English Subjunctive
| From: | Chris Bates <christopher.bates@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, October 27, 2003, 20:31 |
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I was thinking, is the english subjunctive really a subjunctive? Its
just, subjunctive has always been described to me as indicating doubt,
whereas the english subjunctive doesn't indicate doubt but that
something is definately contrary to fact (the speaker is in no doubt at
all if he uses the subjunctive form). Is there a separate name for this?
Also, I'm not sure the subjunctive is disappearing... a lot of people
say it is, but if anything it seems like its just changing form. Some
people now say things like "If I was you..." instead of "If I were
you..." but... in "If I was you..." where was replaces the subjunctive
form were, they're using the past tense to refer to a present situation
(a non existent situation, but still refering to the present) so it
seems to me that the present subjunctive isn't dying so much as being
merged with the simple past... because the contraryness to fact is still
being indicated, just in a different way.
Anyway, that's what's been bugging me recently.
Chris.
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