Minor things that bother you

[vegas1962]

Sometimes I say "bad morning" to see anyone is actually paying attention.

Once upon a time, there was a guy who did newscasts for a rock radio station here who would open his newscast with "Good body every morning", instead of "Good morning everybody." He didn't do it every day but it was often enough that you'd notice.

[kphoger]

That's kind of like the difference, if any, between...

1.  It's Thursday evening, and someone says "next Wednesday"
2.  It's Tuesday evening, and someone says "next Wednesday"

I've never understood why the "this [day of the week]" versus "next [day of the week]" rule was so hard for people to grasp.  Would lead to far shorter conversations if people had brains.

The latter plainly means Wednesday of the following week because if you meant the next day, you'd probably say "tomorrow."

Question to both of you:

Today is Thursday, January 30.  If I plan a game night at my house for "next Sunday", then what date will that be?  If you think the answer is obvious, then please explain why it should be obvious.

What about if I plan it for "next Wednesday"?


Similarly, is there a difference between my saying "I went on a trip in the fall" and "I went on a trip last fall"?  When was "last fall"?

[JayhawkCO]

Question to both of you:

Today is Thursday, January 30.  If I plan a game night at my house for "next Sunday", then what date will that be?  If you think the answer is obvious, then please explain why it should be obvious.

What about if I plan it for "next Wednesday"?

I know you didn't ask me, but here's what feels natural to me.

Next Sunday = 2/9

Next Wednesday = 2/5

If the day that you're referring to is within 5 days of your current day, it doesn't require the word "Next". Past that, it does. I attribute this to the recency of the preceding day. Since today is Thursday, to refer to generic "Wednesday", my brain will go to yesterday rather than the upcoming, so the word "Next" is required to refer to the future. But if you're talking about Tuesday, two days seems so long ago that the word "Next" can be omitted.

Similarly, is there a difference between my saying "I went on a trip in the fall" and "I went on a trip last fall"?  When was "last fall"?

Depends on context here. For example, "I want on a trip in the Fall" when talking about being in a place and seeing leaves turn means you're talking in generalities, i.e. "I went on a trip to Vermont in the Fall and it was amazing." This infers no specific Fall.

If you were already talking about temporal topics, i.e. "What did you do this year?" while speaking on December 24th, you could say "I went to Vermont in the Fall and it was amazing," and clearly be speaking about the most recent Fall.

If time/seasonality has not been broached in the conversation, to refer to the previous Fall, you must use the word "Last".

This has been my TED talk.

[kphoger]

I've never understood why the "this [day of the week]" versus "next [day of the week]" rule was so hard for people to grasp.  Would lead to far shorter conversations if people had brains.

This has been my TED talk.

So...  I take it you disagree with |Rothman|, in that you'd say the distinction is less than obvious, and that even people with brains can disagree about it?

[Rothman]

January 30th:

This Sunday = 2/2

Next Sunday = 2/9

This Wednesday = 2/5

Next Wednesday = 2/12

Piece of cake.

[JayhawkCO]

I've never understood why the "this [day of the week]" versus "next [day of the week]" rule was so hard for people to grasp.  Would lead to far shorter conversations if people had brains.

This has been my TED talk.

So...  I take it you disagree with |Rothman|, in that you'd say the distinction is less than obvious, and that even people with brains can disagree about it?

Me? Disagreeing with Rothman? Shocker.

[kphoger]

January 30th:

This Sunday = 2/2

Next Sunday = 2/9

This Wednesday = 2/5

Next Wednesday = 2/12

Piece of cake.

This how I think as well.  But I can totally understand why someone would think of 2/12, which is the Wednesday in the middle of next week, as "next Wednesday".

Follow-up questions:

What is 2/13?  This Thursday, or next Thursday?
When is "next fall"?  2025, or 2026?

[kphoger]

Even though I don't speak this way, I can also totally understand someone thinking that "the next Tuesday" is the same thing as "next Tuesday".

