The "This" "Next" conven

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 05:48:25 PM

When you makes plans for "Next Saturday," what does it mean? Do you mean the next Saturday on the calendar or the Saturday after that?

If you talk about "This Saturday," what does it mean? Yesterday? Today? Tomorrow? Next Saturday?

Most people say that "Next Saturday" means the Saturday after the next Saturday on the calendar... Meaning, two Saturdays away... For those people the meaning of "Next Saturday" and "This Saturday" depends on the day of the week and in some cases they mean the same thing...

On Sunday, does "This Saturday" mean yesterday or "Next Saturday?" What about Monday? What do you call the next Saturday on the calendar, "Next" or "This?" Does "This next Saturday" have a different meaning that "This Saturday" and "Next Saturday?"

This is something that gets me into trouble with certain people... I look at the calendar to find the next Saturday on the list... And THAT is "Next Saturday." But, when I say that I'll see them "Next Saturday," they say, "You mean THIS Saturday."

I've been told that the "This" convention is the way to go and that "Next" actually means the Saturday after Next...

But, why? When you say "This Morning" it means the morning in the past. And the "Next Morning" would be the very next one... Not the one after that.

What would the Beatles have done? "Take the NEXT train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station..." They'd never meet up, 'cause "Next" actually means the one after next... Should they have said, "Take THIS train to Clarksville?"

What about next month? Is "Next Month" January or February? If the elevator is full do you get on THIS elevator or the NEXT elevator?

I say that "Next" means NEXT not "after next." What about you? "This" or "Next?"

Phaedrus · December 08, 2005, 05:53:01 PM

When I say "this saturday", I mean the next one that will be coming up. "Last saturday" is the one that most recently passed. "The saturday after next" would be..well, the saturday AFTER the next saturday.

Sounds simple, but a lot of people I know struggle with this. I dunno why? :dunno:

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 05:54:01 PM

So, you don't say Next Saturday?

Phaedrus · December 08, 2005, 05:59:34 PM

Eh, not usually. If I do say "next saturday" it means the same as "this saturday". But I almost always say "this saturday" because the saturday belongs to "this week". :dunno:

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 06:12:29 PM

Quote from: PhaedrusIf I do say "next saturday" it means the same as "this saturday".

YAY!!!

I just don't get the "Next is after Next" people...

MPA · December 08, 2005, 06:29:40 PM

I just say "On Saturday" IF the person doesn't realize it's the saturday coming up, they're a moron and I don't need to talk to them.

Phaedrus · December 08, 2005, 07:00:07 PM

Another good one:

Do you CALL IN sick or CALL OUT sick?

JetSwing · December 08, 2005, 07:03:28 PM

this saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.

and i've never heard "call out" sick :dunno:

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 07:08:15 PM

Quote from: JetSwingthis saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.

So what month is next month? Feb?

What about if you're waiting for the bus... Are you waiting for this bus rather than the next bus?

Phaedrus · December 08, 2005, 07:16:57 PM

Quote from: JetSwingand i've never heard "call out" sick :dunno:

Around here, most of the "city people" call it "calling out sick". While others call it "calling in sick".

Badger · December 08, 2005, 07:22:39 PM

"This Saturday" is the next Saturday that will occur (the one that is fewer than 7 days away.)

"This past Saturday" is the last one that happened. Also "Last Saturday", unless used on Sunday, then "Yesterday" is the appropriate term.

"Next Saturday" is somewhat confusing, and partially dependent on the day of the week. On Sunday, "Next Saturday" means this upcoming Saturday (a.k.a. "This Saturday", which is confusing on Sunday anyway).

On Monday or Tuesday, "Next Saturday" could go either way. In these cases, using the somewhat unwieldy, "Not This Saturday But Next Saturday" is appropriate. Also, "The Weekend After Next" generally results in less confusion.

Wednesday through Friday, "Next Saturday" definitely means the next one that is not "This Saturday". Since "This Weekend" obviously contains "This Saturday". "Next Weekend" must be the one after that, which would subsequently contain "Next Saturday".

Clear now?

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 07:30:58 PM

But, the "this" weekend thing doesn't really work either...

When does "this weekend" change from being in the past to being in the future... Wednesday?

"I went out of town this weekend." or "I'm going out of town this weekend."

I guess my problem is with "this." Why not just leave it at last and next? :dunno:

Badger · December 08, 2005, 07:33:35 PM

Quote from: RVertigo
Quote from: JetSwingthis saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.
So what month is next month? Feb?

Since there is no word for "the current month" that works like "today" does for days, months work differently (of course). This month is used to represent the month that currently contains you. Next month is (quite obviously) the one after that.

