Grammaticalization is one of the very fuzzy areas in linguistic research and the Englishgo-futurecertainly is no exception in this field. There are a lot of publications dealing with this subject, among them the best-known works of Heine, Traugott, Hopper and Sweetser, some of which are also used as references in this paper. Usually, the issue of thegoing tofuture construction only makes up a small part in these publications. However, I will concentrate exclusively on this kind of future of the English language. In my opinion, it is most useful to trace the form back to its origins and follow its development chronologically over the course of time. Furthermore, this seems to be the most appropriate method to deal with the subject, as one can hardly pin down exact points in time at which a certain grammaticalization process can be claimed to have started off, as it is a rather linear development, which will be shown throughout the paper. A huge problem, as in any field of linguistic research dealing also with Old and Middle English, lies in the lack of data. As there is only a small amount of written evidence to draw from, results and theories based on this data are always a very tentative issue and in no way absolute, a fact one should always keep in mind when dealing with these subjects.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Through the Ages - The Grammaticalization Process of the Be Going To Construction
2.1. Old English – The Roots of Go and the Progressive Form
2.2. Middle English – The Next Stage
2.3. Early Modern English – Early Grammaticalization
2.4. Modern English
3. Internal vs. External Factors - Possible Explanations for this Grammaticalization Process
4. Today’s Use of the Andative Future
5. Conclusions
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this paper is to conduct a diachronic analysis of the English "be going to" construction, tracing its evolution from its Old English origins to its modern usage as a future-marking auxiliary. The research explores how a lexical verb of motion underwent grammaticalization to express future time, while also examining the roles of internal cognitive processes and potential external linguistic influences.
- The historical development of "go" and the progressive "ing-form".
- Semantic shifts from spatial movement to intention and prediction.
- The role of metaphorization in linguistic grammaticalization.
- Evaluation of external influence from French on the English "andative future".
- Current functional status of "be going to" versus "will" and the reduction to "gonna".
Excerpt from the Book
2.1. Old English – The Roots of Go and the Progressive Form:
Quite naturally, when inquiring issues in OE one can experience that there is as much shadow as there is light when it comes down to finding a universal and exclusive solution to a linguistic problem due to the very limit of the data available to us. And of course, the same holds true for the modern go and also for the English progressive form. Hence, there are different theories for the development for both of them. Maybe, all of them are true to a certain degree but they could well be proven wrong in future enquiries.
The modern go originates in two OE words, namely gān and gangan, both meaning ‘to go’ or ‘to walk’. There are different theories regarding these two verbs. One is that gangan is just a lengthened form of gān or, vice versa, that gān is a shortened version of gangan. The fact that they both have the vowel ēō in their preterite form support this possibility. Furthermore, if one regards this theory to be valid, it would also explain why today there’s only one verb referring to neutral motion, the modern go. As languages usually give up unnecessary forms in their development to be more economical it is likely that gān and gangan could have been used alternately in OE and that one of them, probably the longer form, vanished and left only the shorter gān, which then may have developed into go. Yet, this is just a theory for which there is no scientific proof, yet!
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research scope regarding the "be going to" construction and discusses the methodological challenges posed by the scarcity of written data in early periods.
2. Through the Ages - The Grammaticalization Process of the Be Going To Construction: Provides a chronological survey of the construction's evolution, examining the individual stages from Old English through to the Modern English period.
3. Internal vs. External Factors - Possible Explanations for this Grammaticalization Process: Analyzes the theoretical debate regarding whether the construction's development resulted from cognitive metaphorization or external contact influence from French.
4. Today’s Use of the Andative Future: Explores the contemporary usage of the "go-future," focusing on its semantic features like "current relevance" and its ongoing reduction to "gonna."
5. Conclusions: Summarizes the findings, noting the tentative nature of historical linguistic research and the possibility of combined internal and external influences on the construction's path.
Keywords
Grammaticalization, Andative Future, Go-future, Old English, Middle English, Progressive form, Linguistic evolution, Metaphorization, Intention, Prediction, Current relevance, Synchronic, Diachronic, Auxiliary, Gonna.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines the historical development and grammaticalization process of the English "be going to" future construction.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The main themes include historical linguistics, the transition from lexical to grammatical meaning, cognitive metaphorization, and the potential impact of language contact.
What is the specific research goal?
The goal is to trace the development of "be going to" chronologically from Old English origins to understand how it shifted from denoting spatial motion to expressing future time.
Which methodology is applied in this research?
The author employs a diachronic approach, analyzing written data across different historical stages of English to trace the construction's functional and semantic development.
What is the focus of the main section?
The main section documents the shift in usage from purely spatial meaning in Old English to the emergence of "intention" and eventually "prediction" in Modern English.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include grammaticalization, andative future, progressive form, metaphorization, intention, prediction, and language contact.
How did "go" and "gangan" influence the modern verb "go"?
The author discusses theories suggesting that these two Old English verbs merged or one disappeared to create the more economical modern form "go".
What is the significance of the "gonna" reduction?
The author suggests that the reduction of "be going to" to "gonna" indicates a highly advanced stage of grammaticalization, increasingly bridging the gap between spoken and written usage.
- Quote paper
- Tim Jakobi (Author), 2004, The English Be Going To Construction and Its Grammaticalization Process, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/52508
