Sure ain’t a Merkin thing.
Under these circumstances I would have asked for clarification of which friday you meant… you know this is why calendars/diaries have those little numbers connected to every day…
Another vote for cazzle.
This Friday means Friday this week.
Next Friday means Friday next week.
Hasn’t it always been this way? I’ve never heard it mean anything else.
This is not a vote for cazzle. This is just a vote for sensible, clear, and readily comprehensible English. Cazzle just happened to be there first.
Last Friday, This Friday, Next Friday. A nice, logical progression. Where’s the controversy?
What the hell, though, I love cazzle, anyway. Nothing to be ashamed of there.
Nice silumpost, same meaning apart from the vote for cazzle… spooky!
I do! I do! 
I also agree with manwithaplan. “Friday week” also quite common in Australia.
:eek:
What do pubic wigs have to do with it???
So, say you’re driving down the road. I’m sitting next to you. I say, “I think I’m going to throw up. Pull over next chance you get.” When are you going to pull over, the next chance you get to or the one after that?
Have to go with cazzle on this one. “This Friday,” or simply “Friday,” refer to the Friday of the week I’m in, provided it’s Sunday or later. “Next Friday” refers to the following one, and “the Friday after next,” refers to the third Friday to come.
I added the “provided it’s Sunday or later” clause because if it’s Saturday, “Friday” may refer to the day before, and "Next Fridaymay be the following.
Context is crucial.
I have never encountered anyone using “next” to mean a week+ ahead. TV ads that refer to “next Thursday’s show” etc. are clearly referring to, well, “next Thursday” as in the OP.
Haven’t people (other than me and the OP) noticed that their “convention” is out of whack with so many, many media uses?
As for cazzle’s “logic”: just because two different words are used (“this” and “next”) doesn’t mean that two different meanings are implied. This is English after all, the most overladen, synonym rich language around.
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If I today is Saturday, and I say I will see you next Sunday, how many days away is that? Why?
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If today is Thursday, and I say that I will see you next weeked, how many days away is that? Why?
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If today is Monday, and I say that I will see you next weekend, how many days is that? Why?
The more questions I ask, the more you have to realize that you’re making up exceptions, loopholes, and more inconsistancies.
A simpler way for all would be for next to mean exactly that – next.
1 - 8
2 - 8
3 - 11
Think of the days as train cars coming toward you, and there’s this big dining car called the weekend a few cars away. Most people would refer to it as THIS dining car (as in, I’ll meet you in this dining car), and if they meant the one after that, it would be the NEXT dining car.
So if it were your way, and you said I’ll see you in the NEXT dining car, I would not assume you meant the next one to pass, but the one after the obvious one approaching us.
NEXT!
Would agree with cazzles original explanation although it gets fuzzier when you span the weekend, e.g. if today is Friday and you say “See you next Wednesday,” I would interpret this to mean the Wednesday of next week (5 days ahead) rather than two Wednesdays in the future (12 days ahead).
I would argue about this with a coworker but she also had the weird habit of saying “Let’s move the meeting forward” to mean to reschedule at a later date and “Let’s move it back” to mean to reschedule at an earlier date (which is directly opposite of how I would interpret those remarks). She would explain her rational in terms of thinking about moving through a calendar: progressing “forward” on a calendar means you are moving out into the future.
This is why I don’t have friends…they can’t ask you out at anytime and therefore avoiding the confusion of whether next Friday is the coming friday or the one after.
It’s a simple life if you don’t weaken!
Simpler, sure. Lazier, no. “Next Thursday” takes slightly less time to say than “a week from Thursday”. When it comes to simplicity verses terseness, which do you think English-speakers favor?
I’m glad somebody said it. ‘Next’ seems to be used interchangeably (and thank goodness I don’t live in England or Australia - that would take some getting used to!).
But it would be EASIER if ‘next’ was used properly and means what it says (i.e. the VERY next one, not the one after).
What if someone said, “The Friday after next.”? Would that be two Fridays away or three? IRL, this would mean two Fridays away - but if we use next to be the one AFTER, then it would be three. Definitely inconsistent…
[sub]Not that I don’t love you, Cazz, because I do. Or, er, I’m sure I would if I KNEW you![/sub]
<mumble mumble… cazzle… mumble mumble>
I’ve got to side with clan cazzle on this. And I’ve got to say that this isn’t a regional thing; I’ve lived up and down the east coast, across the gulf coast and out in the mountain states and it’s been the same from everyone, save a few overeducated language snobs who wanted to take the vast majority to task for their use of the construction.
Walloon,,
You are correct, English is confusing and not well spoken, even by natives. “I’ll see you next Friday.” should be written as “I’ll see you next week on Friday.”, or " … on Friday of next week."
Further example; This is January, if I tell you I will see you next February, I mean February of next year. If I say I will see you next in February, look for me in four weeks.
One of the really fun :rolleyes: things about the rules of speech is that they don’t have to be logical or internally consistent, just widely accepted.
Cazzle, I’m sorry, I don’t love you, but I hope we can still be friends
Another vote for Cazzle’s side of the fence. It may not make sense, but that’s nonetheless the way the word gets used 'round these parts.
It has long been my contention that the English language was developed by someone who couldn’t speak a word of it.
Just piping up agreement with Cazzle (Could this a thread where a Doper’s name is raised most often outside of flaming? :))
Saying “See you Friday” alone would mean the Friday of that week, without further clarification. But, “this Friday” is the present week, “next Friday” the week following.