What is a prospective?

Definition
	A prospective is a grammaticalization of the relationship of a present state to a future situation. It indicates that one is in a present state of being about to do something.

Example (English)

Bill is going to throw himself off the cliff.

The item going to is a statement of Bill’s present state and is true irrespective of whether he is stopped or not.

Source:

Comrie 1985b 65

Concept module: prospective
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004