 '13 at 22:39
  • I retract. I see now there is a clear distinction between I prefer neither and I neither prefer... – vidget Jan 08 '13 at 23:02