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From: alan@idec.stc.co.uk (Alan Spreadbury)
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: "Presently" ?= "Now"
Message-ID: <741@argon.idec.stc.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 7-Nov-86 07:08:36 EST
Article-I.D.: argon.741
Posted: Fri Nov  7 07:08:36 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Nov-86 03:00:00 EST
References: <734@argon.idec.stc.co.uk> <192@einode.UUCP> <442@cdx39.UUCP>
Reply-To: alan@idec.stc.co.uk (Alan Spreadbury)
Organization: STC Technology Ltd., Stevenage, U.K.
Lines: 20

In article <442@cdx39.UUCP> jc@cdx39.UUCP (John Chambers) writes:
>> > On the other hand, the reversion of 'presently' to its old meaning
>> > has left us with two words ('presently' and 'currently') with identical
>> > meanings, and no convenient word for 'in a short while, but with no
>> > great urgency'.
>> over here, presently means what you imply it no longer means over there.
>> ie to someone on hold "he'll be with you presently" (5-10 minutes :-))
>> -- 
>Gee, in my funny dialect, I'd say "He'll be with you soon."  Or I
>might say "right away" or "real soon".  

That's the whole point... 'presently' implies (to my ears at any rate)
a lesser sense of urgency than 'soon' or 'right away'.  It is, of
course, possible to say 'in a little while', but we are having to
use four words where one would have done before.

(Somehow, I don't find it surprising that the 'non-urgent' sense of
'presently' is holding its own in Ireland :-))

Alan Spreadbury.