I shall be 17

[sagehen]

Preference for "shall" or "will" as the simple future in the first person,
s. & p., was discussed on this list fairly recently.  The concensus among
the US contributors seemed to be for "will."  This in spite of the fact
that most of us have probably been taught that "shall" is correct for
simple future and "will" for emphatic, or expressions of determination.
(And that the reverse applies to the second and third persons.)  I think
it's a case where usage has simply   shifted away from the form on which
the *rule* was based.  The shift was undoubtedly helped along by the  'll
contraction.
A. Murie
-------
>    Reading through a French grammar of English the  other day (it's my
>bedside reading, of course), I came across the statement to  the effect
>that in the phrase:   I'll be 17 next month   the reduced 'll form was
>necessarily a hidden WILL,  so to speak. Now, that's OK, so far, except
>that the justification for this  conclusion was that "SHALL is absolutely
>impossible in this position", which to  me is just plain wrong (I'm a
>British English speaker).   Would any of you out there share this
>judgement,  that   I SHALL be 17 next month   is a definite no-no?   Any
>comments?   Regards   Jim   Dr. Jim Walker
>Département  d'Anglais
>Université Lumière Lyon 2
>86, rue Pasteur
>69365 LYON Cedex  07   Tel. office +33 4 78 69 71 95
>Fax office + 33 4  72 80 94 52 (please indicate my name)
>Portable + 33 6 62 21 02  07   E-mail: Jim.Walker at univ-lyon2.fr


A&M Murie
N. Bangor NY
sagehen at westelcom.com