Evidentiality in ­Livonian

Abstract

The study focuses on dedicated grammatical evidentials and evidentiality strategies in the two main dialects of Livonian -Courland and Salaca Livonian. The analysis of Livonian evidentiality is based on a model originally proposed by Rätsep (1971) for Estonian, which posits two subsystems of reported evidentiality -the reported indicative (oblique mood) and the reported imperative (jussive).The study shows that evidentiality in Livonian -despite the intense and longlasting contacts of this language with Latvian (resulting in heavy structural borrowing in many domains of grammar) and its close genetic relatedness to Estonian -manifests a rather unique configuration of structural features. The most striking of them is that the present tense forms of the Livonian reported indicative are expressed by means of agent nouns agreeing in number with the subject NP. It is argued that this type of evidentiality coding is typologically very rare.

The relationship between Salaca Livonian and Courland Livonian dialects

“…The oblique mood, for instance, used to mark indirectly reported information, both Salaca and Courland Livonian have employed forms ending in -ji, similar to the nomen agentis forms, e.g. Sal and Cour ta tēji 'he/she does (reported evidentiality)' (see Kehayov et al 2012). Oblique mood forms resembling the nomen agentis forms are also found in the Hääde-meeste variety of Estonian, geographically a close neighbor of Salaca Livonian.…”

Research into Livonian syntax: the results of previous studies and the tasks ahead

“…In the religious literature of the 20th century, jussive forms also are found. The jussive is used for conveying a) obligation (11), b) concession, c) a desire or order for the hearer to mediate the original wish, order, or prohibition; these forms are accompanied by the particle la'z, as seen in examples (11) (Viitso 2008: 320) The use of the jussive in reported speech and commands (example 12) is discussed in a separate study by Kehayov et al (2012), who also draw parallels between the expression of indirect commands and wishes in Estonian and Livonian. As they point out, where Livonian uses the jussive, Estonian typically uses the conditional mood (Kehayov et al 2012: 50).…”

“…Klaas-Lang and Norvik (2014: 600-603) also use the term evidentiality, when comparing the various ways for conveying evidentiality in the Baltic region. Kehayov et al (2012) distinguish between the reported indicative and the reported imperative (jussive). The main task of the reported indicative is to show that the speaker is only a mediator and not responsible for the message, see example (14).…”

“…The first of these is the dissertation by R. Grünthal (2003), in which he studied adpositional phrases in the Finnic languages, including Livonian. P. Kehayov et al (2012) studied evidentiality. T.-R. Viitso (2014) discussed the expression of deontic modality.…”

“…Kehayov et al (2011) 'How to do this?' (Mägiste 2006: 154) The quotative can be given as a mood along with the other moods described above (see Krautmane 2010, Viitso 2008 or it can also be referred to as the means for expressing evidentiality, more precisely indirect evidentiality where information is acquired from another person (see Kehayov et al 2012). This latter approach taken by Kehayov et al (2012), enables them to also discuss the means (e.g., the perfect and pluperfect) used to express evidentiality as a secondary function.…”