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- Bergqvist, Henrik, 1972, et al.
(author)
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The role of pragmatics in the definition of evidentiality
- 2023
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In: Stuf-Language Typology and Universals. - 1867-8319 .- 2196-7148. ; 76:1, s. 1-30
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper argues that a definition of evidentiality as a linguistic notion should be based on the pragmatic properties of evidential forms and their distribution in spoken discourse. The prevailing definition of evidentiality as signaling "information source" is based on the idea that evidentials encode a solitary speaker's perception and cognitive processes, but this definition does not fit well with observations regarding the use and distribution of evidentials. A definition of evidentiality in terms of "information source" has largely disregarded evidentials in-use, which is especially true for typologically oriented studies of evidentiality. Recent descriptions of evidentials and evidential systems have shown that evidentials encode meanings related to ownership of knowledge, rather than information source and it is evident from such descriptions that social and interactional parameters are encoded in evidential forms. The attested semantic and pragmatic complexity of evidential systems constitutes an analytical challenge that the present paper aims to address.
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- van Gijn, Rik, et al.
(author)
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Lexically driven patterns of contact in alignment systems of languages of the northern Upper Amazon
- 2023
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In: Open Linguistics. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 2300-9969. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite ample attention in the literature for alignment patterns and case frames more generally, we know very little about how these elements of grammar spread from one language to another in a contact situation. Achieving a better understanding of this will help explain areal patterns in alignment and grammatical relation marking. In this contribution, we zoom in on a contact situation in the foothills of North-West Amazon, where languages of the Quechuan and Tukanoan families are in contact, and where previous authors have suggested that grammatical relation marking shows many potential contact effects. We find that, despite the absence of loanwords, abstract lexico-grammatical information associated with individual lexical items may spread from one language to another, especially within the class of sensation predicates. These can be characterized as lexically driven diffusion patterns, without formal borrowing, consistent with an overall characterization of the area's sociolinguistics as loanword-avoiding.
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