this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2024
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English usage and grammar

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The word "elsewhere" conveniently exist to spare us the chore of saying "somewhere else". Why then do we waste or time saying "someone else" or "some other time"?

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[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

it used to be like that elsewhen

[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

but you have to ask elsewho

[–] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

I'm not usually for going against the natural evolution of language, but I'd like to see these words return elsewhy.

[–] GreyShuck 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It seems that elsewhen, and a lot of other variations - used to be used, but fell out of fashion. There is some discussion here.

[–] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago

Cool, thank you! I find it's a shame these words went out of use, like found out about the words "whence", "whither", "thence" and "thither", I feel using them would rid many sentences of superfluous words. But I'm sure if I did, I'd sound pretentious at best or be misunderstood at worst.

[–] sudo42@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Don’t ask. Just start using it. If others like it and it catches on, eventually it will be put in the OED.

There wasn’t a language conference that ok’d ‘skibidy toilet’ before it could be used.

[–] HeckGazer@programming.dev 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Start using them, they might regain momentum.
My favourites are overmorrow and yesternight

[–] nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 week ago

My daughter used to say, “nextday” for tomorrow, and “nextnextday” for overmorrow.

[–] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago

Oh yeah these are cool!

[–] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We do have the word elsewhen, it's just not as commonly used. As for 'someone else', I have nothing.

[–] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

I found "elsewho" through another comment, it makes sense, I actually hesitated between typing it or "elseone". I chose the latter because you say "someone else" and not "somewho else"; but "who" is closer to "where or "when".