"See you later!"

[ladyofastolat]

I've always thought that "see you later!" was something that could only be said to someone you were expecting to see later that day. "See you tomorrow!" and "See you next week!" or a vague, "well, um, see you again, um... well, sometime," were available for other occasions, as were more generally applicable things such as "Bye!" and "See you!"

However, this has led to exchanges such as this. Colleague leaves in the afternoon to go to a meeting elsewhere. "See you later!" colleague says. "Oh, are you coming back?" I say. "No," says colleague. This has happened so often, and with so many people, that I am now wondering if I have been wrong all these years. At the end of our weekly dance practice, loads of people say "see you later!" to everyone as they leave, although they know these people won't be seen again for a week. Maybe I am the only person who interprets "see you later" in the way that I do.

So who do you agree with? Me, or (almost) everyone else I know?

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

No, I'm with everybody else. I view it as identical in meaning to "Auf wiedersehen," even though the latter has a much more poignant quality.

When I was a child, I somehow developed the rigid idea that "a couple" could only mean 2 or 3 (so I wasn't entirely literal), "a few" was 3-5, and "several" was 5-8. I also somehow got the idea that a view wasn't "scenic" unless something was moving within it.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I have had several conversations over the years discussing - not at all seriously - the differences between phrases such as "a few" and "two or three." The general conclusion has usually been that "a couple" is usually taken to mean 2 or 3, "two or three" means roughly 3 or 4, "half a dozen" is usually more like 7 (except when counting eggs), and so on. Though of course it comes down to context. "Can I borrow a couple of paper clips, please," would usually result in about 6 being passed over, just to be on the safe side.

I like the idea of a view only being scenic if something is moving in it. Presumably gently rustling leaves don't count?

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

"See you later" as an open-ended farewell has been increasing in currency for years. It is, I agree, irritating.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I don't find it particularly irritating, but there have been several occasions in which it has led me into confusion. My instinctive reaction is to worry that I've forgotten about some meeting or other that I'm supposed to be attending later that day.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, but I agree this sense has been spreading - possibly from the States? "Laters," as a way of saying goodbye, also appears open-ended.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say "laters!" for real, only in an ironic sort of way. Although, in my experience, once you start saying something ironically, it's only a matter of time before it becomes part of your unthinking, everyday vocabulary.

[themis1.livejournal.com]

See you later, Alligator.
In a while, Crocodile.

Almost undoubtedly American influence. I'm with you.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

It does look as if it's something that's changed recently, perhaps due to American influence. I posted this quickly yesterday before leaving to catch a ferry, so didn't have time to research the matter online yesterday, but a very quick search today shows lots of pages talking about how the meaning of "see you later" has changed "recently" in the UK.

[timetiger.livejournal.com]

I'm torn. My initial reaction was that I agree with you, but then I realized I do use the expression the way most of the people you know do. For one thing, it's conveniently vague. For another, l suppose I rationalize that next week or some unspecified future time are in fact later than this moment.

I agree that it's confusing, though, especially in a situation like the one with your colleague where there aren't other cues.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

It does seem as if it always used to mean "later today" in the UK, but has changed in recent years. I'll just have to stop being confused by it. My instinctive reaction when someone says "see you later" is to think, "Oh? Is there a meeting tonight that I've forgotten about?"

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

I'm from the north of England and see you later can mean another day but typically means the same.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

The Internet reveals to me that it always used to mean "later today" in the UK, but usage has widened in recent years, so it is now often used (possibly more by younger people?) to mean a vague unspecified "later."

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

I don't often say it, but when I do it means I'll see someone, well, later. Time frame unspecified. Could be the same day, could be tomorrow, could be next week.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

The internet - and the comments here - suggests that "see you later" has usually meant "later today" in the UK, but is generally more open-ended in the US. In recent years, more and more people in the UK have started using it in its more open-ended sense. I'll just have to stop being confused by it. :-)

[rubygirl29.livejournal.com]

I always figured "Later" means later that day, like you. I don't think I've ever said it meaning next week or longer. Huh, I guess I never thought about it!

P.S. I'm American. A lot depends on what you say. "Later, 'gator," is definitely a "See you sometime, somewhere, as is, "Later, dude." Could be a California thing. (I blame everything on California.)

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

The internet seems to suggest that the more open-ended meaning of "see you later" is indeed more prevalent in the US, although it's been catching on in the UK too in recent years. Interesting to hear that even in the US there's confusion about it, too.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I've an online friend who always concludes a chat with "catch you later" though it could be A couple of weeks before we chat again. I've also known delivery people/workmen say "Catch you later" whom I'm unlikely to see again!

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I wonder if people say it because "see you later" (or "catch you later") seems a little less final than "bye," so feels somehow more polite. I don't know...

[songblaze.livejournal.com]

I suspect it may be simply that we've become more casual about salutations and farewells, and 'see you later' is certainly more casual than 'goodbye'.

[songblaze.livejournal.com]

Oh no, see you later just means at some later time - I'd almost never use it for later in the day, either.

But then, I AM an American, so...guess it's yet another way our media is influencing British language.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

It does seem - from comments here as well as the internet - that the more open-ended meaning of "see you later" is indeed a US usage, while in the UK it used to mean apply only to later in the same day. I'm not particularly bothered by the shift of usage - language is forever evolving, after all - but it's caused me some confusion, and it makes me wonder if I've forgotten about something I've supposed to be doing later that day.

[songblaze.livejournal.com]

I can definitely tell you that 'see you later' has meant 'at some undefined future time' rather than later today in the 'States for at least 3 decades. I could ask my parents and see if that has been true for longer, but I would suspect that is the case.

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

I'm with you - despite being American, but possibly because on some level my brain is influenced by years of Italian, which sometimes still trips me up.