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I came across a non-authoritative source (no link to source possible) that stated the following for time ranges:

between-and, excludes both endpoints, e.g., between May and July - meaning: June
from-to, excludes the last endpoint, e.g., from May to July - meaning: May and June
from-through, includes both endpoints, e.g., from May through July - meaning: May, June, and July

This is the first time, I hear that. Is this information correct?
Would this be the same for year ranges (e.g., between 2017 and 2019 refers to 2018)?

Mr. T
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    I wouldn't understand them in that way, especially when whole months are involved. If you mean 'in June', why not say so? – Kate Bunting Feb 23 '21 at 13:17
  • These are just the same examples to have consistency. I did not want to type the whole list for an example like "from February through November". :) What about years, then? Would between 2010 and 2020 mean 9 years? – Mr. T Feb 23 '21 at 13:20
  • Does this answer your question? What is the difference between " from ～to～" and "from ～ through～"? Also Pick a number between one and ten for more on the "inclusive / exclusive" aspect. – FumbleFingers Feb 23 '21 at 13:24
  • I work between Monday and Friday. He works from Monday to Friday. She works from Monday through Friday. I'm sure everyone would understand that we're all at work on the *same* five "weekdays". – FumbleFingers Feb 23 '21 at 13:30
  • @FumbleFingers I'd be a bit confused by your first example, and in general wouldn't use between to refer to something occuring over the entire time range, but rather to establish a possible timeframe for a singular event (eg. "the server crashed between Monday and Friday"). In that case it would also be an inclusive range for me, though. – Maciej Stachowski Feb 23 '21 at 13:38
  • @FumbleFingers So, there are contextual and regional differences, and there is no general rule? The examples given in these two threads contradict each other regarding inclusion/exclusion of the endpoints in these phrases. I am asking about precise language in an academic text. The only take-home message I get is that "from" and "through" definitely include the endpoints, but the rest is a matter of interpretation. – Mr. T Feb 23 '21 at 13:41
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    @MaciejStachowski: I agree that in some contexts, I work between Monday and Friday might be taken as implying that I work irregular days - but only ever days from that range; I don't work weekends. But the bottom line here is English isn't that precise - but since Mon-Fri *inclusive* is a well-established set of days, *that's* the default interpretation regardless of any prepositions and other aspects of orthography. And that was essentially my point - *context can make a lot of difference to interpretation of ranges*. – FumbleFingers Feb 23 '21 at 13:45
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    @Mr.T: For the avoidance of doubt, I could always say We work [from] Monday to Friday inclusive. It would be very "unusual / clunky" for anyone to use that format with, say, *We work [from] Sunday to Saturday exclusive***. – FumbleFingers Feb 23 '21 at 13:48
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    I would understand all your examples to be inclusive (but, being British, I wouldn't use through). – Kate Bunting Feb 23 '21 at 13:56
  • @KateBunting - same here. Hence, my surprise seeing this described as a definitive rule. – Mr. T Feb 23 '21 at 13:57
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    It's irrelevant whether we're talking about a timeframe (spanning seconds, day, years, millennia,...) or any other range of "scalar" values (heights, weights, or just abstract numbers). Unless you explicitly specify something like *inclusive*, there's always the chance your audience will be unsure whether either or both of the "start" and "end" values are supposed to be included within the range. There is no "definitive rule", and your unnamed source is just presenting their own peculiar preconceptions, not shared by many others. – FumbleFingers Feb 23 '21 at 14:14
  • So, the "rule" described in my question simply does not exist. Is this the take-home message? - Ha, your edit confirms this. Thanks for the clarification. Case closed. – Mr. T Feb 23 '21 at 14:17
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    There's no absolute rule, but in general range specifications are interpreted as "inclusive". But if you explicitly include that word you're simply confirming what would usually be the default anyway. I will just say that I'm quite sure I have *never* had anyone ask Pick a number between 0 and 10 when they want me to choose *a single non-zero digit. So in that* respect, your source is worse than "useless" (a "useless" source simply wouldn't tell you the truth; your source is telling you *lies*). – FumbleFingers Feb 23 '21 at 14:29

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English requires extra work for specifically pinpointing time ranges and time spans. You cannot merely rely on the prepositions. You will need to be certain and possibly confirm that the listener understands when. Your question overlaps with English speakers use of This Wednesday, Last Wednesday, Next Wednesday. These things can be understood differently by different speakers at different times.

Your understanding of between, from, to, and through is correct, however, you cannot assume a listener will have the same level of discipline in applying those prepositions to time frames.

We talk about your date ranges in ways such as these,

From the beginning of May through [until/to] the end of October.
Means May 1 - October 31, including May 1 and Oct 31.

Between February 1st and the last day of June.
Means Feb 1 - June 30, including Feb 1 and June 30.

The prepositions are still there but we provide the actual date. Never assume your listener understands between [two dates] in the same way you do.

EllieK
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