NearThere
Member
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2008
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- United States
Rescheduling daunts me. I try to keep my appointments at all cost.
Let me just start with a little experience, and you'll see where I'm coming from. I had to change my appointment with a dentist's office. In my experience, most people are forgiving and commodating when dealing with foriegners as far as communication goes, but this girl whom I talked to was not. A simple verifying task soon turned into a full-blown conversation that generated a lot of confusion and hyperventilation (mostly on my part). It seemed as if it was imperative for her to point out my mistakes (and repeat the scrutny just for fun) or the sun would not rise in the east and set in the west the next day. After that experience, I vowed that it would take Jesus's second coming before I change my appointment again.
Till this day I am still confused. My confusion comes in two folds.
In Chinese language, it's pretty straightforward and final when we use "next, this, last" to any day of the week, and leaves no confusion and guess work.
Last Wednesday: Wednesday of last week
This Wednesday: Wednesday of this week
Next Wednesday: Wednesday of next week
But in English, it seems to DEPEND on the day of the week on which you make the statement. Let's say you make the statement on a Friday:
Last Wednesday: Wednesday of this week 2 days ago that just past
This Wednesday: Wednesday of this week 2 days ago? Wednesday of THIS coming week which is next week?
Next Wednesday: Beats me!
Try it again on a different day (let's say Monday) on which you make the statement, would the "Next Wednesday" be the wednesday of the same week (2 days later) or of the NEXT week?
Here's the 2nd fold:
"push it down, move it up?" See if I can sort this out, cause I"m really just confused.
Let's visualize an actual time line (3 weeks in length), and I'm standing at one end, and the end of 3-week at the other, the time in question falls on 14th day. If I say "move it up", which way will it go? Toward me or towards the end of the line? And how about "push it down"? Would it be farther from me? or the other way round?:-(
Let me just start with a little experience, and you'll see where I'm coming from. I had to change my appointment with a dentist's office. In my experience, most people are forgiving and commodating when dealing with foriegners as far as communication goes, but this girl whom I talked to was not. A simple verifying task soon turned into a full-blown conversation that generated a lot of confusion and hyperventilation (mostly on my part). It seemed as if it was imperative for her to point out my mistakes (and repeat the scrutny just for fun) or the sun would not rise in the east and set in the west the next day. After that experience, I vowed that it would take Jesus's second coming before I change my appointment again.
Till this day I am still confused. My confusion comes in two folds.
In Chinese language, it's pretty straightforward and final when we use "next, this, last" to any day of the week, and leaves no confusion and guess work.
Last Wednesday: Wednesday of last week
This Wednesday: Wednesday of this week
Next Wednesday: Wednesday of next week
But in English, it seems to DEPEND on the day of the week on which you make the statement. Let's say you make the statement on a Friday:
Last Wednesday: Wednesday of this week 2 days ago that just past
This Wednesday: Wednesday of this week 2 days ago? Wednesday of THIS coming week which is next week?
Next Wednesday: Beats me!
Try it again on a different day (let's say Monday) on which you make the statement, would the "Next Wednesday" be the wednesday of the same week (2 days later) or of the NEXT week?
Here's the 2nd fold:
"push it down, move it up?" See if I can sort this out, cause I"m really just confused.
Let's visualize an actual time line (3 weeks in length), and I'm standing at one end, and the end of 3-week at the other, the time in question falls on 14th day. If I say "move it up", which way will it go? Toward me or towards the end of the line? And how about "push it down"? Would it be farther from me? or the other way round?:-(