Modalidad y aspecto en el futuro del castellano rioplatense

This paper tries to describe the meaning of the periphrastic future in Rio de la Plata-Spanish. In contrast to previous works on the subject, claiming that this periphrasis concerns future events with some connection to the present (Fleischman 1982, Gomez Torrego 1988, Bravo 2008), we define the meaning of in this variety of Spanish as the expression of speaker attitude (modality) to events aspectually marked as “not begun” ([-comenzado]). Two different grammaticalization patterns are identified, which express dynamic and deontic modality, respectively. These patterns explain different traits that other authors have assigned to the periphrasis, as relative strength of assertion, level of commitment to the truth of the information expressed, imminence, intentionality and event planning (Sedano 1994, 2007; Gomez Torrego 1999 among others). We also propose an interpretation of other forms of the periphrasis normally ignored in the literature, as , or . In addition it is claimed that the morphological future in -re expresses epistemic modality about events aspectually not marked for the parameter [±comenzado] and, therefore, in traditional terms, suitable for designates both present as future events.