[1246] in tlhIngan-Hol
Reprise on Eng. tenses
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Jul 12 12:09:28 1993
Reply-To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
From: wigtil@oerv01.er.doe.gov
To: "Klingon Language List" <tlhIngan-Hol@village.boston.ma.us>
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 93 10:21:54 -0400
I see that I in my haste omitted the descriptions of the various future
tense options. Correction below:
15. I will speak (multilateral agreement, single or repeated future event)
16. I will be speaking (multilateral agreement, progressive future)
17. I am going to speak (unilateral, single/repeated future)
18. I am going to be speaking (unilateral, progressive future)
19. I am to speak (obligatory, single/repeated future)
20. I am to be speaking (obligatory, progressive future)
21. I will have spoken (action completed prior to a future moment)
22. I will have been speaking (time prior to future plus that future)
Futures are the most innovative set of tenses in English. Agreement is
typically associated with "will" futures (marriage ceremonies,
contracts); single-person intent or even non-intention is often
signalled by "am going to" futures ("It's going to explode!", "I'm going
to do it"); the "am to" futures generally include clear or implicit
obligation imposed from the outside ("She is to speak at 4:00").
The future perfect is used infrequently but with clear point; the future
perfect progressive (#22) is commoner, another time-combination tense,
like the "have been speaking" and "had been speaking" forms.
--DNW
