Markalarn

Markalarn is a theoretical construct in linguistics used to describe a proposed morphosyntactic system in which a single morpheme encodes both evidential source and speaker stance. The term was introduced in a 2010 paper by researchers exploring how tightly coupled evidentiality and epistemic attitude could function in grammar. It is not attested as a widespread feature of natural languages; rather, markalarn serves as a framework for comparing different evidentiality and stance systems.

In the markalarn model, a single marker attaches to a verb or predicate to convey two dimensions at once: the source of information (direct, indirect, or reported) and the speaker’s subjective confidence (certainty, doubt, or hedging). The marker can interact with tense, aspect, and mood, producing a family of allomorphs that preserve the same functional meaning. Some proposed configurations allow the markalarn affix to appear as a suffix, while others permit it to function as a clitic or incorporated element within a larger predicate structure.

Typologically, markalarn is discussed as potentially existing in sequential or fused realizations. In sequential realizations, the evidential-stancemarker coexists with other mood or tense markers; in fused realizations, it forms part of a single integrated affix. The concept is used to explore how languages might economize grammatical material while still signaling nuanced information about knowledge and certainty.

Scholarly reception of markalarn is mixed. Proponents view it as a useful thought experiment for modeling evidentiality and stance, whereas critics question empirical identifiability and cross-linguistic applicability. Further research would be needed to test its predictions against real-language data.