On Tomorrow

With all respect to the people posting on this page, I simply don't understand why everyone is so upset with a use of English that they deem "incorrect" simply because it has not fallen within their personal experience of the language. The differences which exist between a mid-west, Boston, Texan, Australian, Canadian, or Nigerian English are simply dialectical, are part of the geographical nuances of English (which nuances exist in any and all languages), and therefore should not be considered, as one person has said, "wrong, wrong, wrong".

To continue ... The most prevalent attitudes expressed on this page towards the varying and uses of the English language are not the attitudes of enlightened intellectuals who are committed to listening to and learning from the many communities around them, but rather the attitudes of stuffy, outdated cartographers attempting to justify the use of their outdated maps. I am not trying to tell you what to do, I'm just telling you how I feel. Would anyone be able to explain to me why the nit-picking of dialectical English found on this page is in any way constructive, or are we just trying to vent our repressed rage at those who will not conform to our prescriptive grammar? I would honestly like to know. Thank you all.

@Byron: Over the centuries a form of "standard" Enlglish has come about, used by government, business and education so that all may communicate clearly. This does not mean that any one dialect is wrong or bad; just different and perhaps not so widely understood.

"wrong" in this context should mean "not conforming to generally accepted anglo principles"

(cf "GAAP" !)

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1597064

http://www.1066andallthat.com/english_middle/standard_04.asp

http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam032/99087473.pdf

It isn't a southern thing. ..it's an African American thing exclusively.

Until I moved to Atlanta, I'd never heard the anyone use the "on tomorrow", and I'm from the South. As an educator, I hate listening to my principal say this on the morning announcements. I have to say that I feel I've done my job as a teacher when one of my second graders asked me why the principal used a preposition before the word tomorrow.

We may not be used to hearing it, and we may not like the way it sounds, but grammatically there is nothing wrong with it. "Tomorrow" is a noun, the object of the prepositional phrase "on tomorrow." The entire prepositional phrase is adverbial, but the word "tomorrow" by itself is a noun. Whether we say or write "on" or not, structurally it is there.

It is ironic that I come across your blog. I too have felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand when someone is speaking of a time frame and specifically tagging the "on", to it.
Unfortunately, it is now accepted as part of speech and even presented in public forum.
Imagine if you will, president of the University presenting graduate degrees and referring to a special program that is going to begin "on tomorrow." I knew then it was a losing battle.

I live is south Louisiana and I hear it more and more. It's driving me nuts.

It is not proper grammar. However, it does seem to be a popular phrase in the south, since I live in South Carolina and hear it a lot. I teach ELA and have for years. I explain it this way: You cannot do something ON tomorrow. How are you going to do that? Stand on tomorrow, or a piece of paper that has the word tomorrow on it? It is always best to leave that out. EX: We have a test tomorrow. NOT: We have a test on tomorrow.

I live in Tennessee, which is home to southerners from every state. I began hearing my African American boss use the expression "on today" in her emails. Usually the context was along the lines of, "I hope all is well with you on today." I thought it was just a quirk she had because I had never heard anyone else speak that way. Then, a few months later, another African American woman joined our team who also uses such expressions. Could it be an aspect of southern dialect that is exclusive to African American culture? Have y'all noticed this or have you heard "on today" and "on tomorrow" from white people?

This is an old world English term sometimes trapped in areas of Appalachia, like many other old German, Scottish, Irish and English phrases (or variations thereof). It's commonly used among religious African American folks in Georgia and Alabama from my experience. The reason so many comments have referenced NE Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina etc.. is the Appalachian connection.

I live in the South and have heard this quite frequently. Funnily enough, the speakers who engage in this linguistic homicide are from the NORTH!

I moved to Houston, TX and I have heard it many times, but only in the African American community.

You are absolutely correct. I believe it is something that was in the southern region and has found itself in the northeastern region. It is somewhat redundant to have a preposition indicating when and then use a word indicating when.

I am 29 from North Jersey and college educated. I too cringe when I hear "on tomorrow". There was a time when I only heard it while visiting the South but it is spreading. I just heard a NY politician use it twice on television.

To anyone who has a problem with their principal: It is NOT your place to ever correct the grammar of your superior at work. "On tomorrow" is not something learned in school, obviously it is picked at home. Most people I confront really do not notice their error and are terribly embarrassed.

