Last May does indeed mean the May of the year before. Unless however it's June or later and you're talking about both the May of the year you are currently in AND the subsequent May.
If it's near the end of the year or early in the next year and you say "this may" it means next May. But if you say "this may" earlier than that, it will be assumed it is the May of the year you are currently in.
English is a superb language. Especially with cultural thingies thrown in too.
Awkwardly, I think it will be exactly six months after the relevant month that this will be published. Hmm. I wonder if I could still a year in there with any subtleness to avoid the ambiguity.
I agree with your disambiguation. Also agree with moral_vacuum that the length of time elapsed matters. Round about now (late August/Sept), "This May just gone," is starting to turn into "Last May".
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
If it's near the end of the year or early in the next year and you say "this may" it means next May. But if you say "this may" earlier than that, it will be assumed it is the May of the year you are currently in.
English is a superb language. Especially with cultural thingies thrown in too.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
(I think I meant to write "slip" instead of "still" in that previous comment.)
no subject
no subject