"Can I help who's next?"

[Benjamin Barrett]

The "who's ever next" sounds most normal to my ear.

Benjamin Barrett
Live from Tukwila, WA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of taylor j
> Sent: Tuesday, 15 October, 2002 07:02
>
> I've heard bank tellers in Gainesville, FL saying "Can
> I help who's ever next?", in addition to the versions
> noted by your daughter. I'm curious: is the "who's
> next" variant derived from the "who's ever" (the
> 'ever' dropped)(this strikes me as unlikely-- why
> would anyone generate 's in the middle of a word, even
> as an error?) or is the "who's ever next" a blend of
> "who's next" and "whoever's next"? Or something else
> entirely?
>
> Joanna Taylor