This weekend/Next weekend
David Lindstrom
different weekends?
Regards,
David Lindstrom
S. W. Davison
The way I use the terms, they are different.
"Can we go to the cabin this weekend?"
"No, I have a meeting on Saturday. How about next weekend?"
Likewise days of the week. "This Monday," for me, means tomorrow (I write
this post on Sunday 20-jun-99). "Next Monday" means 28-jun-99.
But nowadays I'm real careful when I use those terms, and always follow up
with further disambiguation. I am aware that: (1) According to most
dictionaries, I am using those terms incorrectly; and (2) Not everyone uses
them the same way I do.
Stowe Davison
swda...@erols.com
http://www.angelfire.com/md/swdavison
David Lindstrom wrote in message <376CADF4...@bigpond.com>...
Robert Lieblich
>
> Do "this weekend" and "next weekend" refer to the same weekend or
> different weekends?
There is no single answer to this question, and the problem is even
worse than you may realize. My usage:
During a weekend, the tem "this weekend" refers to the current weekend,
and "next weekend" refers to the one seven days away. During a weekday,
"this weekend" and "next weekend" mean the same thing. So sometimes
they mean the same weekend and sometimes they don't.
But that's only my usage. Others use the terms differently. So I have
taken to supplying more information than simply one of the two terms,
e.g., "The conference will be held next weekend -- June 26 and 27."
Bob Lieblich
Opinicus
news:376CF7...@erols.com...
> > Do "this weekend" and "next weekend" refer to the same
weekend or
> > different weekends?
> There is no single answer to this question, and the problem is
even
> worse than you may realize. My usage:
Robert, my usage follows yours but as you note, the problem is
really quite complex.
I actually did a survey about this during my brief (and aborted)
pursuit of a master's degree in linguistics. On different days
of the week I asked people questions involving "this weekend"
and "next weekend" framed such that their responses would
automatically indicate which weekend they were thinking of. My
findings were was that "this weekend" and "next weekend"
diverge the closer you get to a weekend. On a Monday, many
(most?) folks interpreted "this weekend" and "next weekend" as
the same. As we moved through the week, the split between those
who interpreted "this" as the weekend fewer than seven days away
and "next" as the one more than seven days away shifted in favor
of the latter so that by the time we got to Friday, everybody
understood "this weekend" to be the one beginning the next day
and "next weekend" the one beginning a week hence.
I also discovered a similar (though not quite as strong) pattern
with the names of days of the week, months of the year, and
seasons.
Unfortunately this was back in the 70s so it never occurred to
me to ask "Shall we meet this millennium or next?"
--
Bob
Foça
---
Kanyak's Doghouse <http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/5309/>
Jack Gavin
>different weekends?
>
already in play.
--
Jack Gavin
jan...@mailexcite.com
> My
> findings were was that "this weekend" and "next weekend"
> diverge the closer you get to a weekend.
To me, the only really confusing period is Wednesday between
noon and midnight.
jane
Opinicus
news:376E55CB...@mailexcite.com...
was usually where the biggest shift took place.
--
Bob
Foça, Turkey
Graham Howe
initiaite a discussion lasting several days; personally, I'm already bored
with it, so I hope that it will be all over by this weekend.
Graham
(Monday)
--
Opinicus <gez...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:7kluc9$9k5$1...@usenet41.supernews.com...
Arianna54
>with further disambiguation.
love that word!!! Does it really exist? I have never seen it before.
bye
Arianna