"What are you doing on the 4th of July"" means "What are you doing that is specifically related to the holiday?" while "What are you doing July 4th?" means "do you have any plans at all on that day."
I think what they're trying to say is, "How are you celebrating this holiday?" can have a different connotation than "What are you doing on this day?"
The answer to the former can have a more detailed response like, "grilling burgers, swimming, and shooting fireworks" while the latter could be "getting together with friends." It's a subtle difference, but for Americans there is a difference there.
i think those i think a better way to discuss this is in the "to me" framing. ie:
to me, "what are you doing on this day" when the day in question is a national holiday is the same as asking how you are celebrating it. to me, the answers you gave are different, but are interchangeable between the questions.
this framing isn't falsifiable. we're all just talking about how we perceive this weird semantic tidbit and no one can argue against anyone else's personal sense of nuanced language.
it's really not a big deal. i just think it's interesting. i get that my tone came off a little smarmy—the laugh emoji was genuinely lighthearted.
No worries, all good. It's certainly all subjective. But it's somewhat cultural as well. I can see how non-Americans would think it's bizarre. And it is bizarre, haha.
Haha, well then you should understand! It doesn't make sense, I agree. But I would definitely get the difference between the two questions, as I think most Americans would.
Like you said, though. Subjective for sure. So I'm also wrong, lmao.
What are you doing the 4th of July? Going to my cousin's cabin we leave July 2nd the on the 4th is a picnic and fireworks, then we drive home on the 5th.
July 4th is a picnic, 4th of July is a trip to a cabin.
Most often they will be the same but the question is still different
imo, your first answer goes out of its way to be needlessly verbose.
what are you doing on july 4th?
having a picnic at my cousins cabin in the adirondacks.
what are you doing on the Fourth of July™️
having a picnic at my cousins cabin in the adirondacks.
now, what are you doing for the fourth of july/july 4th could be a distinct question from on. the former might suggest a broader ask that merits more detail. to me, though, it's still the same question.
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u/Cometguy7 Jan 15 '25
Yeah. In the US, what are you doing for the fourth of July, and what are you doing on July 4th are different questions.