[JayhawkCO]

Follow-up questions:

What is 2/13?  This Thursday, or next Thursday?
When is "next fall"?  2025, or 2026?

Thursday after next
2026

[kphoger]

So, then, "I have an appointment scheduled for the boys' checkup this Thursday at 9:15 AM" is nonsensical if spoken this afternoon?

[kphoger]

This is why I always say "this coming Wednesday" or "not this Wednesday but the next one two Wednesdays from now".  Or occasionally "Wednesday of next week".

Correction.

[webny99]

This is why I always say "this coming Wednesday" or "not this Wednesday but the next one".  Or occasionally "Wednesday next week".

I generally go with no qualifier if it's the upcoming one, and "a week from [day]" if it's the one after the upcoming one.

[webny99]

Today is Thursday, January 30.  If I plan a game night at my house for "next Sunday", then what date will that be?  If you think the answer is obvious, then please explain why it should be obvious.

From today, "next Sunday" is obviously February 2nd, because:

next
/nekst/
adjective
1. (of a time or season) coming immediately after the time of writing or speaking.

Similarly, is there a difference between my saying "I went on a trip in the fall" and "I went on a trip last fall"?  When was "last fall"?

Don't trip and fall looking for the answer to that one. 

[hotdogPi]

That far out, I'll typically use the number. For example, I'll say the Super Bowl is on the 9th (no need to state the month) rather than this/next/whatever Sunday.

[kphoger]

... here's what feels natural to me.
Next Sunday = 2/9

Next Sunday = 2/9
Piece of cake.

Even though I don't speak this way, I can also totally understand someone thinking that "the next Tuesday" is the same thing as "next Tuesday".

↓ case in point ↓

From today, "next Sunday" is obviously February 2nd

[JayhawkCO]

So, then, "I have an appointment scheduled for the boys' checkup this Thursday at 9:15 AM" is nonsensical if spoken this afternoon?

Yes. The day of should only be referred to as today. The next day can be referred to "tomorrow" or "this Friday" in this example.

[wxfree]

This is why I always say "this coming Wednesday" or "not this Wednesday but the next one".  Or occasionally "Wednesday next week".

I think I heard somewhere, I think in something old, someone use a term such as "Wednesday next."  I think that's an old-fashioned way of saying something.

I don't know exactly what it means.  To me, if it's Wednesday, "next Wednesday" means in one week.  Any other day, "next Wednesday" means the second Wednesday, as the first one is "this Wednesday," or just "Wednesday."

I seem to remember reading this in a Dear Abby column.  Abby compared it to streets.  "The next right" refers to the right turn following the one immediately ahead (this works in town, where there's always something immediately ahead, but where roads are far apart the rules may change [I would say "this right" if you can see it and "the next right" if you can't see it yet).  "This right" means the first right turn.  There's always a "this" and the following is the "next."  If I say "take this right" I don't mean "turn around and go left on the street we just passed." "This" is always ahead and "next" is after.  Today is Thursday.  If I say "let's go to the zoo this Wednesday," I don't mean yesterday.

[JayhawkCO]

If I say "let's go to the zoo this Wednesday," I don't mean yesterday.

But it still sounds weird to my ears for a date six days from now to be "this <day>". That's why I have the 5 day limit.

[SEWIGuy]

Who schedules a game night on a Sunday or Wednesday?

[JayhawkCO]

Who schedules a game night on a Sunday or Wednesday?

The NFL, for one.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Who schedules a game night on a Sunday or Wednesday?

Probably depends on the schedules of the people involved that maybe those are their best days for it? Also, a lot of people don't work Sunday, so to me that would make a lot of sense to have one that day.

[Scott5114]

I just generally avoid the issue entirely by saying things like "This upcoming Wednesday" or "Wednesday after next".

Who schedules a game night on a Sunday or Wednesday?

Ours is traditionally on Tuesday due to mostly being attended by casino workers. I could see Wednesday being chosen for similar reasons. Sunday, I guess if you have a normie schedule and start mid-afternoon, you could wrap it up by 10pm or so, so people can get home to sleep for work.

