Date: Wed, 11 Oct 1995 23:28:33 -0400 From: "H Stephen STRAIGHT (Binghamton University, SUNY)" Subject: Re: If I was For the record, my "If I would X, then I would Y" was meant to exemplify the LOSS of a distinctive subjunctive form in favor of the conditional, which is used in some dialects in place of the former subjunctive. It's sort of a verbal concord in which both clauses in a conditional conjunct receive conditional marking, with only the "if" and "then" left to tell you which clause is performing which function. On Wed, 11 Oct 1995, William H. Smith wrote: > During the thread on the subjunctive, Stephen Straight wrote "If I would have > been more careful,...I wouldn't have muddied the waters..." I take those > _would's_ to be subjunctive > on the grounds that it is an apparent past tense form used with present tense > meaning, > but that is only my guess. Can anyone confirm or disconfirm this on > historical grounds? > If it is subjunctive, it is a (fairly common) substitution on one subjunctive > construction for another. > Bill Smith > Piedmont College Best. 'Bye. Steve H Stephen STRAIGHT Binghamton University (SUNY) Anthropology & Linguistics LxC Box 6000, Binghamton NY 13902-6000 Dir, Langs Across the Curric VOX: 607-777-2824; FAX: 607-777-2889