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Chapter 3. Evidential participles and epistemic vigilance

  • Manuel Padilla Cruz
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Relevance Theory, Figuration, and Continuity in Pragmatics
This chapter is in the book Relevance Theory, Figuration, and Continuity in Pragmatics

Abstract

For communicated contents to be accepted by the audience, they have to pass the filters of epistemic vigilance mechanisms, which check the credibility and reliability of communicators and the information provided. Communicators may lack adequate evidence about the information they dispense. One of the ways to indicate to the audience that they are uncertain about some information (rather than to put their reputation as reliable speakers at risk) is to use participial adjectives, such as alleged or suspected. The chapter discusses the features of such adjectives and argues that they specialise for marking the speaker’s epistemic stance towards the information communicated – a function they share with other evidentials. Unlike many other expressions denoting epistemic stance, however, they appear to be confined in their scope to the noun phrase in which they occur.

Abstract

For communicated contents to be accepted by the audience, they have to pass the filters of epistemic vigilance mechanisms, which check the credibility and reliability of communicators and the information provided. Communicators may lack adequate evidence about the information they dispense. One of the ways to indicate to the audience that they are uncertain about some information (rather than to put their reputation as reliable speakers at risk) is to use participial adjectives, such as alleged or suspected. The chapter discusses the features of such adjectives and argues that they specialise for marking the speaker’s epistemic stance towards the information communicated – a function they share with other evidentials. Unlike many other expressions denoting epistemic stance, however, they appear to be confined in their scope to the noun phrase in which they occur.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part 1. Continua in non-literalness
  6. Chapter 1. Category extension as a variety of loose use 25
  7. Chapter 2. Metonymic relations – from determinacy to indeterminacy 45
  8. Part 2. Concepts, procedures and discourse effects
  9. Chapter 3. Evidential participles and epistemic vigilance 69
  10. Chapter 4. The Greek connective gar 95
  11. Chapter 5. Metarepresentation markers in Indus Kohistani 121
  12. Part 3. Multimodality and style
  13. Chapter 6. When EVERYTHING STANDS OUT, Nothing Does 167
  14. Chapter 7. Relevance, style and multimodality 193
  15. Part 4. Pragmatic effects and emotions
  16. Chapter 8. Towards a relevance-theoretic account of hate speech 229
  17. Chapter 9. Tropes of ill repute 259
  18. Part 5. Stylistic effects in literary works
  19. Chapter 10. Another look at “Cat in the rain” 291
  20. Chapter 11. Echoic irony in Philip Larkin’s poetry and its preservation in Polish translations 309
  21. Chapter 12. Humour and irony in George Mikes’ How to be a Brit 327
  22. Name index 351
  23. Subject index 355
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.8.03crz

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part 1. Continua in non-literalness
  6. Chapter 1. Category extension as a variety of loose use 25
  7. Chapter 2. Metonymic relations – from determinacy to indeterminacy 45
  8. Part 2. Concepts, procedures and discourse effects
  9. Chapter 3. Evidential participles and epistemic vigilance 69
  10. Chapter 4. The Greek connective gar 95
  11. Chapter 5. Metarepresentation markers in Indus Kohistani 121
  12. Part 3. Multimodality and style
  13. Chapter 6. When EVERYTHING STANDS OUT, Nothing Does 167
  14. Chapter 7. Relevance, style and multimodality 193
  15. Part 4. Pragmatic effects and emotions
  16. Chapter 8. Towards a relevance-theoretic account of hate speech 229
  17. Chapter 9. Tropes of ill repute 259
  18. Part 5. Stylistic effects in literary works
  19. Chapter 10. Another look at “Cat in the rain” 291
  20. Chapter 11. Echoic irony in Philip Larkin’s poetry and its preservation in Polish translations 309
  21. Chapter 12. Humour and irony in George Mikes’ How to be a Brit 327
  22. Name index 351
  23. Subject index 355
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