I will occasionally have an argument

[Alexey86]

I will occasionally have an argument with my four year old about the size of microbes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyV3iKiP_1g (starts at the 43th sec)

What exactly does will add to the meaning of the utterance? It seems to combine the fourth and the ninth meanings given in The Longman Dictionary:

1. Future
used to make future tenses
2. Willing to do something
used to show that someone is willing or ready to do something
3. Requesting
spoken used to ask someone to do something
4. What generally happens
used to say what always happens in a particular situation or what is generally true
5. Possibility
used like ‘can’ to show what is possible
6. Belief
used to say that you think something is true
7. Giving orders
spoken used to give an order or to state a rule
8. Offering/inviting
spoken used to offer something to someone or to invite them to do something
9. Annoying habit

 

[5jj]

I'd go for number four. There appears to be no evidence that there's any idea of an annoying habit. If that idea had been present, 'will' would have been stressed more.

 

[probus]

It's difficult to imagine anything more enjoyable than debating the size of microbes with a four-year-old. I live for that kind of stuff. :-D

 

[Alexey86]

It's difficult to imagine anything more enjoyable than debating the size of microbes with a four-year-old. I live for that kind of stuff. :-D

I think the author actually likes it too. His annoyance seems to be a joke.

 

[5jj]

His annoyance seems to be a joke.

I detect no sign of annoyance, joke or otherwise.

 

[5jj]

(starts at the 43th sec)

... 43rd ...

 

[Alexey86]

I detect no sign of annoyance, joke or otherwise.

How will the meaning change if we remove will?

I occasionally have an argument with my four year old about the size of microbes.

 

[Tarheel]

I can't see how the meaning changes. Or that it does.

 

[Alexey86]

I can't see how the meaning changes. Or that it does.

What about the mood or emotional aspect?

Generally speaking, is it possible that adding or removing a modal verb wouldn't affect the meaning of a sentence at all?

 

[5jj]

How will the meaning change if we remove will?

You remove the idea of what I call habitual characteristic.

 

[Alexey86]

You remove the idea of what I call habitual characteristic.

Habitual actions are intentional. The speaker and his four year old will have an argument regularly and by intention. Or at least they can control the process.
What idea will convey will if we talk about unexpected, uncontrolled events that do not depend on someone's will/intention/plans? For example:

I will occasionally find/notice new plants in the forest.

 

[emsr2d2]

Habitual actions don't have to be intentional.

Clearly you didn't notice that in all the previous responses, everyone used "four-year-old". However, in post #11, you used "four year old" again. Make sure you look carefully at all responses to see if we've corrected anything.

 

[Alexey86]

Habitual actions don't have to be intentional.

OK, some habitual actions are unintentional and subconscious. But even these ones are still regular by definition and can, in principle, be recognized and put under control because we have an active doer/agent in this case. While in my forest example noticing is a random event and the subject is just a passive recipient of visual information. New plants catch his/her eye accidentally, randomly. That's not a habit in any sense.

So, what idea is will conveying in that example?

Clearly you didn't notice that in all the previous responses, everyone used "four-year-old"

To be precise, there was only one such response. But that's not the point. You're right.

 

[5jj]

in my forest example noticing is a random event and the subject is just a passive recipient of visual information. New plants catch his/her eye accidentally, randomly. That's not a habit in any sense..

I said habitual characteristic, not habit.

 

[Alexey86]

I said habitual characteristic, not habit.

Does habitual characteristic have a definition?

 

[probus]

No. It's not a set phrase. It's just a noun and an adjective that have their usual meanings.

 

[Alexey86]

No. It's not a set phrase. It's just a noun and an adjective that have their usual meanings.

I'm asking because there is a grammar terms called habitual aspect used to indicate actions that occur regularly or repeatedly. The Present Simple usually indicates that aspect. But 5jj didn't use that term, from which I conclude he meant something else.

I will occasionally have an argument with my four-year-old about the size of microbes.
I occasionally have an argument with my four-year-old about the size of microbes.

The latter has the habitual aspect, but according to 5jj it doesn't have the habitual characteristic. I don't understand what exactly that should mean.

 

[5jj]

I'm asking because there is a grammar terms called habitual aspect used to indicate actions that occur regularly or repeatedly.

This term is normally used of the used to form, and sometimes of would to denote past habitual action:

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/287575-Tense-and-Aspect-7-The-Habitual-Aspect
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitual_aspect#English

The Present Simple usually indicates that aspect.

In itself, it doesn't. Simple tense forms do not show aspect.

But 5jj didn't use that term, from which I conclude he meant something else.

I used the adjective habitual and the noun characteristic to mean what they normally mean.

I will occasionally have an argument with my four-year-old about the size of microbes.
I occasionally have an argument with my four-year-old about the size of microbes.

The latter has the habitual aspect.

It doesn't. There is no auxiliary there to indicate aspect.

 

[Alexey86]

​​

This term is normally used of the used to form, and sometimes of would to denote past habitual action

The habitual aspect isn't stick to the past, right? I go to the park every day is also habitual.

There is no auxiliary there to indicate aspect.

Where does it say that aspect requires an auxiliary verb? Here's what the wiki article says: "Habitual aspect is frequently expressed in unmarked form in English, as in I walked to work every day for ten years, I walk to work every day."

 

[5jj]

The habitual aspect isn't stick to the past, right? I go to the park every day is also habitual.

The form go is a present-tense form. It does not show aspect. I have said this before, but you seem to be ignoring it.

In I go to the park every day, the present-tense form in combination with the words every day denotes a regular/repeated/habitual action.

In I rarely go to the park, the present-tense form in combination with the word rarely denotes an action that is not regular/repeated/habitual.

No word in either sentence shows aspect.