Epistemic modality, evidentiality, quotativity and echoic use
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Axel Holvoet
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to shed light on the mutual relationships between three distinct but related domains of linguistic marking. Whereas the first two, epistemic modality and evidentiality, are now firmly established in the linguistic literature, the third, interpretive use, originally formulated in the framework of linguistic pragmatics (Sperber & Wilson 1986), is still waiting for recognition as a sui generis type of linguistic marking. Interpretive use of utterances is defined by Sperber and Wilson as the use of utterances to refer to other utterances rather than to states of affairs. They distinguish two subtypes: quotations and echoic interpretations. A discussion of echoic use in grammar can be found in Holvoet & Konickaja (2011). Lexical interpretive use markers can be divided into quotative and echoic use markers; the differences are discussed in the article. Instances of polyfunctionality covering the different domains of marking mentioned here invite us to pause at the mutual relationships between them, and at the possible ways of diachronic development.
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to shed light on the mutual relationships between three distinct but related domains of linguistic marking. Whereas the first two, epistemic modality and evidentiality, are now firmly established in the linguistic literature, the third, interpretive use, originally formulated in the framework of linguistic pragmatics (Sperber & Wilson 1986), is still waiting for recognition as a sui generis type of linguistic marking. Interpretive use of utterances is defined by Sperber and Wilson as the use of utterances to refer to other utterances rather than to states of affairs. They distinguish two subtypes: quotations and echoic interpretations. A discussion of echoic use in grammar can be found in Holvoet & Konickaja (2011). Lexical interpretive use markers can be divided into quotative and echoic use markers; the differences are discussed in the article. Instances of polyfunctionality covering the different domains of marking mentioned here invite us to pause at the mutual relationships between them, and at the possible ways of diachronic development.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Editorial Preface vii
- List of Contributors ix
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Part I: Germanic languages
- Epistemic modality, Danish modal verbs and the tripartition of utterances 3
- Epistemic evaluation in factual contexts in English 22
- SHOULD in Conditional Clauses: When Epistemicity Meets Appreciative Modality 52
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Part II: Romance languages
- Epistemic modality and evidentiality in Romance: the Reportive Conditional 69
- Epistemic modality and perfect morphology in Spanish and French 103
- Anchoring evidential, epistemic and beyond in discourse: alào, vantér and vér in Noirmoutier island (Poitevin-Saintongeais) 131
- A prosody account of (inter)subjective modal adverbs in Spanish 153
- French expressions of personal opinion: je crois / pense / trouve / estime / considère que p 179
- Mirative extensions in Romance: evidential or epistemic? 196
- The Italian epistemic future and Russian epistemic markers as linguistic manifestations of conjectural conclusion: a comparative analysis 217
- Epistemic modality, evidentiality, quotativity and echoic use 242
- Evidentiality, epistemic modality and negation in Lithuanian: revisited 259
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Part IV: Non Indo-European languages
- Two kinds of epistemic modality in Hungarian 281
- Epistemic modalities in spoken Tibetan 296
- Intersubjectification revisited: a cross-categorical perspective 319
- Inference crisscross: Disentangling evidence, stance and (inter)subjectivity in Yucatec Maya 346
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Part V: Theoretical perspectives
- Epistemic modality and evidentiality from an enunciative perspective 383
- About Contributors 403
- Author Index 409
- Subject Index 414
- Language Index 421
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Contents v
- Editorial Preface vii
- List of Contributors ix
-
Part I: Germanic languages
- Epistemic modality, Danish modal verbs and the tripartition of utterances 3
- Epistemic evaluation in factual contexts in English 22
- SHOULD in Conditional Clauses: When Epistemicity Meets Appreciative Modality 52
-
Part II: Romance languages
- Epistemic modality and evidentiality in Romance: the Reportive Conditional 69
- Epistemic modality and perfect morphology in Spanish and French 103
- Anchoring evidential, epistemic and beyond in discourse: alào, vantér and vér in Noirmoutier island (Poitevin-Saintongeais) 131
- A prosody account of (inter)subjective modal adverbs in Spanish 153
- French expressions of personal opinion: je crois / pense / trouve / estime / considère que p 179
- Mirative extensions in Romance: evidential or epistemic? 196
- The Italian epistemic future and Russian epistemic markers as linguistic manifestations of conjectural conclusion: a comparative analysis 217
- Epistemic modality, evidentiality, quotativity and echoic use 242
- Evidentiality, epistemic modality and negation in Lithuanian: revisited 259
-
Part IV: Non Indo-European languages
- Two kinds of epistemic modality in Hungarian 281
- Epistemic modalities in spoken Tibetan 296
- Intersubjectification revisited: a cross-categorical perspective 319
- Inference crisscross: Disentangling evidence, stance and (inter)subjectivity in Yucatec Maya 346
-
Part V: Theoretical perspectives
- Epistemic modality and evidentiality from an enunciative perspective 383
- About Contributors 403
- Author Index 409
- Subject Index 414
- Language Index 421
