(In Dutch, the word for future is 'toekomst', similar to the German 'Zukunft', consisting of the words 'towards' and 'coming, arrival')
ChatGPT: "Yes, I can see the connection between **toekomst** and the words **toe** and **komst**. According to the web search results, the word **toekomst** is a compound word that consists of the preposition **toe** (to, towards) and the noun **komst** (coming, arrival). The word **toekomst** literally means "coming towards" or "approaching", and it is used to refer to the future or the time that is yet to come.
I can also see how this connection could imply that in Dutch the future is always moving towards you, or that you are always facing the future. This could be related to the idea that the Dutch have a more dynamic and flexible view of the future, as I mentioned in my previous response. It could also be contrasted with the English word **future**, which comes from the Latin word **futurus**, meaning "about to be" or "going to be". The word **future** suggests a more static and fixed view of the future, or that the future is something that is already determined or inevitable.
However, these are just my personal interpretations, and I do not have any sociolinguistic studies to support them. I think it would be interesting to explore how different languages and cultures conceptualize and express the future, and how that affects their attitudes and behaviors. If you are interested in this topic, you can check out some of the resources that I found . I hope this helps you with your question. 😊
: [What does toekomst mean in Dutch?]
: [toekomst - Wiktionary]
: [future - Wiktionary]
: [The Future in Thought and Language: Diachronic Evidence from Romance]
: [The Future of Language]
: [How language shapes the way we think]"
Do you know if any sociolinguistic study that details how the future in Germanic languages comes from somewhere else than in English?
Sociolinguistically speaking, the concept of the future arises from the ways in which language and society interact to express and conceptualize the passage of time. The future, as a linguistic and cognitive category, is shaped by various sociolinguistic factors, including cultural beliefs, linguistic structures, and social practices.
In essence, the future emerges from a complex interplay of various factors, including human agency, natural processes, societal dynamics, and the influence of technological and environmental changes. It is a subject that has fascinated philosophers, scientists, and thinkers throughout history.
Marta A. Karp, hi and thanks for your reply.
I didn't intend to ask about the actual future, but from sociolinguistically. In the sense that in Germanic languages 'die Zukunft' always comes towards you. In English, the future has a different directionality. Etymologically, as far as I can tell, as it relates to becoming the future evolves from the now. So in Germanic languages the future comes towards you; in English it follows the now and comes into being.
The future of language is a reflection of the ongoing, dynamic interplay between individuals, communities, and the broader societal context. It's a fascinating area of study that bridges linguistics, sociology, and cultural studies.
In Swedish, another Germanic language, the future 'framtid' is not really, it seems, conceptualized as directionality. 'Framtiden' is the time ('tiden') localized in front of ('fram') us. Interestingly the past is not in Swedish the time behind (*baktiden), but time that has past ('det förflutna').
@Hans Kronning, interesting!
When i translate 'fram' using Google Translate, it comes back as 'forward' in English and 'vooruit' in Dutch.
Which does seem to be directional, bit not as in the future is coming towards you, but you to moving into it.
Does that make sense?
Your interpretation that "framtid" is directional (we are moving towards the future) seems also to be possible, as "fram" does not only mean 'in front of' (as opposed to "bak" 'behind' ) but also "framåt" ('forward' 'towards') as opposed to "bakåt" ('backwards').
Interesting. Still leaves the directional discontinuity with the past... In Dutch, 'geschiedenis' literally means 'what has come to pass, what had happened'.
It seems to me that the Swedish "approach" is similar to German and Dutch, bit using "time ahead" rather than "what will be arriving on front of you". And "förflutna" seems very much the same as "verleden"...
Whereas in English, as far as I can tell, the future emerges from the now...
A seminal study of the future expressions:
Suzanne Fleischman, The future in thought and language. Diachronic evidence from Romance. (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 36.) Cambridge Univ. Press : Cambridge 1982
The book is confronted with facts (not only in the Romance languages) and not with psychological speculations.
Suzanne Fleischmans book gives excellent diachcronic evidence for future verb forms coming from verbs meaning 'go' or 'come' or from possession verbs as Latin habeo (cantare habeo, French future: je chanterai). My answer to the original question (Where does future come from, sociolinguistically speaking?) is a very preliminary attempt to construe the directionality of the future as a noun synchronically in Swedish within the framework of cognitive construction grammars (this has nothing to do with sociolinguistics).
@Hans Kronning, my interest is not only the (grammatical historical) origin, but the implications of its remnant meaning of how sense is being made.
Back to 'future' versus 'Zukunft': what does it mean when the a language suggests that the future evolves from the present versus
always heading in your direction?
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