Facing the future together: French and English in contrast (original) (raw)

The paper examines the contrast between the future tense constructions in French and English, specifically focusing on the French future inflection (FFI) and the English 'will'. It argues against the prevailing view that these forms are purely modal, demonstrating instead that both constructions serve as markers of future tense with a key semantic difference: while 'will' retains a volitional component from its historical context, FFI does not. The authors provide empirical evidence supporting their claims and challenge the assumption that futurity is often uncertain, asserting that in many instances, it is indeed purely temporal.