[Gllug] plurals

[Dylan]

On Friday 20 June 2003 12:40, Pete Ryland wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 20, 2003 at 11:33:43AM +0100, Dylan wrote:
> > On Thursday 19 June 2003 20:53, Jack Bertram wrote:
> > > * Pete Ryland <pdr at pdr.cx> [030619 20:26]:
> > > > Nowadays, the subjunctive form is the same as the past, so we would
> > > > now write:
> > > >
> > > > If he delighted in him, let him deliver him.
> > > >
> > > > Just like:
> > > >
> > > > If I was going to the shops, I'd bring you back some chocolate.
> > >
> > > This isn't a subjunctive.
> >
> > Well, it depends how you say it. With _IF_ attracting primary stress, it
> > has hypothetical force, OTOH with _WAS_ attracting primary stress it has
> > negative force, so to that extent subjunctive resides in a stress pattern
> > more than in a verbal conjugation rule.
>
> The mood in use is the subjunctive.  I'll grant you that when spoken the
> connotations of the sentence can be altered through stress, but this
> doesn't change the mood of the sentence.

I would argue that the stress pattern does change the mood, in precisely the 
same way as a sentence may be a statement or (confirmational/incredulous) 
question depending on the absence or presence of utterance-final focal stress 
and rising tone.

>
> > Just to be fair - I should mention that I am a theoretical linguist
> > specialising in English syntax and morphology. Sorry.
>
> Do you have something you can look this up in then?

Not directly to hand, but yes. The existance or otherwise of subjunctive in 
current (British) English is hotly debated. "The Comprehensive Grammar of The 
English Language" by Quirk et al. is a primary reference for the state of 
usage in 1983, but it can be quite obtuse in places.

Dylan

-- 
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