Future Tense in English: Arguments for the Presence of a Future Tense

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All languages in the world have tenses. This is what facilitates communication by placing the action in relation to the time that it took place or is expected to take place. Tense is thus defined as a “temporal aspect of a verb in use.” Buzzin (2009). The English language boasts a number of tenses. Although many people categorize them as a notion of time, some analysts consider what is referred to as tense in textbooks as an interplay of tense, aspect, and situation type (Saeed, 2003). This situation means that tense has a complicated twist that needs to be looked at with an analytical eye in order to understand the various complicated situations that occur. This has led to many controversies and debates between scholars of semantics. Among the most controversial aspects of semantics is the issue of the future tense in English. Views from different scholars conflict with some saying that English has no future tense while others insist that it has. Looking deep at the points of argument, it is reasonable to say that English has a future tense although it is marked by an ambiguity that results from the secondary modal meaning.

What are the aspects of the future tense that lead to this conflict? A lot of people tend to believe that the word ‘will’ denotes a future tense (Declerck, 1991). This could be true to some extent but not in all aspects. For example,

John will see her tomorrow

This sentence shows that the action will take place the day after the sentence has been uttered. Therefore, the word ‘will’ is used here to portray the aspect of time. It is, therefore, true to say that the word ‘will’ is used to denote a future tense in English. The controversy arises in the fact that the word ‘will’ belongs to a family of words referred to as modal verbs. This group includes words like might, may, can, would, etc. therefore the word ‘will’ can be used in a sentence without denoting an aspect of time. For example,

Peter will be in church now

This sentence does not have anything to do with future or present tense. It is purely based on the behavioral pattern exhibited by Peter. It simply means, at such a time, Peter is usually in church. Peter’s location at that point in time is based on his normal behavior. On the other hand, the future can be denoted without using any future tense. For example,

Peter is arriving tomorrow morning

This sentence has placed the situation in a future context without using any verb to denote the time aspect. ‘Will’ is, therefore, an ambiguous word in terms of its future and modal capacities.

Scholars have found a great problem when it comes to the issue of tense markers. The words are commonly known to indicate a reference of time can sometimes be used but bring out a completely different aspect of meaning that has a complete opposite of what it is supposed to mean (Saeed, 2003). For example, a tense marker like ‘-ed’ is universally believed to mean a past tense.

Peter played with his pet dog

This sentence means that by the time the speaker was referring to Peter, the action of playing had already taken place. But a problem comes up when the suffix ‘-ed’ is used but fails to refer to the reference of time. For example,

If the headteacher arrived now, the situation would have been handled in a more mature way

In this sentence, ‘-ed’ has been used in the sentence but it does not denote time. The situation denoted by ‘arrived’ is in the present. And not the past as due to the use of the suffix ‘-ed’ this means that at times, the use of tense markers can be a source of controversy when it comes to pointing out time reference.

In addition to this, the word ‘will’ still fails to be a tense marker from other points of view. But Pullum (2008) gives other forms of will that denote other functions that are not time-oriented. He says that ‘will’ can also be used to mean the following:

Volition: In this form of using the word will, it means that the subject in question is determined to do the action.
Inclination: in this form, the subject is said to be inclined towards doing the action
Tendency: this use of ‘will’ means that the subject in question has in the past tended to do the given action.
Inference: in this form, ‘will’ simply denotes that the subject in question can be inferred to be doing the given action at that moment.
Prediction: here, ‘will’ means that it can be predicted that the subject in question is doing the given action.

We will take a number of sentences to show that ‘will’ cannot be termed as a tense marker but a form of a linguistic maneuver to enable the speaker to get a reference to the future. The sentences will also be used to strengthen the aspects of ‘will’ as shown above.

Mind the slippery floor, if you will, madam

This use of the word will does not show that the action is surely going to take place. The ‘madam’ is given a choice to mind the slippery floor or not. Therefore, there is no surety that the action is going to take place. The sentence, therefore, means that it is the wish of madam to mind the slippery floor and not that she definitely is going to mind the floor.

Won’t you join the dance floor?

‘Will’ can also be used as a form of invitation. In the given sentence, the speaker is simply offering an invitation to the listener to join the dances on the floor. There is no being sure that the listener is going to join them. It cannot be taken that the prediction is confirmed. Therefore, the word ‘will’ has not been used to confirm a prediction that someone is going to join a group of dancers. Although the offer to participate in the dancing has been made, the person might refuse the offer. Therefore, the statement will be a lie.

That will mean a couple of weeks

If in the process of doing a certain task one encounters a problem and reports it to an expert and he is told the statement above, the word ‘will’ will have been used not to mean that the situation will take some time before it requires a couple of weeks. The meaning is that at that moment, the situation is requiring a couple of weeks. Therefore, ‘will’ has not shown any reference to the future but a reference to a prediction.

The teacher will not know that we are through, we ought to call him

This is another form of the word ‘will’ that does not have any reference to the future. What this sentence means is that at the moment when the speaker is speaking, the teacher does not know that the students have completed their task. It does not mean that the teacher will come to fail to know at some point in the future that the students are through with whatever they are doing. This denotes use of the word ‘will’ not to refer to time but to refer to an inference.