JetSwing · December 08, 2005, 07:34:02 PM

Quote from: RVertigo
Quote from: JetSwingthis saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.
So what month is next month? Feb?

What about if you're waiting for the bus... Are you waiting for this bus rather than the next bus?

thanks for putting my words out of context! so here's my explanation.

when you say "this friday", you really mean "friday of this week". and when you say "next friday", you really mean "friday of next week".

you gotta see things in a timeline. anything that has passed is refered to as "last". eg. last monday was 12/5. today this thursday which is "this" thursday but we never refer today as "this". we just say today. so the "next" thursday would be 12/15.

so let's look at the month. let's go back to the timeline again. what month are we in? deccember. so "this" month is december. "next" month would be january.

sorry. i don't know anything about buses.

Phaedrus · December 08, 2005, 07:34:35 PM

Quote from: RVertigoWhy not just leave it at last and next? :dunno:

Four Weeks Of The Month (just an example)

Week 1 - LAST week
Week 2 - THIS week (current)
Week 3 - NEXT week
Week 4 - the week AFTER NEXT

JetSwing · December 08, 2005, 07:38:35 PM

one thing i always wondered was why there aren't any words for "day after tomorrow" or "day before yesterday" :dunno:

in some languages, there are single words to describe thoses...

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 07:40:14 PM

Quote from: BadgerThis month is used to represent the month that currently contains you. Next month is (quite obviously) the one after that.

As with everything else in the world outside of days of the week (for some people).

You don't say that the "next plane" is the one after the one coming up... It makes no sense.

RVertigo · December 08, 2005, 07:44:41 PM

Quote from: JetSwinganything that has passed is refered to as "last". eg.

What about "This Morning?"

What about when you get back from the weekend and someone asks you, "Did you do anything fun this weekend?" They don't say last weekend, even though it's in the past. :dunno:

It really only drives me crazy when I say "Next Weekend" Monday-Thursday and people have no clue what I mean...

JetSwing · December 08, 2005, 07:53:14 PM

rvertigo. i have the final answer so relax!

and you'renot crazy...next means next!

read this again.

Quotewhen you say "this friday", you really mean "friday of this week". and when you say "next friday", you really mean "friday of next week".

if it's outside of this week, then it becomes "next". eg. like "next" monday (12/12). at this point "this" moday des not exist. there's "past" moday (12/5) and "next" monday (12/12).

Badger · December 08, 2005, 08:02:14 PM

Quote from: RVertigoBut, the "this" weekend thing doesn't really work either...

When does "this weekend" change from being in the past to being in the future... Wednesday?

This Saturday cannot be in the past. If you are in the current weekend and you are referring to the Saturday in the current weekend, then it either has to be "today" or "yesterday".

Let me try to make this as confusing as possible:

Here is the progression when you are tracking to a Saturday:

* Next Saturday: Saturday 6 days away or more away
* This Saturday: Saturday less than 6 days away.
* Tomorrow: Saturday is 1 day away
* Today: Saturday is happenning right now
* Yesterday: It is Sunday, and your Saturday just happened
* Last Saturday: Your Saturday is between 2 and 8 days old (you can use "last Saturday" on a Sunday and not mean "yesterday". This only applies to Saturdays, since they are part of this weekend.

Weekdays have different rules, and can be more confusing when talking about "this" one. "This Monday" could either be the one that occurred this week, or it could mean "this upcoming Monday"

Of course, all this is just

Quote from: RVertigo"I went out of town this weekend." or "I'm going out of town this weekend."

And that's why we have different tenses in English. Both of those sentences clearly specify which weekend "this one" is.

I'm only being moderately sarcastic. I used to be a linguist, and you'd be surprised at how difficult and confusing it can be to work in a language that has no concept of tense...like Chinese.

In Chinese, you can't say "I went" vs. "I will go" vs. "I am going" vs. "I am gone". No tense. Instead, you say things like, "Today I go" or "Yesterday I go" or "Tomorrow I go". There's a lot more guesswork involved. Compare this to a language like French, where there are like a billion tenses to communicate nuance around timing and completeness.

Because there is no tense In Chinese, is is moderately important to specify the time as context...therefore, there are words for "the day before yesterday" and "the day after tomorrow". It's made more confusing because the word for "yesterday" is literally "the day behind this one". Thus, "the day before yesterday" loosely translates to: "the day before the day behind today"...actually, I guess more literally it would be "before behind day." It's disturbingly disorienting.

Just to make things more confusing...They also have a word for "ten thousand"...and subsequently put commas between groups of four digits rather than three. One million is 100,0000...or "one hundred ten thousands". Not related to tense, but illustrates some of the things that make you look like this:

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