Schedulers stumble over what 鈥榥ext鈥� week means
The word "next"聽is what linguists and philosophers call an "indexical" 鈥� a "linguistic expression whose reference can shift from context to context."
The word "next"聽is what linguists and philosophers call an "indexical" 鈥� a "linguistic expression whose reference can shift from context to context."
If today is Monday, when is next Sunday? What about if today is Friday, or also a Sunday? Many appointments have been missed and many planners have been frustrated because the answer is not always the same, though theoretically, it should be. Next means 鈥渋mmediately adjacent (as in place, rank, or time),鈥� as Merriam-Webster puts it, so whether it鈥檚 Monday, April 4; Friday, April 8; or Sunday, April 3, the 鈥渋mmediately adjacent鈥� Sunday is April 10. That鈥檚 too easy for the English language and its speakers, though, and 鈥渘ext Sunday鈥� can be April 17 as well.
The answer varies with geography. People in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and much of the United States would most likely mean April 17; in southern England, it tends to be April 10. Even if you know the trend where you are, though, the answer can vary from speaker to speaker. Why is next so hard to pin down, and are there any rules that can help? 聽
Next is what linguists and philosophers call an indexical,聽鈥渁 linguistic expression whose reference can shift from context to context,鈥� according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Indexicals are often a source of semantic ambiguity. 鈥淭omorrow鈥� seems like it should be perfectly clear, but if you鈥檙e in Boston on a Monday at 9 p.m. and talking to someone in Tokyo, 鈥渢omorrow鈥� will be Tuesday for you, but Wednesday for them.
Though similar time zone issues can arise with 鈥渘ext + day of the week鈥� too, the main source of confusion comes from its 鈥渋mplicit point of reference,鈥� according to the Oxford English Dictionary. In some places, next takes the current day as its starting point: If today is Monday, April 4, then 鈥渘ext Saturday鈥� refers to the Saturday most immediately following the Monday, which would be April 9. More often, though, next takes the entire, current week as its point of reference: If it鈥檚 Monday, April 4, then 鈥渘ext Saturday鈥� would be the Saturday that most immediately follows once the current week (which includes Saturday, April 9) is over, or April 16.
Often speakers with the 鈥渨eek鈥� point of reference will differentiate Saturday, April 9, as 鈥渢his Saturday鈥� (it鈥檚 part of 鈥渢his week鈥�) or, as in Scotland and Northern Ireland, 鈥淪aturday first.鈥� In southern England and the U.S., where 鈥渘ext Saturday鈥� is April 9, April 16 would often be 鈥淪aturday week.鈥澛�
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the this/next distinction is spreading, so even if you know where a person comes from, you can鈥檛 be sure about what they mean. To avoid all possibility of confusion, there is no elegant solution 鈥� you just have to use precise dates and times.聽