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Why do some languages make you say how you know something?

Turkish offers verb forms that can signal a distinction between witnessing an event and learning about it indirectly. Evidentiality makes the source of information part of grammar. That is a different question from how confident, honest, or accurate the speaker happens to be.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • How is “I saw it” different from “I am certain it happened”?
  • How do Turkish verb forms distinguish reporting an event from directly witnessing it?

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Why do some languages make you say how you know something? | Speech Topic | speaking.app