ATLAS OF LANGUAGE

Contextual explanation · NAV-G03-023

Reportative evidentiality

This explanation addresses the term in its originating context. It is not an additional canonical Atlas profile.

Explanation

Reported information here means access to a proposition through someone else's communication. In evidentiality, the question is how a language marks that access or an utterance makes it available for interpretation. Source of information is distinct from truth and certainty. Someone may accurately report another person's statement without independently checking its content. Conversely, a reportative form need not express doubt. The entry therefore separates transmission route, source identity and stance towards the reported proposition.

Movement of thought

1. Identify the proposition. 2. Record the indicated informational access. 3. Distinguish named from unnamed sources. 4. Examine certainty and evaluation separately. 5. Limit the conclusion to the evidenced function.

Example

“According to Nora, the path is closed” indicates mediated access without deciding whether Nora is reliable.

Counter-test

Direct observation does not become reported evidence for the observer merely because the observer later describes it.

Scientific use case

Cross-linguistic analysis should distinguish grammatical marking from freely formulated source attribution.

Effect

The category makes an information pathway visible.

Resonance

A statement may carry another person's voice without already guaranteeing its truth.

Distinction

Distinguish reportative access from quotation, rumour, unreliability and legal evidence rules.

Sources