Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: nextime

Le locuzioni next time, next month, ecc. ecc. vanno preceduti dall'articolo
the?

 the?
Dipende da come si vuole dire qualcosa. Non c'è una risposta simplice, e si
tratte nel modo diverse le locuzioni "next time" e "next month." Di solito si
usa l'articolo con "next time" ma a volte si può omettere l'articolo in
conversazione. (Per esempio: When I see you [the] next time, I'll give you the
book. [The] Next time, bring the book with you.) Di solito non si usa l'articolo
con "next month." (Per esempio: She intends to leave next month. Next month, she
will leave for Rome.)  Infatti, non so il regola grammatica, so soltanto quale
frase suona corretta dalla prospettiva di un madrelingua.
Ciao,
Ron
USA

 corretta dalla prospettiva di un madrelingua.
According to what I think I have once been taught (or perhaps must have
read somewhere), the phrase "next month" would refer to the month coming
after the current one, while "the next month" is the thirty day time
period starting now (or at the utterance's reference time). The same rule
would hold for "week" and "year" as well. 
Is this correct?
Thanks,
Max

 madrelingua.
Hello Ron, 
Dare I say I have a different view...
In the next month or two, I'll see if I can come up with an exception.
:-) 
The next month is going to be a busy one for our store.
The next month will be April.
I thought I'd try the OED trick and find an example not of my own
making. This was in a hoax email some twit sent me. : 
".... thought this was a hoax until I did the same this [?] and
    the next month got a check for $4612 in the mail!"      [yeah
right!]      
I'd only assert that one couldn't use 'a' before 'next anything',  and
that 'the' may be used, depending on sentence structure and emphasis
desired.
However my mind just called to mind the threat. "There won't _be_ a next
time!"
Oh well..
Cheers,
Loki
-- 

 The next month will be April.
Il fatto che ci sono le eccezioni non č una prospettiva diversa. La parola "di
solito" significa "usually." Ma, forse hai frainteso per qualche causa?
In ogni caso, si puņ anche dire:
Next month is going to be busy for our store.
This month is March. Next month will be April. (Ma di solito "the next month"
suona meglio quando si parla di un mese particulare.)
Naturalmente, si deve dire "in the next month or two."
Ciao,
Ron
USA

 Is this correct?
No. Typically, weeks, months, and years are defined by their traditional
beginning and last days: Sunday to Saturday for a week, the 1st to the 28th-31st
for a month, and January 1st to December 31st for a year. Saying "the next week"
on a Wednesday would leave the time period ambiguous to the listener. It could
mean by next Wednesday or it could mean by next Friday (in a work context). If
you say "within the next year" it could mean a 365-day period, but the meaning
is not definite. If said in August it could also mean by December 31 of the
following year. If you say "within the year" then it is relatively clear that
the time period will end on December 31st.
Ciao,
Ron
USA

 the time period will end on December 31st.
Thank you, I would just add that, if it is necessary to be absolutely
clear, the expressions "calendar month, calendar year, calendar week"
are used (at least in US).
Franco

 > :-)
Working in the USA and Italy, I noticed that the UK used this word much more
specifically.
e.g. If I say today (10th March):
"I'll see you next week"
For the UK, this means between 12th and  16th i.e. during the week, and not
the weekend. In the USA,  this sometimes seemed to mean the week 19th-23rd.

 Is this correct?
I think it could be used that way but I doubt it is firmly fixed. Most
likely another ambiguous term that would need clarification by listener
and speaker.
Cheers,
Loki
-- 

 31st.
Such certainty allows for no regional variation or human perversity. 
It's truer to state that yes it is ambiguous, because that is how it is
in the practical world of speaking with others. Someone has even done
research on this topic, but alas, I can't find it for you, it was so
long ago that I read it. But to assert that it means only one thing is
to be more prescriptive than descriptive. 
BTW The beginning of the week is a Monday here. All our diaries start
with a Monday, with a 'notes' space after Sunday. And unlike the Italian
diaries that I've seen, ours begin with January 1.   (except the
Financial and Farming ones)
The beginning of this year was a Monday too just to add mana to my point
;-))
Cheers,
Loki
'til next time..
-- 

 week 19th-23rd.
My point exactly, it is ambiguous because it use varies among
individuals of a town, let alone those of countries. 
 It is not uncommon to hear people asking for clarification. "Do you
mean Friday this week or next week.?"
I wonder if this same confusion arises in italiano?
Cheers,
Loki
-- 

USA
Di solito non importa, come hai detto.
But there is a semantic difference between:
I'll do it next month (ie sometime between 1st and 30th April)
I'll do it in the next month (ie. sometime between now and 14th April)
Er, at least usually.
Raymot
[[[[[[[[[[[[

 Er, at least usually.
Especially when preparing tax returns for the IRS.
Indeed, adding "in" or "within" requires that you use "the" as well.
Ciao,
Ron
USA