Why do we use back and forward instead of backward and forward?

In some English language user interfaces, both virtual and physical, the words back and forward are used instead of backward and forward.

An easy example is the web browser, where the buttons to navigate the history of a tab are labelled back and forward. Why is it back and not backward?

In French, the words are "précédent" and "suivant", which means "previous" and "next" and are opposites contrary to back and forward.

Solution 1:

I'll take a kick at this can, but it is pure speculation. Maybe someone can come up with a documented answer.

Firstly, we should understand that "back" and "backward" are both adverbs. Both have a meaning which is "away from the front; toward the back". In this definition, they are synonymous.

The implied verb in "back" and "forward" is go, as in "go back" or "go forward." The statement "go backward" is grammatically correct but idiomatically it's not how we would say it in English -- at least, the forms of English I'm familiar with. Native English speakers are more likely to say "go back." Look at this comparative chart of how often "go back" and "go backward" are used.

That being said, in English user interfaces we will also use "previous" and "next". This is used more for a sequence of pages, such as Google results pages.

As for French, "précédent" and "suivant" don't have a monopoly, either. I often see buttons like "< Retour" to mean "< Back". And in my Chrome interface right now, if I hover over the back and forward buttons, I get "Réculer d'une page" and "Avancer d'une page". Internet Explorer gives me a mix: "Retour" and "suivant".

At the end of the day, what matters from a UX perspective is:

• Your label is clear. "Backward" meets this criterion. A user would expect to go backward.
• Your label is natural. "Backward" could cause a momentary hesitation, just because the wording is not an established convention.

Hope that helps! Bonne chance !

Solution 2:

We don't say back and forward. We say back and forth. ;-)

Forward and backward are directions. Back, as in a back button, refers to going back to a previous state/position. Yes, that often involves also moving backward, i.e., traversing a sequence backward.

But when you say "Go back" you are emphasizing the destination, a previous state or position. The direction and how you might get there are not important (not emphasized).

If I ask whether you are going back to France, I'm not necessarily asking how you will get there. And I probably do not care whether you are retracing your steps backward, from how you got here from France. ;-)

Driving backward means driving in reverse gear. Driving back home means returning home, whatever the route taken.