ajavat

Ajavat is a grammatical mood described in the constructed Ajavan language. It marks hearsay and unverified assertion in reported speech, functioning as an evidential marker within the clause.

The term ajavat derives from Ajavan roots aj- meaning “hear” and -vat indicating evidentiality. Early Ajavan grammars introduced the label, and it has since become a standard term in linguistic descriptions of the language.

In usage, ajavat appears as a suffix on the matrix verb in finite clauses and interacts with other mood and tense markers. It is commonly found in narrative prose and reported dialogue, where it signals that the speaker did not witness the event firsthand and relies on sources or reports.

Dialectal variation exists. Some Ajavan dialects require ajavat for all third-person reports, while others allow omission when the source is deemed highly credible. In some texts, ajavat co-occurs with additional evidential markers that distinguish direct quotations from indirect reports or mitigate the speaker’s stance.

Historically, ajavat is attested in Ajavan texts dating to a fictional late medieval period in the region of Valara. Modern descriptions appear in compendia such as the Ajavan Grammar Anthology and the Journal of Constructed Languages, where scholars discuss its distribution, interaction with other evidentials, and its role in discourse strategy.

See also: Evidentiality, Mood (linguistics), Constructed languages. References in this article pertain to in-universe scholarship, including the Ajavan Grammar Anthology and related journals.