Лекции по теоретической грамматике английского языка. Тивьяева И.В. - 50 стр.

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Neutralization is possible due to the presence of the adverbial modifier of time

(“next week”), which plays the role of the neutralizer in this case.

The other type of oppositional reduction called transposition takes place

when one of the members of the opposition is placed in contextual conditions

uncommon for it, that is, the use of the form is stylistically marked. Transposition

is based on the contrast between the members of the opposition, it may be defined

as a contrastive use of the counter-member of the opposition. As a rule, it is the

marked member of the opposition that is employed transpositionally, but not

always so.

e.g. He is always borrowing my pen.

The present continuous form in the example stands in sharp contradiction

with its regular grammatical meaning “action in progress at the present time”.

There is no doubt that the contradiction is purposeful: by exaggeration, it

intensifies the implied disapproval of the person’s behavior.

The verbal categories of tense, aspect and temporal correlation are all

subject to oppositional reduction. Let us consider the following examples:

Category of tense

eg. The big Christmas sale starts next Monday.

Your order will be sent to you immediately after we get a copy of your

receipt.

The two examples present cases of neutralization of the opposition “present

vs. future”. Present forms “starts” and “get” refer to future actions. In the first case

neutralization is optional since the paradigmatically required form “will start” can

be used here. (Using a non-future temporal form to express a future action which is

to take place according to some plan or arrangement is one of typical cases of

neutralization.) In the second case neutralization is strictly obligatory. This type of

neutralization is syntactically conditioned: It occurs in clauses of time and

condition whose verb-predicate expresses a future action. (This is another typical

case of neutralization of the analyzed oppositional).

Example of transposition: