DOES DOC BROWN KNOW WHICH EXPRESSION TAKES US BACK TO THE FUTURE: BE GOING TO OR WILL?

Abstract

This paper aims to explicate, from a unified point of view, the differences in meaning and cooccurrence restriction between be going to and will, and a diversity of their uses in contemporary English. It presents the temporal structures of be going to- and will-sentences which provide an explanatory basis for these phenomena. It is argued that the notion of temporal focus is necessary in order for the temporal structures to have a more explanatory power. It is demonstrated that these temporal schemata not only systematically explain both synchronic and diachronic aspects of be going to and will, but also account for why be going to in the past tense tends to express unfulfilment of the infinitive part while will in the past tense does not.