Manner expressions in Finnish and Estonian: their use in quotative constructions and beyond

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we look at manner demonstratives (such as ‘so’ and similative prepositions (such as ‘like’) in complex sentences of two Finnic languages: Finnish and Estonian. We expand previous accounts of these manner expressions (MEs) in quotative constructions and investigate their use with epistemic (‘know’, ‘guess’) and perceptive (‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘feel’) verbs in non-standard written communications. In addition to the results from two Finnic languages, in the discussion of this article, we pay attention to the similarities found in the use of MEs with these verbs in Finno-Ugric languages spoken in Russia. The results show that MEs contribute to the expression of epistemic processes and perception in both languages. Manner demonstratives are used as endophoric markers pointing at demonstrations and descriptions of the event perceived. Co-occurring with the epistemic verb ‘know’, manner demonstratives induce a non-factive construal and cancel the presupposition that the speaker considers the proposition to be true. With inherently subjective verbs like ‘understand’ and in some contexts with perceptive verbs like ‘see, seem’, and ‘feel’, they indicate the subjective interpretation of the event. The reportative function is observed with the auditory perceptive verbs ‘hear’ and ‘be heard’, where the manner demonstratives highlight the reporter’s uncertainty or indicate the verbatim rendering of the report. Furthermore, they can express the speaker’s wishful thinking while co-occurring with a visual perceptive verb ‘see’. In turn, similative markers are used in reportative function as already established quotatives and mark reports as approximately reproduced or typical for the event described. Co-occurring with perceptive verbs, they can express the speaker’s doubt or mark propositions as counterfactual.