Re: Will

>Message-ID:  <4.3.0.20000417202710.00b37220@...>
>Date:         Mon, 17 Apr 2000 20:34:15 +0200
>From: BP Jonsson <bpj@...>
>Subject:      Re: Will
>
>At 01:08 17.4.2000 -0500, Patrick Dunn wrote:
>> >
>> > Historically, "will" represented simple futurity, whereas "shall" had
>> > overtones of intention, command, suggestion, or what not, *except* in
>> > the 1st person where the pattern was reversed.
>>
>>How ever did this queer pattern evolve?  I've never understood it.
>>
>>And, of course, "shall" is often used in all persons to emphsize intent or
>>constraint.  "The undersigned shall blah blah blah"
>
>I would tend to use only _will_ for futurity, and _shall_ in the
>intent/constraint sense.  This clearly is influenced by the fact that I'm
>Swedish: in Swedish _skall_ normally covers both functions, but to express
In the Vector tense system of of Nilenga I completely separated time
(tense) from intent (modality). They are completely mixed up, blended,
in English. So one can say in VTT (vector time tense) , ie,


I (future) dance. [dance is a stem verb]
I (want) (future) dance.
I want to-dance. [the infinitive suffix/infixed verb form covers all
           time frames, it could be interpreted as future in context]
You (future) (imperative) blah-verb.

Most of the tense and modal particles form contractions, for example,

"I future.." is mi + fu = mif.
"I want future.." is mi+di +fu = mid fu. mi dif is also possible.
"You must future.. " is vu+xa+fu= vu xaf | vux fu.

There is a mini-essay on mode/tense among the old vector tense posts. I
had them online, and they will return as soon as I get a new ftp site.
They are still up in the deja news archives of
alt.language.artificial.ngl


Jerry

>
>
>
>
>/BP
>
> B.Philip Jonsson  <mailto:bpj@...>bpj@netg.se
><mailto:melroch@...>melroch@my-deja.com
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