Just Now

[Paul Frank]

> My South African friend uses the phrase "just now" to mean "soon" (e.g.,
>  Dinner will be ready just now.). I, as an American, use the phrase to mean
>  "very recently" (e.g., When did it happen? Just now!). I am interested in
>  regional takes on this phrase (I'm from the northern Midwest). Also, what
do
>  British/commonwealth and Australian dwellers have to say on it?
>  Amy Speed (speed at paradigmtech.com)

According to the Oxford Guide to English Usage (1993, p. 252), "just now"
meaning in a little while is a peculiarity of South African English. South
Africans also say "come there" when they mean to arrive and "wait on" meaning
to wait for. Other peculiarities of South African English are the use of busy
as a progressive marker with stative verbs, as in "we were busy waiting on
him" (from Afrikaans "besig"), and the use of the Afrikaans modal adverb
"sommer" (just, simply) as in "we were sommer standing around" and "Too
dangerous to sommer leave it like that with a child about the place" (OED).
There are a number of other quirks.

Cheers,
Paul
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Paul Frank
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