5 ms·

"Prepone" makes sense even if it's not a word. Closest equivalent I can think of is "move up."

TulliusCicero 5y ago
That's a funny example to use, since you can move up a date, but nobody talks about moving down a date. Same problem in the opposite direction. "We're moving up the launch" is common, but never heard anyone say "we're moving down the launch", even though delays are common. The issue with "prepone" is that "pone" isn't really used as a world. A quick googling shows that it is a word, but in regular speech it's not used as a standalone.
- minxomat 5y ago
  > moving down a date I'd consider "(later) down the road" an example of that.
- no_one_ever 5y ago
  Rather than 'up and down', I think the visual is supposed to be 'up and back' (like forward and backward). English is fun
  - quietbritishjim 5y ago
    More usually (in the UK) it's forward and back, which make more sense as direct opposites. It's a little confusing though because pushing something back means move it later and bring it forward means move it earlier, whereas when talking directly about time the meanings are usually reversed (e.g. "back in time" means earlier).
    - kbutler 5y ago
      Does "back in time" mean earlier when speaking of future events? Or only past events? A future meeting "moved back" is definitely postponed. (US English)
    - uryga 5y ago
      in this case i'd interpret "forward/backward" as "closer towards you / further away from you", with the metaphor being that you're standing on a timeline looking "in the future direction" and moving stuff closer/further. when using "back" to talk about the past, it's "backwards" as in "behind you". "further back" = "further behind you" = "more in the past"
  - slver 5y ago
    And yet when you "set something back" you move it later in time.
- yitchelle 5y ago
  I have not heard about move up a date before but I understand it to move the date to another future date. I guess the point it doesn't matter if it is a word or not as long as it is easily understandable, typically within a region, a culture or an industry.
- kshacker 5y ago
  Pone may not be a word but pre and post should ideally be quite obvious and self sufficient qualifiers if standardized. And then I remembered the word preposterous, enough said.
- kbutler 5y ago
  Moving up a date is like moving up toward the front in a line (or queue) vs moving back.
  - TulliusCicero 5y ago
    Right, but then why is isn't it "moving front" instead of moving up? Languages are weird.
- Grustaf 5y ago
  Pone not being an English word on its own is not really relevant. A lot of, if not most, Greek/Latin neologisms and combined words use a root that is never used as is. Both “neologism” and “combine” above are examples of this…
- ido 5y ago
  you can move up a date, but nobody talks about moving down a date. It reminds me of this scene from Stargate SG1: https://youtu.be/LxK0ZIk_sSE https://youtu.be/LxK0ZIk_sSE
- _asummers 5y ago
  "Yesterday morning" and "tomorrow morning" is my favorite example. Several previous Indian coworkers of mine would say "today morning", which always made me smile a bit. It's not an unreasonable phrase to exist, given the others do as well.
  - bellyfullofbac 5y ago
    In German the word for morning and tomorrow is the same, "Morgen". But "tomorrow morning" becomes "Morgen früh" which is "tomorrow early" (or "early tomorrow" in English). "Morgen vormittags" ("tomorrow before noon") is also a variation.
    - ncpa-cpl 5y ago
      That would be "Mañana en la mañana" in Spanish!
mwcampbell 5y ago
I've read that people learning English have difficulty with phrasal verbs like "move up" [1], so I can understand why "prepone" might become popular. [1]: http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/phrasal/phrasal-important.htm http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/phrasal/phrasal-important.htm
mbg721 5y ago
If it makes sense and its meaning is widely understood by other English speakers, I think it is a word. We don't have some academy with the authority to say it isn't.
biztos 5y ago
Not a synonym but a similar trick: "outro." (From "intro" in case it's not obvious.)

That's a funny example to use, since you can move up a date, but nobody talks about moving down a date. Same problem in the opposite direction. "We're moving up the launch" is common, but never heard anyone say "we're moving down the launch", even though delays are common. The issue with "prepone" is that "pone" isn't really used as a world. A quick googling shows that it is a word, but in regular speech it's not used as a standalone.

minxomat 5y ago
> moving down a date I'd consider "(later) down the road" an example of that.
no_one_ever 5y ago
Rather than 'up and down', I think the visual is supposed to be 'up and back' (like forward and backward). English is fun
- quietbritishjim 5y ago
  More usually (in the UK) it's forward and back, which make more sense as direct opposites. It's a little confusing though because pushing something back means move it later and bring it forward means move it earlier, whereas when talking directly about time the meanings are usually reversed (e.g. "back in time" means earlier).
  - kbutler 5y ago
    Does "back in time" mean earlier when speaking of future events? Or only past events? A future meeting "moved back" is definitely postponed. (US English)
  - uryga 5y ago
    in this case i'd interpret "forward/backward" as "closer towards you / further away from you", with the metaphor being that you're standing on a timeline looking "in the future direction" and moving stuff closer/further. when using "back" to talk about the past, it's "backwards" as in "behind you". "further back" = "further behind you" = "more in the past"
- slver 5y ago
  And yet when you "set something back" you move it later in time.
yitchelle 5y ago
I have not heard about move up a date before but I understand it to move the date to another future date. I guess the point it doesn't matter if it is a word or not as long as it is easily understandable, typically within a region, a culture or an industry.
kshacker 5y ago
Pone may not be a word but pre and post should ideally be quite obvious and self sufficient qualifiers if standardized. And then I remembered the word preposterous, enough said.
kbutler 5y ago
Moving up a date is like moving up toward the front in a line (or queue) vs moving back.
- TulliusCicero 5y ago
  Right, but then why is isn't it "moving front" instead of moving up? Languages are weird.
Grustaf 5y ago
Pone not being an English word on its own is not really relevant. A lot of, if not most, Greek/Latin neologisms and combined words use a root that is never used as is. Both “neologism” and “combine” above are examples of this…
ido 5y ago
you can move up a date, but nobody talks about moving down a date. It reminds me of this scene from Stargate SG1: https://youtu.be/LxK0ZIk_sSE https://youtu.be/LxK0ZIk_sSE
_asummers 5y ago
"Yesterday morning" and "tomorrow morning" is my favorite example. Several previous Indian coworkers of mine would say "today morning", which always made me smile a bit. It's not an unreasonable phrase to exist, given the others do as well.
- bellyfullofbac 5y ago
  In German the word for morning and tomorrow is the same, "Morgen". But "tomorrow morning" becomes "Morgen früh" which is "tomorrow early" (or "early tomorrow" in English). "Morgen vormittags" ("tomorrow before noon") is also a variation.
  - ncpa-cpl 5y ago
    That would be "Mañana en la mañana" in Spanish!

mwcampbell 5y ago

I've read that people learning English have difficulty with phrasal verbs like "move up" [1], so I can understand why "prepone" might become popular. [1]: http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/phrasal/phrasal-important.htm http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/phrasal/phrasal-important.htm

mbg721 5y ago

If it makes sense and its meaning is widely understood by other English speakers, I think it is a word. We don't have some academy with the authority to say it isn't.

biztos 5y ago

Not a synonym but a similar trick: "outro." (From "intro" in case it's not obvious.)