This Sunday/Next Sunday

[jiaruchan]

For real time, this Sunday means March 21st, 2010.

Then what date is next Sunday? March 21st or March 28th?

[bhaisahab]

For real time, this Sunday means March 21st, 2010.

Then what date is next Sunday? March 21st or March 28th?

March the 21st is the next Sunday. It is "this Sunday" which is wrong, or at least ambiguous. If you want to make it certain, there is a very strong collocation "this Sunday coming", at least in BrE, I don't know about our American friends.

[jiaruchan]

Um, pretty interesting. I deem it another difference between AmE and BrE.

I was listening to Sean Hannity show online and he called Easter Sunday 2010 to fall on 'next Sunday, not this Sunday'. However, I have checked Easter this year falls on the first Sunday in April. Thru what he said, I was at a loss as to the definition of 'this Sunday' and 'next Sunday', and that is why I posted this thread.

As a non-native speaker, I think I would be better off to say 'upcoming Sunday' to refer to March 21 and 'Sunday after next' for March 28.

[Mzungu39]

I have a similar problem with 'in the last century'... I think this phrase refers to 20th century. However, I have come across a combination with the Present Perfect; I don't remmeber exactly... e.g. A lot of things have changed in the last century..., which I think is then grammatically wrong; Past Simple or Past Perfect should be used.
If 'in the last century' means 21th century, then it is ok.
Am I right?

[Barb_D]

For me, "next Sunday" is ambiguous. If it were said on Monday or Tuesday, I'd be inclined to think it meant the 21st. If it were said Friday or Saturday, I'd be inclined to think it meant the 28th. When in doubt, clarify!

"This Sunday" (assuming your are using a future-leaning tense) will only be the 21st.

The situation with "last" century is different.

"Last century" = the 1900s. "In the last century" means within the previous 100 years.

"Last week" equals March 7-13 (or 8-14 if the week starts on Monday for you) but "In the last week" means at some point in the the period of the prior seven days.

[Linguist__]

(Not a teacher)

Personally, I refer to 'this Xday' as the next time that day occurs, and 'next Xday' as the next time after that. However, as others have said, I doubt there is a 'right' answer and it is better to remove ambiguity by saying something more clear. I common thing I say is 'A week on Xday', or 'two weeks on Xday' if it is a week or more away.

[Raymott]

Um, pretty interesting. I deem it another difference between AmE and BrE.

No, it's not. It's more variable than that. Even people who live in the same street say this in different ways.
You can also say: Sunday, 5 days from now; Sunday, 12 days from now.

[Nightmare85]

Even in German it would be different.
Today is Wednesday.
If I'm talking about the Sunday that comes this week, I'm talking about this Sunday.
I would say next Sunday if I'm talking about next week.

Cheers!

[Ringo44]

This is something I have difficulty with. If you were on a train and you told a passenger you were getting off at the next stop (and people do say that most of the time), you would not mean the station after the approaching stop. Why doesn't next simply mean next
Ringo44