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The expression "on a tangential note" results in not a single hit in a Google search, but from the restrictive search "a tangential note" the very apparent shortcoming of the Google search procedure metamorphoses into a successful data gathering quest since the number of hits for "on a tangential note" that results from a verification of the books listed there is outstanding; not to say that this expression is of recent origin nor unique in its fostering the term 'tangential note" ((The Ecological Implications of Body Size - 1986), a plethora of occurrences of "on a tangential note" can be found—and I don't think I am far from the count in spite of my summary checking—, almost all of 21st century origin. There is however the very remarkable "as a tangential note" (1, 2000), (2, 2014), …), which will have its interest in the following.

There is another expression, to which, prima facie, "tangential note" owes a lot (see ngram below); its meaning is quite

enter image description here

factual (SOED a note made or placed at the side of a page), but it is found in the expressions "as a side note" and "on a side note" (ngram shown below) where it takes on a figurative one (I believe that "in" would be used to indicate that a side-note is the location of something, not "on").

enter image description here.

A controversy bearing on the use of the prepositions "as" and "on" has come some time ago to a resolution, at least as decided by the ELU community: see "as a side note" vs. "on a side note".

Question

  1. Is "as/on a tangential note" to be taken as an exact synonym to "as/on a side note", or, given either choice of preposition in the first "as/on" group is there one in the second that would have the same meaning?; the following reference would tend to show that but is not explicit on that fact: On A Side Note Meaning And Uses.

  2. Provided the meanings are one (question above) or that there exists at least a sufficient parallel between the two expressions, is the same polemic, as examplified in the ELU question above, to be repeated for "as/on a tangential note"? More explicitly is "on" to be ruled out as illogical (user JLG) or put differently, spurious (user FumbleFingers)?

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    I always thought that the "note" in "on a serious note" referred by analogy to a musical note. It means a statement is meant to be taken seriously instead of jokingly. By analogy "on a tangential note" would mean a statement is to be taken "tangentially". A tangent is a line starting in the same direction as a curve but then going straight instead of curving, so you can try to work out what it would mean to take a statement tangentially. OTOH "as a side note" refers to a note consisting of words. Commented Sep 5 at 12:35
  • ... Yes, there are various ... snowclones is probably the correct descriptor ... 'on a different note' / 'on a [more] serious note' / 'on a lighter note' / 'on a sour note' / .... Not all of them are commonly used as pragmatic markers (eg sentence-introductory parentheticals). 'On a tangential note' is not unknown on the internet, and seems to be usually used in the sentence-introductory (and discourse structuring) way. Commented Sep 5 at 13:04
  • *** I get 14 500 hits in a raw Google search for "on a tangential note". You need to specify the corpus more accurately. // Note the difference between parenthetical examples ('On a tangential note, we intend to hold ....') and examples such as 'The article finished on a tangential note.' 'He finished on a different note', at least, is idiomatic, Commented Sep 5 at 13:14
  • google.com/… Commented Sep 5 at 13:40
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    @Lambie "Put sth down to experience" and "chalk sth up to experience": two fixed expressions that mean exactly the same thing. Who is talking about "pu" meaning "chalk" or not and "up" meaning "down" or not? Don't be silly! Commented Sep 5 at 16:54

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This is certainly a grey area where on/as a tangential note sometimes can be synonymous with on/as a side note, and sometimes not, depending on context and the intent of the person using it. Dictionary definitions do vary:

While Cambridge defines side note as meaning

something such as a comment or fact that is related to the main subject that you are talking or writing about:

  • As a side note, I do plan to take my young kids to see this movie.
  • On a side note, I don’t subscribe to the argument that patents encourage companies to invest in innovation.1

OED gives more nuances to side note:

A remark or statement that is not directly related to the main topic being discussed, an aside;
b. a note written or printed at the side of a page; a marginal note;
c. an incident, matter, etc., that is related to but less important than the main issue or event.

As for tangential, Cambridge says that in the same kind of context, it means:

(of a subject or activity) different from or not directly connected with the one you are talking about or doing:

a tangential issue

OED, however, says that tangential can mean:

That merely touches a subject or matter.

So yes, your note or issue, may be different from the main statement, but it may have one small point of contact. Similarly, we sometimes use by the way at the beginning of a sentence to introduce sometimes a statement which has nothing to do with the main statement, and sometimes a statement slightly (or should I say tangentially) connected to it.

