Inference versus assumption in light of the Finnish evidential-modal adverbs näköjään and varmaan

IF 0.6 2区 文学 0 LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS Folia Linguistica Pub Date : 2023-11-21 DOI:10.1515/flin-2023-2043
Seppo Kittilä
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Abstract

Inference is usually defined as a speaker’s personal but indirect evidence that is based on something that the speaker can directly witness (such as the result of an event), while assumption is based on something such as the speaker’s general knowledge of the world. This paper is concerned with inference and assumption in light of the semantics of the Finnish inferential and assumptive adverbs näköjään (inference) and varmaan (assumption). These are examined by administering a questionnaire study. The discussed scenarios differ according to three factors: the presence or lack of visual or sensory evidence, the temporal relations between the evidence and the claim that is made, and the strength of the evidence. The results of the study clearly establish that inference and assumption are separate notions (coded by different adverbs) and that the (non-) observability of the evidence noted above explains only a part of the attested cases; in general, the use of the adverbs is determined by how reliable the speaker considers the evidence to be. As a consequence, this paper proposes new definitions based on the speakers’ selection of the appropriate inferential/assumptive adverb based on how strongly they are willing to vouch for the truth value of their statement.
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从芬兰语证据情态副词näköjään和varmaan看推理与假设
推论通常被定义为说话者个人的间接证据,这种证据是基于说话者可以直接目睹的事情(比如事件的结果),而假设是基于说话者对世界的一般认识。本文从芬兰语的推理和假设副词näköjään(推理)和varmaan(假设)的语义出发,对推理和假设进行了探讨。这些都是通过问卷调查来检验的。所讨论的情景根据三个因素而有所不同:有无视觉或感官证据,证据与所提出的主张之间的时间关系,以及证据的强度。研究结果清楚地表明,推理和假设是两个独立的概念(由不同的副词编码),而上述证据的(不可)可观察性只能解释部分已证实的案例;一般来说,副词的使用是由说话者认为证据有多可靠决定的。因此,本文提出了新的定义,基于说话者根据他们愿意为其陈述的真值担保的强烈程度来选择适当的推理/假设副词。
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来源期刊
Folia Linguistica
Folia Linguistica Multiple-
CiteScore
1.20
自引率
16.70%
发文量
43
期刊介绍: Folia Linguistica covers all non-historical areas in the traditional disciplines of general linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics), and also sociological, discoursal, computational and psychological aspects of language and linguistic theory. Other areas of central concern are grammaticalization and language typology. The journal consists of scientific articles presenting results of original research, review articles, overviews of research in specific areas, book reviews, and a miscellanea section carrying reports and discussion notes. In addition, proposals from prospective guest editors for occasional special issues on selected current topics are welcomed.
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