To say that this is exclusive to Black people might sound a little racist but it is unfortunately true. I feel embarrassed when other Black people jack up English in front of White people. After reading all of your comments my worst fears have been confirmed. You guys hear a black person speak a little differently and automatically assume we've had a subpar education. Smh! Even if the person is your boss, you still question their intellect! Sad.

Teachers! : While it is highly inappropriate to correct a colleague it is Your job to properly educate your students. Teach them! This is exactly why HBCUs are so important. White "teachers" giving up on their Black students grammar??? Allow me to insert another Black colloquialism here, "where they do that at?" Shame! You may not have to take an oath like a doctor but you too have a duty, to educate!

I will no longer roll my eyes when I hear Black people say "on tomorrow" or "axe". I will correct them at the appropriate time. Now, which of you is going to teach my landscaper to stop saying "yous"? ! That's an uneducated white Jersey thing, right? ?

@ Chrissy

Since you are college educated at least get the facts straight:

http://random-idea-english.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/random-thoughts-about-on-tomorrow.html

I'm a school teacher in Macon, Ga. I had never heard the usage of the preposition "on" in this context until I started teaching at an inner-city school. My principal, vice-principal, academic coach, and the superintendent of school all use this vernacular. It is very common in the educated African American community of middle Georgia. It drives me nuts. It changes an adverb into the noun of a prepositional phrase modifying a verb. If I had hair, I'd pull it out.

Thank you for this reference. As others have said, I have mostly heard this as Black usage in the South and find it a charming idiom, but I needed a discussion to reference about why I would leave "on" out when transcribing for reports.

It is not correct to say on tomorrow, on yesterday, or on today. These words are adverbs and do not require the preposition "on". Prepositions require an object. Since days of the week are nouns, they are objects for prepositions. It is incorrect to assume it is OK to use 'on' with all expressions of time. The redundancy is not that the word 'to' is in tomorrow. The redundancy is that tomorrow, is an adverb that already designates a place in time, and does not require a preposition.

Although it has become common usage in some parts of the county to say 'on tomorrow (yesterday, today), it is poor grammar and makes even the most educated person sound stupid.

KING HENRY
We are in God’s hand, brother, not in theirs.
March to the bridge. It now draws toward night.
Beyond the river we’ll encamp ourselves,
And on tomorrow bid them march away.
Henry V Act 3, Scene 6, Page 7

So Shakespeare used "poor grammar and .... stupid."

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/henryv/page_132.html

http://random-idea-english.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/random-thoughts-about-on-tomorrow.html

It is perfectly normal to say "until tomorrow", "for tomorrow", "by tomorrow", "after tomorrow", so "on tomorrow" is not that much of a stretch.

https://goo.gl/FBSZMx

It’s a church thing. I’m willing to bet that the people heard saying “on tomorrow” are heavily influenced by the church. Church folk are the people I’ve ever heard say it.

This has nothing to do with being Southern. Only black people say it, and it is an insult to correct English, just like "axe" for "ask." Nomesayin?

CONVERSATE IS SLANG. Recently I was corrected that the word is, in fact, in the dictionary, though it is not correct English, and it is considered slang. The correct English word is "converse" which is less to pronounce. Many feel those who use "conversate" are less than literate and not well educated.

I just had this conversation with my husband a few days ago. He has never heard it but I have been hearing the phrase “ on tomorrow “ frequently. I was born and raised in the Baltimore area and never heard it until about 8 years ago. It makes me cringe when I hear it. I never hear it 50 miles away on the shore.

I've only heard black people use "on." Definitely not a southern thing, maybe just a southern BLACK thing. They have their own version of English. Lmfao

Wow, this convo has been going on for 9 years! As someone who has lived on the west coast, Texas, NY and VA, I can tell you that I’ve ONLY heard “on today/tomorrow” in Virginia. I work as a supervisor in a call center and review calls for analysis and hear it quite often. It seems to be a southeastern thing and not northeastern.

“Axe” instead of “ask” is NOT just a cultural thing. It was heavily used in NY by all cultures and I hear it in VA as well. I’ve heard it used by folks from Massachusetts, too.