So, when you say on a side note, you basically say in addition to what I said, which addition might not be as significant as your main statement. Here is how Linguaholic.com explains it:

Simply put, “on a side note” is another expression for “parenthetically” or “incidentally.” It’s basically another way of announcing that what you’re about to say may be less important or unrelated to what came before it.

1 Note that Cambridge gives examples with both versions (with as and on) without signalling any difference in connotation. You will also find that FreeDictionary defines both variants in the same way.

Linguaholic.com explains about the version with the preposition on:

Surprisingly, according to the search engine, this term has gained popularity fairly recently. In fact, the first usage of “on a side note” can be traced to the late 1980s or early 1990s. Since then, the term has gained popularity steadily over time, and by 2009, it was used half as much as writers used the expression “switching topics.”

It seems that the structure on a + Adj. + note is very productive in English, as you can see in this Ngram which may be why on a side/tangential note gains popularity:

enter image description here

Syntactically, on a tangential/side note functions in a similar way, so this explanation of Linguaholic.com can apply:

“On a side note” usually comes at the beginning of a sentence. It is a prepositional phrase that acts as an adverbial clause, and it modifies the independent clause following it.

About as a side note, the same site explains:

On a side note’s older brother:
Even though “on a side note” has been used in literature fairly recently, it does have an older brother that has been around since the early 1860s. I’m talking about the expression “as a side note.”

“As a side note” is constructed by swapping “on” with “as.” Not only is it the older expression of the two, but it is also the more popular one. According to Google, by 2009, “as a side note” was almost used five times as much as “on a side note.”

Despite these apparent differences in cultural usage, many consider both expressions the same and interchangeable.

In conclusion, you can use as/on with both expressions without much difference in nuance. As for side/tangential, think of what the words mean. Side is something close and goes in parallel with the main issue, whereas tangential may even touch the issue, but then goes off to something different and far.

Having said that, I doubt a native speaker will pay attention to such nit-picking. The expressions can be used interchangeably in plenty of contexts.

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    Very thorough. I suppose 'on a side note' is less structure-highlighting than 'as a side note', though both are re-directing pragmatic markers when used parenthetically. // A complication is that some of the examples are now fixed phrases (not that many Ghits for "on/as a peripheral note") while some reasonable-looking look-alikes are unidiomatic. //// 'On a related theme' is common, while 'As a related theme' probably really needs some support in the following sentence. Commented Sep 5 at 14:10
  • An extensive explanation about "on/as a side note", that you find to be equivalent in certain cases; if it had figured in my question, althoufg in a less wordy version, it would have been a plus in making my point,. (1/2) Commented Sep 5 at 14:39
  • However, my question is not answered; do "on/as a tangential note" and "on/as a side note" have the same meaning and what are we to do as to the choice of preposition in "as/on a tangential note" in view of the fact that "on" has been largely rejected (25 votes to 6 in the question to the ELU I refer to in my question). By the way, should I consider this question is mere nit-picking? (2/2) Commented Sep 5 at 14:40
  • Further checking of the answer shows that "25 to 6" in my preceding comment should be "25 to 14". Commented Sep 5 at 15:01
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    Tangential note combines the metaphor of a tangent with that of a side-note so emphasises unrelatedness, but otherwise these figures of speech seem interchangeable. The on/as usage seems equally applicable, although I’d suggest figures of speech tend to be fashionable and often adopt trend more than precise grammar. Commented Sep 21 at 2:47
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Phrases like "on a happier/tangential/orthogonal note" specifically signal a shift in mood, focus or conceptual perspective. Here, the word note refers to the succeeding text's tone or quality, so "as a happier/tangential/orthogonal note" sounds awkward.

On the other hand, in phrases like "as a side/promissory note" and "as a footnote" (the first example introduces parenthetical information), the word note literally refers to the succeeding text as a short message, so "on a side note" is less logical. Its growing acceptability—unlike "on an aside", which remains patently unidiomatic compared to "as an aside"—may stem from pattern extension from idioms like "on a tangential note" (like "replace old with old" drifting "substitute new for old" towards "substitute old with new").

(Notice that fev's Answer's Ngram search supports all this: compare its red phrases versus its blue phrases.)

enter image description here

Finally, while everyone understands that "on a tangential note" introduces a peripheral point (and that the more negative "go off on a tangent" means to be digressive or fully divergent), it is a misconception that "on an orthogonal note" is synonymous, or that it signals an unrelated point! Rather, an orthogonal point pivots the discussion to a different aspect or dimension—indicating a more structured shift than a tangential point.

