SEMANTIC AND FUNCTIONAL NATURE OF DESIRABILITY WITHIN THE CATEGORY OF FUTURALITY IN MODERN FRENCH

Abstract

The study of the category of futurality raises the need to distinguish between its linguistic realisation and its non-linguistic, conceptual content. The article under consideration focuses on the way the conceptual, mental spheres of category of futurity are projected onto the linguistic means that verbalise it. In particular, the semantic varieties of the mental sphere of ‘desirability’ conveyed by Subjonctif, which are present within the category of futurality, have been studied. Special emphasis has been laid on the semantic varieties of implicit futurity, conventional meanings of the future within Subjonctif. The subject-predicate relation to reality conveyed by Subjonctif can be qualified as a ‘probable potential possibility’ with the semantics of desirability with separate linguistic and speech meanings in a free alternation of semantic zones (order, purpose, condition, etc.). The main means of verbalisation of the conceptual category of desirability is Subjonctif. The modal and temporal potential of the field of desirability is realised through the concept of potential possibility in the future. The conceptual category of desirability actualises the ‘probable potential possibility’ as a type of predicative relation, and the main mental spheres of desirability are volition and motivation, the secondary ones are hypotheticality/probability and conditionality, directed to the future. The use of Subjonctif in the free alternation of semantic zones allows to to study its use in different types of subordinate clauses with the allocation of mental spheres of the category of desirability with the mental spheres of volition, desirability, possibility/need, probability/hypotheticality based on the speaker’s attitude to the possibility.