verbeg

Verbeg is a hypothetical grammatical category used in linguistics and language-creation communities to describe verbs that carry both evidential information and the speaker’s epistemic stance about the truth of a proposition. The term blends “verb” with a suffix-like element (eg) intended to signal evidential gauge. In discussions of verbeg, researchers describe markers that attach to a verb to indicate how the information was obtained and how certain the speaker believes it to be.

Description and morphology

In proposed models, verbeg manifests as suffixes, prefixes, or clitics that attach to a verb stem. The markers encode two dimensions: source of evidence (direct observation, report, or inference) and degree of certainty (certain, probable, possible). The realization can interact with tense, aspect, and mood, producing a richer verbal spine than ordinary mood inflection alone. Different conlangs and theoretical frameworks imagine varying inventories of verbeg markers, but all share the idea that the verb itself bears evidential and epistemic meaning rather than relying solely on separate adverbs or auxiliary verbs.

Usage and examples

In a hypothetical language, a verbeg system might render: toka-eg1, meaning “I witnessed that X happened” (direct evidence); toka-eg2, meaning “X happened, according to reports” (hearsay); and toka-eg3, meaning “X probably happened” (inference). These forms would be used in combination with other tense or aspect markers, shaping both the factual claim and the speaker’s stance within a single verbal complex.

Relation to related concepts

Verbeg relates to evidentiality and epistemic modality and is often discussed in contrast to standard mood systems or pure aspectual marking. It remains primarily a theoretical construct or a design feature in constructed languages, with no widespread empirical attestation in natural languages. See also evidentiality, epistemic modality, and conlang studies.