atw: Re: US/Aus English

There's a lot more to the question between "may" and "might" than
you suggest, Michael. It isn't true that "may" is appropriate only
in expressing permission. The words "may" and "might" are forms of
the same auxiliary verb, with a whole cluster of idiomatic meanings.
Collins Dictionary and others give examples, and there's a long
article on the subject in "Modern Australian Usage" (OUP). Certainly
in Australia, the US, the UK, and other Anglophone countries, both
"may" and "might" are used to express probability. In these senses,
as Collins puts it:

   The difference between "may" and "might" is one of
   emphasis: "he might be coming" usually indicates less
   certainty than "he may be coming".

A complication is that "might" is both the past tense and the
subjunctive form of "may". "If the Government acts, the problem may
not arise" is normal and correct. So is "If the Government had
acted, the problem might not have arisen". But sometimes the two are
inelegantly combined: "If the Government had acted, the problem may
not have arisen." That sounds wrong.
------------------------------------------
Peter Bloxsom
http://www.netpublish.net
peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Edward Granat" <megranat@xxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <megranat@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 2:57 PM
Subject: atw: Re: SEC: UNCLASS RE: US/Aus English


> Also Bob (T),
>
> Our wind and rain-swept central North American colleagues
> tend to use "may" where one should probably use "might".
>
> Something that has been catching on here in the media.
>
> Rather, "may" implies that permission is being granted for
> the act or operation in question to occur, where "might"
> implies the possibility of lilelihood of its occurence.
>
> For example, in terms of a May / Might substitution
> commonly observed and heard on ABC TV.
>
> May example:
> The following program <has permission to> contain language
> which (should have been "that") <has permission to> offend
> some viewers.
>
> Might example:
> The following program <is likely to> contain language
> which (should have been "that") <could possibly> offend
> some viewers.
>
> More often than not, "Might" is right yet "May" has its way.
>
> Why, I do not know, apart from the influence of saturation
> US sourced and centric programming in our local television
> schedules.
>
> HTH.
>
> Michael
>
>

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