Wednesday's Meeting

[PinkDalek]

The only midnight on the Wednesday.

[jfgw]

The only midnight on the Wednesday.

Midnight does not occur on any day of the week.

Julian F. G. W.

[PinkDalek]

The only midnight on the Wednesday.

Midnight does not occur on any day of the week.

Julian F. G. W.

Oh no, here we go again. I remember many a thread on TMF and maybe some on here along the same lines. That’s probably why AC said what he said & I replied similarly.

Hook, line ...

[GoSeigen]

If you MOVE a meeting forward it will now be later.

If you BRING a meeting forward it will now be sooner.

Have to agree with JamesMuenchen, definitely reveals something about one's nature (not that we didn't know it already).


GS

[GoSeigen]

To my conception (science major, engineering degree) events occur in an order and give the impression of time passing. If you change the order of events by bringing a meeting forward then it appears earlier in the order, and thus earlier in time.

-If you move forward in a queue you are served earlier.
-If you are a rugby forward you are expected to encounter the opposition before your teammates in the backs.
-If you bring/move an event forward it occurs before events which might otherwise have preceded it.

As others have pointed out the word forward is ambiguous, having multiple senses. One is the sense of the OP (order of events or objects in my understanding at least). Another is the direction of motion of an object through space rather than time -- as in the earlier car example. A third is about whether we are thinking of the past vs the future (forward planning, thinking back to ... etc). Probably there are more. So it's really not surprising that there is lack of agreement here.

GS

[JamesMuenchen]

As others have pointed out the word forward is ambiguous, having multiple senses.

OK.

And moved, implies no direction, so is also ambiguous.

But I can't think of any unambiguous "verb + forward" combo that wouldn't always clearly mean Monday.

Therefore, the sense of "forward" becomes clear. To me. It means coming towards us.

[Itsallaguess]

But I can't think of any unambiguous "verb + forward" combo that wouldn't always clearly mean Monday.

Shove forward....

I don't think that could ever mean 'getting closer to us', could it?

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[GoSeigen]

As others have pointed out the word forward is ambiguous, having multiple senses.

OK.

And moved, implies no direction, so is also ambiguous.

But I can't think of any unambiguous "verb + forward" combo that wouldn't always clearly mean Monday.

Therefore, the sense of "forward" becomes clear. To me. It means coming towards us.

Yah, it's clear to me too, but folks are queer. Look at modern usage of words/phrases like beg the question, decimate, disinterested, enormity, queer etc. I know their correct usage, but plenty of people would not only use them differently to me but also insist that their own use is the only correct one...

GS

[JohnB]

If you view an earlier meeting as an imposition, then shove forward fits fine.

[dealtn]

As others have pointed out the word forward is ambiguous, having multiple senses.

OK.

And moved, implies no direction, so is also ambiguous.

But I can't think of any unambiguous "verb + forward" combo that wouldn't always clearly mean Monday.

Therefore, the sense of "forward" becomes clear. To me. It means coming towards us.

To me receiving these "instructions" I would interpret it as...

Brought Forward - Monday

Moved Forward - Friday

Put Back - Friday

Odd isn't it?

Adding "further" into the mix. I can't see any real meaning to Brought Further Forward, yet both Moved Further Forward, and Put Back Further both give the sense to me that "not ready so delayed (further)"

[JohnB]

Would people answer differently for a deadline? As deadlines are scary things, I think moving one forward certainly means Monday.

[dealtn]

Would people answer differently for a deadline? As deadlines are scary things, I think moving one forward certainly means Monday.

Nope same argument for me.

Deadline Brought Forward is Wednesday to Monday (2 days closer)

Deadline Moved Forward is Wednesday to Friday (2 more days).

(Not sure which would be scarier!)

[mc2fool]

That is certainly one way to look at it. But it would still be Friday and not Monday.

Ok, so you agree then that moving forward means reducing the amount of time to an event, that it will come earlier/sooner?

If I understand you correctly, then you agree that it would be Friday, but you are adding that it would feel like Wednesday because you didn't have to wait two days for it to arrive.

I agree it would be Friday in the time travelling case but as a time traveller you'd be reducing the amount of time to the future event by moving yourself forward, and so closer to it.

But as we don't have time travel, in the real world the only way to reduce the amount of time to the future event is by moving the event forward.

It's all relative you see ... different frames of reference or something. Somebody wrote something about that a while back.....

[swill453]

To me receiving these "instructions" I would interpret it as...

Brought Forward - Monday

Moved Forward - Friday

Put Back - Friday

Odd isn't it?

Nonsensical, I'd say. Definitely not logical (though I accept nobody claims it should be )
If you think "moved forward" would mean Friday, what would you say "moved back" means? The opposite, surely. But if you say Monday I'll snort.

Scott.

[mc2fool]

Next Wednesday’s meeting has been moved forward two days.

But which Wednesday’s meeting is that? The next Wednesday or the Wednesday a week after the next Wednesday?

When does next Wednesday stop referring to the next Wednesday and start referring to the Wednesday after the next Wednesday?

[dealtn]

To me receiving these "instructions" I would interpret it as...

Brought Forward - Monday

Moved Forward - Friday

Put Back - Friday

Odd isn't it?

Nonsensical, I'd say. Definitely not logical (though I accept nobody claims it should be )
If you think "moved forward" would mean Friday, what would you say "moved back" means? The opposite, surely. But if you say Monday I'll snort.

Scott.

Not sure, don't think I have ever heard it or said it. Put Back, yes. I guess if I got the "memo" with that instruction I would genuinely think "What does that mean?".

At a push, and trying to avoid not having an answer, I would interpret it as Friday also! I guess that goes in the camp of flammable and inflammable, seemingly opposite that mean (broadly) the same thing. Just got to love language don't you?

[GrahamPlatt]

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative.

However," he pointed out, "there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."

A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."

[XFool]

When does next Wednesday stop referring to the next Wednesday and start referring to the Wednesday after the next Wednesday?

Monday? Or possibly Sunday...

[dealtn]

To me receiving these "instructions" I would interpret it as...

Brought Forward - Monday

Moved Forward - Friday

Put Back - Friday

Odd isn't it?

Nonsensical, I'd say. Definitely not logical (though I accept nobody claims it should be )
If you think "moved forward" would mean Friday, what would you say "moved back" means? The opposite, surely. But if you say Monday I'll snort.

Scott.

Not sure, don't think I have ever heard it or said it. Put Back, yes. I guess if I got the "memo" with that instruction I would genuinely think "What does that mean?".

At a push, and trying to avoid not having an answer, I would interpret it as Friday also! I guess that goes in the camp of flammable and inflammable, seemingly opposite that mean (broadly) the same thing. Just got to love language don't you?

Reflecting further, the only meaning I derive from "Moved Back" is to return to its original time. So It was on Wednesday, subsequently moved to either Monday or Friday(!) but has been restored to Wednesday.

The thing I really take from this entire discussion is that "moved" is sufficient only to note a change, not the direction. It is undesirable to use it. It is only by using "Brought" or "Put" with forward/back (or similar words such as "pushed") that the direction is clear.

[JohnB]

Back and backwards are different