It irks me, but who cares? I am a mutt when it comes to dialect so who am I to talk? (Pun intended) From “fuggedabowdit” to “I know y’all ain’t gonna..” folks never can tell where I’m from. I’m totally okay with that. ????

I’m originally from Southern California and moved to South Carolina in 1981. I’ve heard “on tomorrow”, “on yesterday”, and “I’m not for sure”, “on accident” and most recently “this yesterday” ???? These errors in grammar continue to vex. I wonder what Ann Landers would have suggested as a polite way of correcting people in a spirit of educating them.

You folks obviously need a life...as if anyone of you is the authority on language! It's amazing the types of difference people will use to ego trip. As if anyone's "English" here isn't a derivative of some other, older English...get a life! Do you have any idea how many standards of English exist on this Earth--primarily because of how language was exacted throughout history?! Skin color, eye color, hair color, skin texture, height, origin--folks find any reason to try and make themselves feel better than someone else. You folks are sick. When that ghastly-colored, wrong-eye-color-having, wrong-height, super-bonics-speaking scientist makes a life-saving drug that you need...I bet your snobbish asses will drink every last drop! It's better to unite than to divide.

This is NOT a southern thing (Or maybe I should say GA thing). My supervisor is from TX and she uses it and it's the first time I've heard it used. I grew up just outside Atlanta and currently live in West GA. It bothers me when she uses it because she is educated and posses a master's degree.

I found this forum as a result watching Bible Study from my local church on TV with my wife, I finally asked her if she ever noticed “church folk” while speaking in church use the phrase ‘On Today’ or ‘On Tomorrow’ but the same people don’t phrase it that way anyplace else?
It’s been a curiosity to me for some time but I’d never inquired aloud about it. I’m no closer to an answer but I’m relieved I’m not the only one to wonder.

My posts are not getting published. They don't reply email either.

Oh so now I'm getting published. Just wanted to chime in that it is indeed a Southern Black thing that sort of lowers your regard for the person writing or speaking that way. And it has nothing to do with being snobbish or feeling you are better than that person. There are many different tones, accents and adaptations of English around the world but some yardsticks should stay the same. If it is done deliberately rather than out of ignorance, that's different. For example Arundhati Roy in her Booker-winning novel is full of it - spelling, for example "yooseless goose", and describing a barrier at the airport that separates "the Meeters from the Met and the Greeters from the Gret." That is her way of rebelling against the British Colonial rule and the imposition of a foreign language.

I am from the South and I have never used "on tomorrow." That is incorrect English.

I'm thinking it is a trend, actually. I have lived in the south all my life and never heard it until the last few years. It drives me crazy

I am from South Carolina and never heard this term until I started working in the school system in NE Florida. I continually hear this term from colleagues; educated teachers, administrators, and staff. I have also heard it used by news people on the local TV stations. Don't attack me but I only hear people of color use this term, so I wonder if it is cultural?

It drives me crazy. It's spreading! Head for the hills!!!

I found this on etymologyonline.com:

tomorrow (adv.)
mid-13c., to morewe, from Old English to morgenne "on (the) morrow," from to "at, on" (see to) + morgenne, dative of morgen "morning" (see morn, also morrow). As a noun from late 14c. Written as two words until 16c., then as to-morrow until early 20c.
__
I wondered if to-morrow derived from the Irish tendency to pronounce "th" as "t" or "d" - for example thirty three sounds like "tirty tree." Then I realized that the thought only occurred to me because I'm a little obsessed with dialects from the south of Ireland.

It’s definitely a southeastern southern black thing. It’s even used by newscasters in SE Georgia. The first time I heard it was in a summer English class at an HBC from a professor with a PHD. I explained to her that if she needed to include the word “on”, the correct use would be “On the Morrow”, not on tomorrow. She told me I was incorrect that she spoke perfect English! I withdrew from the class that same day!

I am a native North Carolinian, and I have NEVER used this phrase. I am beginning to hear it used a lot too, but it's the younger generation who uses it. I am also noticing people saying, "I church with them" meaning, I attend church with them. Another one that bothers me is "I am excited for the party". The party cannot be excited, so I'm not sure how you can be excited "for" it. You can be excited about it or you can be excited for your sister who will be attending the party.