form most widely accepted.The subjunctive form is accepted by those who use for-
mal Standard English and by those who do not, whereas the nonsubjunctive form is
accepted only by those who use the nonstandard form. Standard usage of the sub-
junctive, for example, continues to appear in a great deal of writing, with the nota-
ble exception of popular journalism, as well as in the speech of many people.
Note that nonstandard usage does not differentiate betweenifandwhetherin
contrary-to-fact clauses. As a result, these sentences are deemed equivalent:
- ?I don’t know if it’s going to snow.
- I don’t know whether it’s going to snow.
Standard usage, however, does make a distinction.Ifis used to introduce
contrary-to-fact and conditional clauses, whereaswhetheris used to introduce
clauses that express, implicitly or explicitly, alternative possibilities. Because
there clearly are alternative possibilities to snow, the second sentence follows
standard usage conventions, but the first one does not.
Some observers have suggested that the subjunctive is disappearing with re-
spect to expressing politeness in making requests. The example requests cited
earlier may be more commonly expressed today as commands with a tag ques-
tion seeking agreement:
- Open the window, ok?
- Close the door, ok?
Identifying the causes for these changes must be a speculative endeavor, but
the loss of subjunctive in contrary-to-fact and conditional statements may be
related to a principle of behavioral efficiency. Generally, subjects and predi-
cates agree with respect to number. In a wide variety of situations, English fol-
lows a pattern of using a singular verb form with singular subjects and a plural
verb form with plural subjects, as inI was tiredandThey were late.The sub-
junctive alters this pattern. The lack of agreement seems—and is—contrary to
the pattern that we find with most verbs. One therefore could argue that it is
more efficient to eliminate the distinction and use the singular pattern of
agreement in all situations.
With respect to the disappearance of the subjunctive to express politeness,
many contemporary social commentators have remarked on the significant de-
crease in politeness in American society—or the increase in rudeness and out-
right hostility, depending on one’s perspective—which might be a factor in the
shift from requests to commands. The decrease in politeness, in turn, is seen as
one reaction to the dramatic population increase that the United States has ex-
124 CHAPTER 4