Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y. (2011) Evidentials. In: Aronoff, Mark, (ed.) Oxford Bibliography Online. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 1-45.

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only

Abstract

Evidentiality is a grammatical category with source of information as its primary meaning—whether the speaker saw the event happen, did not see it but heard it, made an inference based on general knowledge or visual traces, or was told about it. Languages may distinguish firsthand and nonfirsthand information or have a special marker just for reported evidentiality. In larger evidential systems, firsthand or visual evidential may contrast with nonvisual, inferred, assumed, and reported. Evidentiality is a verbal category in its own right. It does not bear any straightforward relationship to the expression of the speaker's responsibility or attitude toward the statement. Neither is evidentiality a subcategory of modality or a tense. Nonevidential categories, including perfect aspect, past tense, conditional, and other modalities and complementation devices, can develop meanings related to information source. French linguists employ the term "mediative." Scholars of Quechua use the term "validational" or "verificational."

Item ID:	21359
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Reference)
Related URLs:	Publisher
Date Deposited:	06 Jun 2012 01:00
FoR Codes:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2004 Linguistics > 200407 Lexicography @ 100%
SEO Codes:	97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970120 Expanding Knowledge in Language, Communication and Culture @ 100%
Downloads:	Total: 4
	More Statistics