Saturday, October 17, 2015

Detail #223: A Small Evidentiality System

Consider a language where the verb has congruence for both subject and object. These use the same marker - the subject goes first, the object goes second. However, an evidentiality prefix exists that always goes first. This prefix signifies that the knowledge is as stated by the subject or object. The noun according to which it did happen retains its congruence marker, and the other marker is lost. The noun according to whom it happens is also always topicalized, and therefore fronted.

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