The reason why my students have always performed exemplarily is that I will not tolerate laziness

This sentence means that this teacher has always had students who perform well. Even at the given moment, they are performing well. The reason why they perform well is that he has always been strict when it comes to laziness. He never condones the character of laziness in his class. Therefore, the use of ‘will’ does not make the sentence be in a future tense. It does not explain that the teacher will start being strict with his students in future but he does it and has always been doing it. ‘Will’ is used to denote volition. The teacher is determined to ensure that his students are not lazy.

Blue litmus paper will turn pink on exposure to moisture

This statement means that it is a normal phenomena that when blue litmus paper is exposed to moisture, it change its color from blue to pink. The meaning is not made to hold futuristic reference. It does not mean that starting next year, any litmus paper that will be exposed to moisture will turn pink but this happens and has always happened. ‘Will’ is used here to refer to a tendency. Blue litmus paper tends to turn pink whenever it is exposed to moisture.

I have given him all sorts of extra attention but he won’t improve on his performance

This statement gives another dimension of the use of the word ‘will.’ It means that the teacher has been giving attention to this student with the aim of helping him improve on his performance but every time results come out, the student fails. It does not mean that the teacher gives the student extra attention but the student will perform poorly in future. The use of ‘will’ here denotes an inclination. The student is inclined to performing poorly despite the teacher’s effort.

If he played according to the rules, he will have easily won the contest

This statement gives us another dimension of the use of the word ‘will.’ Here, it shows that the contest is already over. Maybe the subject won the contest but with difficulties or he completely failed to win. There is no reference to future in this statement. In fact, it has its deictic point in the past. The winning is not bound to happen in future because of the use of the word ‘will.’ In this context, it has been used in a prediction point. It is predictable that the person would have won if he played by the rules of the game.

The students will be through with the assignment right now

This statement has also employed the use of the modal verb ‘will’ without referring to a future reference in time. The statement does not mean that the students will still do the assignment until the next day before they finish it the day the speaker is speaking. In fact, this will be a meaningless statement should someone try to understand it from a futuristic point of view.

The allegations that English does not have a future tense do not mean that one cannot refer to the future in English. In addition, the use of ‘will’ is not refuted as a means of referring to the future. What is meant here is that English does not have a specific tense system that denotes the future. In most cases, idiomatic expressions and some periphrastic maneuvers are used to bring out the aspect future reference. Hagen (2009) tries to put it clear that by saying that English does not have a future tense it does not mean that there is no way of expressing the future through his definition of tense. He distinguishes tense and time. This is to say that time is not synonymous to tense. English speakers have a future time reference but they do not have a future tense.

Arguments for presence of a future tense

There have been other scholars who have given their own reasons as to why there is a future tense in English. Seely (1997) refutes the argument that English does not have a future tense when he questions on what really accounts for a tense. According to him, tense does not only have to be constructed through morphological categories only. This, he says, is a narrow minded approach that is confined to the out dated Latin approach to the study of modern language.

On the issue of tense markers ‘will/shall’ being derived from modal verbs, Seely (1997) defies the stance of those who advocate this rule. According to him, the a statement that uses will to denote a future tense does not have as its primary meaning the modal part instead, he argues that these statements have the tense as its primary meaning with the modal usage coming in as secondary uses. Most statements uttered to denote the future have necessity as there nature, something that needs to be done. They are not factual statements that should be cast in iron frames.

Other arguments have been that English uses other constructions including the periphrastic construction, be + going + verb inf. To construct there future references (Comrie, 1989). To this, Seely (1997) has the following arguments.

It is not only English that uses periphrastic constructions to construct the future tense. English also uses a verb “aller” to forma periphrastic construction denoting the future.
The use of the verb will with another verb is the only form of future reference that is compatible to all other types of verbs.
Although there are situations when present and present progressive tenses can be used to refer to the future, they are not in position to stand in isolation. In most cases, they need contextual support or adverbs expressing the future so as to give the future reference. This does not apply to the future tense. This tense stands alone.

In conclusion, the conflict resulting from the ambiguity of the modal verbs used to form the future tense in English does not qualify to say that English language does not have a future tense. The priority placed on the modal use or the time reference use should be put in consideration before making a conclusion. From the two argument positions, I feel that English has a future tense.

Referencing

Buzzin. English grammar- tenses. Web.

Comrie, B. 1989. On identifying future tenses, in Abraham, W. & Janssen, T. (eds.), Tempus – Aspekt – Modus: die lexikalischen und grammatischen =46ormen in den Germanischen Sprachen, T=FCbingen: Niemeyer, 51-63.

Declerck, R. 1991. Tense in English: its structure and use in discourse, London: Routledge.

Hagen, K., (2009) what do you mean there is no future tense?Pollysyllabic. Web.

Matthiesen, C. 1983. Choosing primary tense in English, Studies in Language, 7, 369-429.

Pullum, G., (2008) The Lord which was and is. University of Pennylvania. Web.

Saeed, J., (2003) Introducing Linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell

Seely, D., (1997). The English future. Linguist List. Web.

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