2. NSU Vestnik. Series: Linguistics and Intercultural Communication

Actualization of future tense semantics in German subordinate clause

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Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the expression of temporal future tense semantics in various types of subordinate clauses of complex sentences, which so far have not received adequate coverage in linguistic literature. Analysed are utterances with complex sentences containing direct speech, obtained with the random sampling method from the German fictional and publicistic texts. The total volume of the analyzed material makes up 1089 linguistic units with future tense semantics. In spite of dependent character of predication in the subordinate clause, the explication of future tense semantics in it is very heterogeneous. The most frequent types of subordinate clauses with future-oriented meaning in both analyzed discourses are conditional clauses, attribute, object, and subject clauses as well as subordinate clauses of time and purpose. The diverse repertoire of linguistic means, among which are not only grammatical ones (for example, Präsens, Futur I, Perfekt, Konditionalis I, Präteritum Konjunktiv), but also lexical and grammatical (for example, modal verb constructions), allows of formal and semantic variation, revealing a certain sensitivity in relation to discursive characteristics of the utterance. The most significant explicators of future tense semantics in the subordinate clause are the grammatical forms Präsens and Futur I. Präsens is characterized by high frequency in all types of subordinate clauses and “neutrality” against Futur I, which has limitations when used, for example, in conditional clauses, subordinate clauses of time and purpose, in view of their future time orientation. Futur I can also serve to focus attention on the upcoming action, which contributes to frequency of its use in dependent predication. The semantics of perfect forms, modal verbs, their functional synonyms and conjunctive forms also reveals certain combination preferences by expressing future tense semantics in a subordinate clause.

Keywords: linguistic means with future tense semantics, subordinate clause, the German language, fictional and publicistic discourse

References: Bodnaruk, E.V. Actualization of future tense semantics in German subordinate clause. NSU Vestnik Journal, Series: Linguistics and Intercultural Communication. 17, 3.