this/next weekend, again, still...

[Rick Castello]

Indigo Som said:
> May I flog this dead horse a little more? I am wondering if the
> next/this weekend confusion has gotten worse over time? I seem to
> remember learning "next weekend" when I was a kid, & it was supposed to
> mean the one that's coming up, no matter what part of the week you were
> in. If you were already in a weekend it meant the one in a week. I don't
> remember confusing other people with this, or being confused by their
> saying it either, except rarely.
>
> Since following this discussion & thinking it over, I could swear that
> over time it has become gradually less and less clear, to the point
> where now I *never* say or hear "next weekend" without elaborate
> clarification: If someone says it to me, I ask, "You mean this coming
> one, or the one after that?" or "You mean two days from now, or the
> weekend after that?" If I'm the one talking I say one of these:
>
> "next weekend -- the weekend after this coming one" (if speaking on a
> Thursday or Friday)
> "next weekend -- the one coming up" (if speaking on a Monday)
> "this coming weekend" (any day of the week)
> "next weekend, a week from now" (speaking on a weekend)
> "the weekend of the 31st"
> "this Saturday" or "on Saturday"
>
> I realize this perception could also be a function of 1) children not
> having to be so intense about scheduling & 2) children mostly scheduling
> things with the same people who taught them to speak in the first place
> & 3) my memory not being nearly as clear as I think it is! But I feel
> like the clarification contortions have become more necessary even just
> during my adult life.
>
> "This weekend" *usually* seems pretty clear, meaning the one that hits
> soonest. (I guess it means what "next weekend" used to mean for me when
> I was a kid.)
>
> Re "this weekend" in the past tense, I'm more likely to say "what did
> you do over the weekend?" but have no problem with "what did you do this
> weekend?"

     I'd personally agree with you on all but your past tense usage,
     where I use "last weekend" to mean the most recent weekend already
     passed.

     -Rick