Grammatical marking of how the speaker knows what they are saying.
In precise terms
A grammatical category encoding the source of information for a statement — direct perception, inference, hearsay. Where evidentiality is grammaticalised, marking it is obligatory rather than optional.
An example
Ali gelmiş.
Ali came (I gather / apparently).
What is going on here
Turkish '-miş' signals that the speaker did not witness the event but infers it or was told. The alternative form 'geldi' would claim direct knowledge. Turkish requires a choice; English can add 'apparently' but is not obliged to.
Why this matters when you are learning a language
In an evidential language, using the wrong marker claims a kind of knowledge you do not have — which can read as arrogant or dishonest rather than merely ungrammatical.
Across languages
Turkish has a two-way system. Several languages of the Amazon and the Andes have three, four or more evidential distinctions. Most European languages have none, expressing the same content lexically when they express it at all.
Related terms
- Grammatical moodIntermediate — Verb marking showing whether something is stated as fact, wished for, commanded or hypothetical.
- TenseBeginner — Grammatical marking that locates an event in time — past, present or future.
- PragmaticsAdvanced — How context supplies meaning that the words alone do not carry.
Where to go next
- Language guides — See grammatical and lexical categories used in context.
- Terminology quiz — Test the terms on this page.