Knowra Evidentiality Evidentiality Evidentiality is a grammatical category that marks how a speaker knows or supports an assertion, such as through direct perception, inference, or report.
Grammatical category : A system of grammatical distinctions expressed through a language’s morphology or syntax. Evidentiality is a grammatical category because languages can mark information source systematically.
Direct evidentiality : Evidential marking that presents information as directly perceived by the speaker. It is one major source distinction in evidential systems.
Evidentiality in Turkish : The use of Turkish past-tense forms to distinguish witnessed events from reported or inferred ones. Turkish past forms show how evidential meaning can be intertwined with tense.
Epistemic stance : A speaker’s expressed position toward the truth, certainty, or credibility of a proposition. Evidentiality identifies information source, while stance evaluates a proposition or its credibility.
Modality (linguistics) : A grammatical and semantic domain expressing possibility, necessity, permission, or related judgments. Evidentiality often interacts with modality, though information source and certainty are distinct.
Indirect evidentiality : Evidential marking that presents information as inferred or acquired indirectly rather than directly perceived. It contrasts with direct access and often includes inference or report.
Evidentiality in Tibetan : A system in Tibetan varieties that marks distinctions such as personal experience, inference, and general knowledge. Tibetan illustrates evidential contrasts tied to speaker access and shared knowledge.
Mirativity : Grammatical marking of information as new, unexpected, or contrary to the speaker’s prior expectations. Some evidential forms also signal surprise, but surprise is not itself an information source.
Epistemic modality : Linguistic marking of a speaker’s assessment of the likelihood or certainty of a proposition. Evidential markers can imply confidence, but epistemic modality concerns likelihood rather than information source.
Inferential evidentiality : Evidential marking that presents a proposition as a conclusion drawn from evidence or circumstances. It marks reasoning from evidence rather than direct perception.
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