Linguistic Curiosity

[chezmax]

[Poll #1405543]

Comments

[poeticalpanther.livejournal.com]

This varies regionally across the English-speaking world, along with a host of other time-specifying words ("next", $DAY-week, and so on). There are places where quarter of means a quarter of the next hour, and places where it means "we're short by a quarter of" the next hour.

As such, the answer is, "Where?"

[chezmax]

"Where" is actually the question. The purpose of the poll is to see who, personally, would say 'quarter of 8' to mean 7:45.

[poeticalpanther.livejournal.com]

Oh, then me. I use it like that. :)

I'd say "quarter past" for 8:15, and "quarter of" for 7:45.

I'm also used to saying "half five", meaning "5:30" - it's what I grew up with in the UK and with my family retaining some UK habits in the home - where Americans, if they use "half-$HOUR" at all, generally use it to mean halfway through the named hour, i.e., 4:30 (German influence).

[fweebles.livejournal.com]

Well, then your poll isn't working. :) I would say that a quarter of 8 is 7:45 and not 8:15, but I also wouldn't use it in common speech, especially when compared with "quarter to eight".

That is to say, for me, "quarter to eight" and "quarter of eight" are synonymous. As opposed to "quarter after eight".

[chezmax]

I think it's working. I'm looking for people who would say quarter of 8 in casual conversation. I noticed someone write it in their LJ this weekend, and I wanted to see how common it was. (Apparently, not very).

[quatch.livejournal.com]

I demand a map!