At 02:58 PM 3/21/99 -0600, Ranma Al'Thor wrote:

Just to be picky, although I admit I'm not gramarian,

Not a claim I would make, either...

I thought the
subjunctive represented 'opinion' or 'conditionalness', rather than
necessarily expressing contrariness to fact.

Actually, it's pretty much both: it has to be a condition or supposition
_and_ it has to be imaginary or false (or otherwise doubtful -- hence
the 'contrary to fact').  And unlike the indicative, it is always in a
dependent clause.

That's why the 'if black were white' example works: black and white are
different; the supposition is false.  'If Jinnai were sane...'

But if the condition is (probably) true, you should use the indicative
(heh).  So if Ranma said, 'If I _was_ a pervert...,' Akane would have
reason to feel justified in her accusations, and Nodoka would probably
approve of whatever he did.


Other uses of the subjunctive include expressing a wish or requirement.

Well, let's consult Mr. Book (Harbrace)...

Actually, conditional and subjunctive are not pretty much the same. The
subjunctive mood is a property of verbs, and so is expressed through the
form of the verb. A conditional is a subordinate clause, and is a
syntactical construction.

The subjunctive mood is used to indicate, as Jed said earlier, events that
are contrary-to-fact. In addition, the subjunctive is used to indicate
wishes, hypotheses, and events that are highly improbable. (BTW, these
latter examples might be considered implied conditionals, for they indicate
the equivelent of "If the conditions are appropriate,...") The subjunctive
gives a convenient way of talking about events as if they were true without
implying that they _are_ true.

In contrast, the conditional clause/construct is not a direct statement on
the fact of either the condition or the implication. Rather it is stating
the relation between the fact of the condition and the fact of the
implication as a fact.

The use of the indicitive or subjunctive mood in the sentance structure
refines the conditional. Using either indicitive-indicitive or
subjunctive-subjunctive states the speaker's assessment on whether the
conditional will actually apply; the fact of the condition is in question,
not the fact of the conditional relation.

Anyway, the original sentance in Muyami Academy 4 is fine. It conveys the
subtleties in meaning that the author intends; the shudder of Youko/Yohko's
arm could be indicative of a real mystical presence, but it is in no way
conclusive evidence.


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