Go To and Will in Spoken English

• Main Author: Aijmer, Karin
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 1984
• Subjects: Communication Skills; Diachronic Linguistics; English; Interaction; Language Usage; Oral Language; Qualitative Research; Semantics; Standard Spoken Usage; Statistical Analysis; Tenses (Grammar); Verbs

A study of the semantic factors determining the choice of "go to" and "will" in some varieties of spoken English looks at intentionality and premeditation, imminence, observation, presence on the scene of action, certainty, inference and observation, knowledge and certainty, present relevance and immediacy of action, children's acquisition of future forms, and the diachronic development of future forms. The choice is determined by the particular perspective chosen by the speaker in the communication situation (the speaker's knowledge and intentions, where he is, what he can observe, and his involvement in the future action) rather than by semantic factors inherent in a particular form. "Go to" is seen as conveying a subjective perspective on the event while "will" conveys that the future is more objective or psychologically detached. The report outlines the distinctions characterizing the choice of "to go" and harmonizing distinctions relevant to that choice. (MSE)