Soonest = as soon as

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:07 PM -0500 8/20/07, Scot LaFaive wrote:
>I also have heard it (ex. "I'll do it the soonest I can"), but never without
>the determiner preceding "soonest" ("I'll do it soonest I can"), which was
>the way I saw it that seemed so strange to me.

I've mostly seen it as an absolute in frames like "I'll be there
soonest", sans following complement clause.

LH

>
>
>>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>Subject: Re: Soonest = as soon as
>>Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2007 20:51:13 -0400
>>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>Subject:      Re: Soonest = as soon as
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>At 8:44 PM -0400 8/20/07, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>>I agree with A. I've long heard "'soonest" in the meaning, "as soon as
>>>possible." I have the *very* vague impression that it started out as a
>>>Briticism. That is to say, I don't think that I've ever heard it in
>>>the wild, but I'm very familiar with it from TV and movies.
>>>
>>>-Wilson
>>
>>I agree; more "ASAP" than "as soon as", and there's something of
>>telegraphese about it.
>>
>>LH
>>
>>>
>>>On 8/20/07, sagehen <sagehen at westelcom.com> wrote:
>>>>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>-----------------------
>>>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>   Poster:       sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM>
>>>>   Subject:      Re: Soonest = as soon as
>>>>
>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>   >Has anyone ever heard or seen "soonest" used to mean "as soon as?" I
>>saw
>>>>   >it used a few times today by someone from California, possibly a
>>second
>>>>   >language learner.
>>>>   >
>>>>   >Scot
>>>>   >~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>>   As a synonym for asap, it's pretty common.  I don't think I've ever
>>heard
>>>>   (or read) it used "as soon as..." anything other than "possible."
>>>>   It certainly isn't confined to ESL speakers.
>>>>   AM
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>>-----
>>>                                                -Sam'l Clemens
>>>
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>>
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>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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