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Why is “Now I Am Become Death” phrased so awkwardly in English?
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this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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If you think about it the fact that modern English uses "Have" in this context (primarily describing something you own) is actually weirder than "Am" (something you are)
It's almost like a different word, a hononym. To have and to have done something in the past. Neither being nor possessing really works for the "have done". Being works for become because become has being as a part of its meaning as well as a transition from some previous thing that was before.
Though both are used similarly. I have ran. I am running. I will run. I guess have is still the odd one out since will is future tense for am. Though was also works. I was running. But was is more specific than have, it feels like "I was running" is a part of a narrative that includes a specific time, while "I have ran" doesn't require anything else. It's like you possess the previous action of running, so maybe it is apt. Language is funny.
Doesn’t this get into something like past vs past perfect, future vs future perfect?
I can’t remember this shit from grade school.
I'm awful with what they are called. Had to look up homonym, was about to use synonym instead.