Soonest = as soon as

[Scot LaFaive]

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.



>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
> >>
> >>
> >>  ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>   ~@:>
> >>
> >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >--
> >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
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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