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Definition: a result of a sudden impulse and without premeditation Spontaneously would be "Let's go do x right now at y place." not "Let's pencil this half-bak
by DoreenMichele 4y ago
Definition: a result of a sudden impulse and without premeditation
Spontaneously would be "Let's go do x right now at y place." not "Let's pencil this half-baked plan into our calendars and finalize some details at that time."
In English, we have the abbreviation TBD (to be determined) if you want to note that some details haven't yet been finalized.
- vanderZwan 4y agoWe also have "to be determined" as an expression in Dutch, but in this particular context that would imply "to be determined later than now but before we meet" to Dutch (and presumably German) ears. Other comments insist that something is only spontaneous if it was done without forethought. If we decide to not think about where to go until we meet, then have we given "where to go" any forethought? My gut feeling says we haven't in a meaningful sense. In a meta-sense perhaps, because the decision is to think about it when we meet.
- DoreenMichele 4y agoThe reality is that if people know there is an event coming up that they have some say in, they will tend to think about where to go or what to in the interim. It will probably result in a different decision than a truly spontaneous decision with no prior contemplation. That's not a bad thing. It will probably tend to improve the outcome on average. It's just not what the word spontaneously means in English. And you asked. Living language evolves. It's not a big deal. But that's simply not the current meaning of that English word for the Anglosphere.