LL-L "Idiomatica" 2009.01.03 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 03 January 2009 - Volume 02
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From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2009.01.03 (01) [D/E]

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From: Lowlands-L List

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Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 6:21 PM

Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2009.01.03 (01) [D/E]


From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.02 (05) [E]

Beste Luc, Diederik & All:

Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Luc: you said:

But I'm anticipating a little...given the approximately 2 000 M people on
this world who are speaking either English or German as a first or second
language (who both use "next" / "nächste" in this case), my "noste" (=
naaste, superlative of na(ar) - nader - naast) won't be entirely out of tune
by the time Dutch gets its ass whooped.

Mark:

Well, in the same place we Afrikaners also say 'volgende', & logic argues
for retention. Nowww, which is nearest - to the present year: The year past
or the year to come? Now you may argue context gives that information, which
is true, but you *need* it.

I beg your pardon, this is Tüdelkram. The noste, naaste, next, nächste etc.
year is always the year to follow. The year past is out of reach by the laws
of physics, unless you are able to surpass the speed of light. If I say
today: "Next year I will do this", I mean 2010. Basta. Even though 2010 is
al long way and 2008 is only just gone.



Much more amusing is the northern german custom of saying "This tuesday we
will have a meeting" in contrast to "Next tuesday we will have a
meeting." (I think this has been discussed already here, hasn't it?) Now
what is "this" tuesday? It is in fact the next tuesday to come. The nearest
tuesday. In Hamburg at least it is so. The people of this extraordinary town
are some time ahead of time, quite without the help of relativity and speed
greater than that of light. "Next tuesday" is the tuesday after. I have seen
people miss meetings on these grounds. A Hamburg man said "Next tuesday", an
Austrian man came -- this tuesday! It would have been clearer simply to say
"We will have a meeting on tuesday." (This would mean *this* tuesday, of
course.)



The height of confusion would be to say "this tuesday" on a tuesday in
Hamburg! :-))



Marlou
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