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In:The Grammar of Interaction: Epistemicity, information management and discourse in language use
Edited by Susana Rodríguez Rosique and Jordi M. Antolí Martínez
[IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 46] 2025
► pp. 38–74

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The Spanish Epistemic Dative Construction

A modal-evidential stance expression

 | University of Leuven
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 17 October 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ivitra.46.02del
Abstract
The Epistemic Dative Construction is the non-causative modal variant of the Possessive Dative Construction. In the intra-clausal Possessor-Possessee relation, the Dative Clitic designates the Possessor, as Co-Dative compatible with all the other Dative functions. With transitive predicates, the Clitic (N2) functions as reference point for the Direct Object (N1), conceived as Possessee. The latter denotes the property or quality which, from the perspective of the conceptualizing Subject (N0) — the evidential source —, stands out in the Dative participant’s domain (N2), treated as object of thought. The verbal predicate specifies the modal-evidential nature of the appraisal. The judgment’s relative reliability further hinges on the Subject’s commitment and diagnostic competence, the tangibility or verifiability of the N1 entity, the expectation patterns associated with the Dative participant’s profile, and other modal markers.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The Possessive Dative
    • 2.1External possessor construction
    • 2.2The Possessive: A co-dative
    • 2.3The standard syntactic-semantic configuration
    • 2.4Possession: An open experiential Gestalt
  • 3.The Epistemic Possessive Dative
    • 3.1External Possessor Construction sui generis
    • 3.2Epistemic modality meets evidentiality
    • 3.3Nominal versus sentential complementation
    • 3.4Varying degrees of subjectivity
      • 3.4.1Sensory registration
      • 3.4.2Extrasensory perception
      • 3.4.3Dialogic engagement
      • 3.4.4Imaginary representation
      • 3.4.5Overt stance taking
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • List of abbreviations used
  • References
References (41)
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