Next Friday
Tom O'Brien
If today is Monday and I make reference to "Next Tuesday", I usually mean
a week from tomorrow. If today is Monday and I say "Next Wednesday" I
probably mean 9 days from today. If today is Monday and I say "Next
Friday", what do I mean? Five days from now, or 12 days from now?
While I imagine that there is an accepted convention for this sort of
thing, I know for certain that it is not widely recognized. I pretty much
refuse to accept such references and ask, "Do you mean this coming
Friday?" I would like to know what the convention is, and how such an
imprecise construction worked its way into the language.
--
Tom O'Brien, Seattle, to...@halcyon.com
-----------------------------------------------
I let my mind wander and it never came back
Peter Lusby
Tom O'Brien <to...@halcyon.com> wrote:
>If today is Monday and I make reference to "Next Tuesday", I usually mean
>a week from tomorrow. If today is Monday and I say "Next Wednesday" I
>probably mean 9 days from today. If today is Monday and I say "Next
>Friday", what do I mean? Five days from now, or 12 days from now?
>
>While I imagine that there is an accepted convention for this sort of
>thing, I know for certain that it is not widely recognized. I pretty much
>refuse to accept such references and ask, "Do you mean this coming
>Friday?" I would like to know what the convention is, and how such an
>imprecise construction worked its way into the language.
>--
This has been a source of confusion all my life (almost half a century). I
believe that it comes from a sloppy shorthand of "this friday" meaning "friday
of this week", and "next friday" meaning "friday of next week". I have,
however, also heard "this coming friday", as opposed to "next friday".
Whatever the origin, it is advisable to be very specific, and state both the
day of the week and the date. This eliminates any possible confusion. Caveat
emptor, or something.
--
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Peter J Lusby | "A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware" +
+ | Rupert Brooke - The Soldier +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Truly Donovan
Tom O'Brien wrote:
>
> If today is Monday and I make reference to "Next Tuesday", I usually mean
> a week from tomorrow. If today is Monday and I say "Next Wednesday" I
> probably mean 9 days from today. If today is Monday and I say "Next
> Friday", what do I mean? Five days from now, or 12 days from now?
>
> While I imagine that there is an accepted convention for this sort of
> thing, I know for certain that it is not widely recognized. I pretty much
> refuse to accept such references and ask, "Do you mean this coming
> Friday?" I would like to know what the convention is, and how such an
> imprecise construction worked its way into the language.
The conention is, as you have noted, to ask "Do you mean this coming Friday?"
I tend to ask for actual dates, myself, if a calendar is handy (but I won't
carry one; won't wear a beeper, either, but strangely enough, no one has
ever asked that I do).
--
Truly Donovan
"Industrial-strength SGML," Prentice Hall 1996
ISBN 0-13-216243-1
Joseph C Fineman
Tom O'Brien <to...@halcyon.com> writes:
>If today is Monday and I make reference to "Next Tuesday", I usually
>mean a week from tomorrow.
I would say "tomorrow" or "a week from tomorrow", whichever I meant.
>If today is Monday and I say "Next Wednesday" I probably mean 9 days
>from today.
I would say "the day after tomorrow" or "a week from Wednesday".
>If today is Monday and I say "Next Friday", what do I mean? Five days
>from now, or 12 days from now?
Your guess is as good as mine. I would say "(this coming) Friday" or
"a week from Friday".
The "next" locutions are incurably ambiguous. I never use them, and
if someone else uses them I ask for clarification. They are
idiomatic, no doubt, but IMO they are idiomatic foolishness, like
saying "right" for "correct" while giving instructions to a driver.
--
Joe Fineman j...@world.std.com
495 Pleasant St., #1 (617) 324-6899
Malden, MA 02148
Donnah Dunthorn
Tom O'Brien wrote:
>
> If today is Monday and I make reference to "Next Tuesday", I usually mean
> probably mean 9 days from today. If today is Monday and I say "Next
> Friday", what do I mean? Five days from now, or 12 days from now?
>
> thing, I know for certain that it is not widely recognized. I pretty much
> refuse to accept such references and ask, "Do you mean this coming
> Friday?" I would like to know what the convention is, and how such an
> imprecise construction worked its way into the language.
It's the word 'next' that throws people off. I stick with 'this Friday'
and 'Friday week' myself.
It's like a little roadblock that people have found different ways of
getting around.
d.
BTW, I wonder how many times in his life the average anglophone
has to ask "Do you mean funny 'strange' or funny 'ha ha'?"
David Howard
I always use and understand the phrase "Next [day-of-week]" to mean the
one following the one which is coming up. To refer to the one that is
within the next seven days, I simply say, "[day-of-week]". Any confusion
about the immediately pending or past day is resolved by the verb tense.
David
--
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Stuart R. Leichter
> If today is Monday and I make reference to "Next Tuesday", I usually mean
> a week from tomorrow. If today is Monday and I say "Next Wednesday" I
> probably mean 9 days from today. If today is Monday and I say "Next
> Friday", what do I mean? Five days from now, or 12 days from now?
>
> While I imagine that there is an accepted convention for this sort of
> thing, I know for certain that it is not widely recognized. I pretty much
> refuse to accept such references and ask, "Do you mean this coming
> Friday?" I would like to know what the convention is, and how such an
> imprecise construction worked its way into the language.
> --
A real problem, like having to say Washington state or the state of
Washington. An accepted convention? In _this_ language? Go ghoti.
Maybe we should color-code the weeks of the month. Colors or their names
are quite unambiguous. Blue Tuesday, Green Tuesday, Red Tuesday, Violet
Tuesday, and Yellow Tuesday.
--
Stuart R. Leichter
Truly Donovan
David Howard wrote:
>
> I always use and understand the phrase "Next [day-of-week]" to mean the
> one following the one which is coming up. To refer to the one that is
> within the next seven days, I simply say, "[day-of-week]". Any confusion
> about the immediately pending or past day is resolved by the verb tense.
And I would ask you for a specific date. You may be consistent, but what is
that to me?
--
Truly Donovan
"Industrial-strength SGML," Prentice Hall 1996
ISBN 0-13-216243-1
Hugh_P_Scott
Donnah Dunthorn wrote:
> BTW, I wonder how many times in his life the average anglophone
> has to ask "Do you mean funny 'strange' or funny 'ha ha'?"
That's funny - I've never said "funny 'strange'". I often say 'funny
peculiar'.
--
The opinions expressed in this communication are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer!!
Robert M. Wilson
In article <326943...@lunemere.com>,
Truly Donovan <tr...@lunemere.com> wrote:
>David Howard wrote:
>>
>> I always use and understand the phrase "Next [day-of-week]" to mean the
>> one following the one which is coming up. To refer to the one that is
>> within the next seven days, I simply say, "[day-of-week]". Any confusion
>> about the immediately pending or past day is resolved by the verb tense.
>
>And I would ask you for a specific date. You may be consistent, but what is
>that to me?
>
Many years ago I discovered that there are two interpretations
of "next" as in "next Friday." If I said that a test would be
next Friday, some students interpreted it as the nearest, others
as the one after the nearest, with the majority favoring the latter
(was I gullible?). As several insisted, the one closest is
"this coming Friday." There were some who would understand that
if I said it on Monday, it would be four days away, but if I
said it on Thursday, it would be eight days away.
After my enlightenment, I used it as an example of how people's
different understanding of language can lead to confusion.