We know that in Latin, the morphological subjunctive is used to express the verbal idea in differing basic modal ways: exhortively, concessively, deliberatively, optatively, or potentially. I am wondering if there are any grammatical conventions, other than selection of verbal tense, which can only clarify the time aspect, which one might use to mark which of these modes the writer intends by his use of the subjunctive.
To narrow the field of consideration, I will confine my example to the potential and optative modes as they are reflected in the subjunctive use of the verb vincere in it's meaning "to win". It seems to me that the statement cursum vincas can express the potential "you may win the race..." or the optative "may you win the race...". Am I correct in so thinking? Taking that as a given, is there any grammatical convention which can be employed to clarify what subjunctive mode you, as the writer, intend to convey, or must the potential reader simply make that determination by contextualization? Is there any way to give the reader a hint as to how, in which subjunctive mode, one is using a verb in the subjunctive? Can one add language to ensure that a potential reader will read cursum vincas as meaning "may you win the race", as opposed to "you may win the race"?
To narrow the field of consideration, I will confine my example to the potential and optative modes as they are reflected in the subjunctive use of the verb vincere in it's meaning "to win". It seems to me that the statement cursum vincas can express the potential "you may win the race..." or the optative "may you win the race...". Am I correct in so thinking? Taking that as a given, is there any grammatical convention which can be employed to clarify what subjunctive mode you, as the writer, intend to convey, or must the potential reader simply make that determination by contextualization? Is there any way to give the reader a hint as to how, in which subjunctive mode, one is using a verb in the subjunctive? Can one add language to ensure that a potential reader will read cursum vincas as meaning "may you win the race", as opposed to "you may win the race"?