Chapter 10. From similarity to evidentiality
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Sonja Gipper
Abstract
This chapter argues that the synchronic uses of the Yurakaré (isolate, central Bolivia) polyfunctional suffix ‑shi plausibly reflect a diachronic path of semantic extension, first from a derivational suffix expressing similarity to an uncertain visual/perceptual evidential, and from there to an inferential evidential. Evidence for this claim comes from the correlation of the properties of the synchronic uses with well-known tendencies of semantic change, and from a sociolinguistic analysis of the synchronic uses of ‑shi. A cross-linguistic comparison further shows that there are various other languages with a similar evidential marker. For some of these languages, similar paths of diachronic development are plausible.
Abstract
This chapter argues that the synchronic uses of the Yurakaré (isolate, central Bolivia) polyfunctional suffix ‑shi plausibly reflect a diachronic path of semantic extension, first from a derivational suffix expressing similarity to an uncertain visual/perceptual evidential, and from there to an inferential evidential. Evidence for this claim comes from the correlation of the properties of the synchronic uses with well-known tendencies of semantic change, and from a sociolinguistic analysis of the synchronic uses of ‑shi. A cross-linguistic comparison further shows that there are various other languages with a similar evidential marker. For some of these languages, similar paths of diachronic development are plausible.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
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Part I. What do we know? Knowledge and evidence
- Chapter 1. Evidentiality as stance 19
- Chapter 2. Factual vs. evidential? The past tense forms of spoken Khalkha Mongolian 45
- Chapter 3. I think and I believe 77
- Chapter 4. (Yo) creo que as a marker of evidentiality and epistemic modality 99
- Chapter 5. Finnish evidential adverbs in argumentative texts 121
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Part II. When do we know? Accessibility of evidence in time
- Chapter 6. Uralic perspectives on experimental evidence for evidentials 145
- Chapter 7. Reportive sollen in an exclusively functional view of evidentiality 173
- Chapter 8. The French future 199
- Chapter 9. Evidence for the development of ‘evidentiality’ as a grammatical category in the Tibetic languages 227
- Chapter 10. From similarity to evidentiality 257
- Chapter 11. What can different types of linguistic data teach us on evidentiality? 281
- Author Index 305
- Language index 309
- Subject index 311
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. What do we know? Knowledge and evidence
- Chapter 1. Evidentiality as stance 19
- Chapter 2. Factual vs. evidential? The past tense forms of spoken Khalkha Mongolian 45
- Chapter 3. I think and I believe 77
- Chapter 4. (Yo) creo que as a marker of evidentiality and epistemic modality 99
- Chapter 5. Finnish evidential adverbs in argumentative texts 121
-
Part II. When do we know? Accessibility of evidence in time
- Chapter 6. Uralic perspectives on experimental evidence for evidentials 145
- Chapter 7. Reportive sollen in an exclusively functional view of evidentiality 173
- Chapter 8. The French future 199
- Chapter 9. Evidence for the development of ‘evidentiality’ as a grammatical category in the Tibetic languages 227
- Chapter 10. From similarity to evidentiality 257
- Chapter 11. What can different types of linguistic data teach us on evidentiality? 281
- Author Index 305
- Language index 309
- Subject index 311
