Abstract
The English tense deals with the relationship between the actions carried out by the verb and the time they occurred. Languages across the globe differ widely on how the future is couched. The objective of this study is to analyse linguistically, how the use of English future tense can influence an individual’s decisions in taking actions. The study is anchored on Sapir-Whorf theory of linguistic determinism, as theoretical framework. The population of the study was drawn from both secondary and tertiary education institutions in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, using purposive random sampling. The data for this study were sourced from questionnaires, unstructured open-ended oral interviews, books and internet print materials. The data were analysed descriptively and statistically, using content analysis, simple percentage and Linkert four-scale coding. The result reveals that the use of English future tense has an influence on the speaker’s decision-making, as there as a relationship between grammar and cognition. The study concluded that languages, such as English, with obligatory future time reference led their speakers to engage in less immediate-oriented actions.
Keywords: Language, future tense,
decision-making, individuals, influence
DOI: 10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i01.025
author/Tina AkunnaAnyanjor (PhD)
journal/Sokoto JOLICS 2(1) | June 2026 |
