Is "so-so" correct usage for "more or less"?

I took a trip down to Mexico last week and I heard "so-so" in response to "Do you speak English?" Now, I'm used to hearing "so-so" more in the context of "all right" or "OK", but not as in "more or less". Is this usage correct or is it a lack of good teaching?

Solution 1:

According to Merriam-Webster, "so-so" means "neither very good nor very bad."

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, "more or less" is an idiom meaning "basically, essentially."

I have often heard Japanese and Korean students of English also use "so-so" in terms of their English proficiencies, and based on cultural context (outward humility), I think they mean to say that they are okay at English, but not great, rather than the seemingly less humble meaning of "more or less" (saying they can basically speak the language).

Solution 2:

So-so means "passable".

When you ask 'Do you speak English?', the response means that though the speaker has the ability to speak English, he might have difficulty in finding grammatically and situationally apt words or phrases or pronunciations in his speech because he is accustomed to a local English dialect which is different from the dialect and accent used by the questioner.

In other words, he is "more or less" able to convey the intended meaning depending on the mutual understanding of the respective local English dialect.

Similarly, when you say your food is so-so, you mean that it is "more or less" okay to eat, depending on your own perspective. For example, one might not find anything excellent about a particular dish, but the spice level might tinge his tongue more than someone who might find the same dish a little bland, but not sufficing enough to complain.

Solution 3:

It's probably meant in the context of "my English is so-so". That would fit the "alright or OK" definition you mention.