Evidentiality

Evidentiality is a feature of language that marks the source and reliability of information in a statement. It describes how the speaker came to know what they are asserting, such as through direct perception, inference from evidence, or report by others. Some languages also encode memory, quotation, or general conjecture as evidential categories.

In many languages, evidentiality is expressed through morphological markings on the verb or by separate particles or auxiliary verbs. A single verb form can carry distinctions between direct witness, indirect report, and inference, while other languages use dedicated words or clause constructions to signal evidential meaning. The system can be simple or highly elaborate, with multiple levels of evidence.

Evidentiality is distinct from epistemic modality, which concerns the speaker’s degree of certainty. Nonetheless, the two often interact in discourse, and evidential markers can shape how narratives are constructed and how information is presented to listeners. In practice, evidentiality influences the way speakers organize knowledge in talk and how listeners interpret statements.

Cross-linguistic research shows evidential systems in a wide range of languages, including many indigenous languages of the Americas and the Caucasus, as well as various languages in other regions. The topic is studied in linguistic typology, semantics, and discourse analysis, contributing to theories about how languages encode knowledge, testimony, and social interaction.