[1995hoo]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. Very busy morning.

January 30th:

This Sunday = 2/2

Next Sunday = 2/9

This Wednesday = 2/5

Next Wednesday = 2/12

Piece of cake.

I largely agree with this except that I doubt I would use "next Wednesday" to refer to a day that's almost two weeks out. I'd probably use the date instead.

I never use "this" to refer to a date in the past. So "this Wednesday" cannot mean January 29 as I type this on January 30. I also don't use "this" to refer to the following day, as noted earlier—I would use "tomorrow" instead of "this Friday" to refer to January 31, but I would use "next Friday" to refer to February 7 even though that means there is no "this Friday" preceding it (whereas yesterday, "this Friday" would have meant January 31 and "next Friday" would have meant February 7).

If I think there might be an ambiguity, I'll sometimes say "this coming [day]." Usually that would be if the day in question is several days away. "I have hockey tickets this coming Tuesday" would be referring to February 4. But I doubt I'd ever say that in reference to February 1: "The Caps are at home this Saturday, but I don't have tickets to that game."


To answer kphoger's original question to me, if you plan a game night for "next Sunday," I would assume you meant February 9, but I'd probably confirm that with you: "OK, so February 9, correct?" On the whole I'd probably do that regardless of how you said it unless you used the date in the first place.

I think I heard somewhere, I think in something old, someone use a term such as "Wednesday next."  I think that's an old-fashioned way of saying something.

....

The federal statutes defining when Election Day is refer to "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November."

[wxfree]

If I say "let's go to the zoo this Wednesday," I don't mean yesterday.

But it still sounds weird to my ears for a date six days from now to be "this <day>". That's why I have the 5 day limit.

I get that.  I wouldn't actually say "this Wednesday" today.  The point is that the impending occurrence of a day is "this [day]" or just "[day]" as distinct from "next [day].  In my mind, on Sunday, when saying "Let's go to the zoo this Wednesday" the "this" pulls the days inward, implying nearness.  Saying "this" is a way of inserting a slight sense of urgency, because the day is near, so you don't have a week to decide.  It means "this one right here, close, not that one out that way."  "This one" is always closer than "that one" the same say "here" is always closer than "there."

To me "this" is most precisely used when pointing at something, such as days on a calendar, but the second meaning for "this" is "close."  The impending Wednesday is not close yet, so I wouldn't call it "this" unless I needed to distinguish it from "next Wednesday."

[kphoger]

I seem to remember reading this in a Dear Abby column.  Abby compared it to streets.  "The next right" refers to the right turn following the one immediately ahead (this works in town, where there's always something immediately ahead, but where roads are far apart the rules may change [I would say "this right" if you can see it and "the next right" if you can't see it yet).  "This right" means the first right turn.  There's always a "this" and the following is the "next."  If I say "take this right" I don't mean "turn around and go left on the street we just passed." "This" is always ahead and "next" is after.

If we're driving, and I say "take the next exit", it should be obvious that I don't mean to take the second exit.  Similarly, if we're driving, and I say "take the next right", I mean you should turn right at the nearest opportunity.

Similarly, "the next Wednesday" is six days from now.  The question is whether "next Wednesday" means the same thing or not.  Does the presence of the word "the" make a difference?

But it still sounds weird to my ears for a date six days from now to be "this <day>". That's why I have the 5 day limit.

To me, it doesn't sound weird to call February 5 "this Wednesday", because it is the upcoming Wednesday.  But I totally understand why someone would only think of something six days away as "next <day>"—especially when it's not in the current week.

I just generally avoid the issue entirely by saying things like "This upcoming Wednesday" or "Wednesday after next".

The latter still leaves ambiguity.  If I think of February 5 as "next Wednesday", then I might interpret your "Wednesday after next" as February 12.  However, if I think of February 5 as "this Wednesday" and February 12 as "next Wednesday", then I might interpret your "Wednesday after next" as February 19.