(The above diagram illustrates the metaphorical tangential discussion point, merely touching the initial matter and branching away; and the metaphorical orthogonal discussion point, developing along a new axis of the matter.)

Can we say then that, put succinctly, "on a side note" more or less means "on a tangential note"?

If in a mathematical discussion of the conditional symbol I decide to add as a side note a head-to-head comparison with the symbol's implementation in programming languages, I'd write "on an orthogonal note" rather than "on a tangential note", since I'm not shifting away from the topic so much as underscoring connections across domains and highlighting the generality of the topic at hand. That said, whether a point is orthogonal or tangential is frequently a matter of framing.

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  • The SOED definition of "tangential" has a figurative part which says "fig. That merely touches a subject or matter, peripheral. "; that is very much like "parenthetical information"; there is no question in this definition of "shift in mood" nor any other figurative meaning, except "at a tangent", with which I am familiar, and which again connotes the idea of "side" again as it means roughly "avoiding problems through tergiversation", by means of '"escaping" the point and concentrating on side-issues'. Can you produce some references, dictionary definitions to cofirm your say? (1/2) Commented Sep 5 at 20:10
  • There might be a definition somewhere even if this expression is apparently new. All that would however be quite confusing. I had never occurred to me that "tangential" could be in the SOED. (2/2) Commented Sep 5 at 20:12
  • @LPH "On a happier/serious/etc. note" shifts the mood or tone; "on a tangential note" shifts the line of thought sideways; "on an orthogonal note" shifts the line of thought along a different axis. (I'd deliberately grouped them together to contrast with "side note".) Commented Sep 6 at 4:01
  • Can we say then that, put succinctly, "on a side note" means more or less "on a tangential note"? Commented Sep 6 at 12:04
  • I suppose you refer to 'n "on a happier/tangential/… less logical'. It's impossible for me to perceive this "written remark/musical note" difference in the examples I re-read; in particular, I cannot find anything having to do with tone here, where the text is nothing else than a factual enunciation of characteristics. The "note", as far as I can see, is to be acknowledged in analogy to the "short message" idea. Commented Sep 6 at 18:20
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You have failed to give sample sentences which exemplify the intended use of your phrases.

In English, context is essential.

"On a tangential note", "as a tangential note": "on" or "as"?

They mean different things:

"on a tangential note" = (i) on the subject/matter of a vaguely related issue (ii) moving my speech/thoughts to a vaguely related issue:

"as a tangential note": by way of or in the manner of or as an example of a vaguely related issue.

Side note is not the same, a side note can be real or abstract Here "note" can be a written note, a salient point, or a short piece of speech or writing, or an observation.

Tangential notes are only abstract: nobody expects to see them, only hear their content.

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  • This answer is compatible with the one that I posted.ㅤHowever, it's worth pointing out that your explanation "as a tangential note: by way of or in the manner of or as an example of a vaguely related issue" actually explains wordings like as a side/promissory note and I will add, as a tangential note, that..., whilst As a tangential note,... would be awkward.ㅤFurthermore, Commented Sep 9 at 15:35
  • that even the aforequoted explanation fails to explain the artificially induced phrasings "as a happier/positive/high/personal/sour/hopeful/orthogonal/tangential note" reinforces "on" as the only natural preposition for such NPs (as opposed to side/promissory/foot note). Commented Sep 9 at 15:35
  • Your first remark is rather bizarre: sentences you are referring to are only required for requests for a term or phrase corresponding to certain characteristics; the OP has nothing to do with that; it is a request for (1) a determination of whether two expressions have the same meaning, and (2), in case the answer to "(1)" is positive, which one of the prepositions "as" and "on" is the preferred one, or, according to an old answer for "side note" whether "on" should not be considered illogical in the case of "tangential" also. The literal meaning of "side-note" is not in question; (1/2) Commented Sep 9 at 16:51
  • it is a simple dictionary definition (SOED a note made or placed at the side of a page) and accordingly "on a side-note" takes on a simple deductible meaning, where "on" is considered to indicate literally a location; the particular side-note might sometimes be pinpointed, as in for instance "on a side-note on the preceding page", "on a side-note in the first pages of his essai", etc. Other question: in the figurative meaning of "on a side note", "on" does not refer to location; then what is the relation, or is the whole expression a fixed one? (2/2) Commented Sep 9 at 16:51

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