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In:Perspectives on Evidentiality in Spanish: Explorations across genres
Edited by Carolina Figueras Bates and Adrián Cabedo
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 290] 2018
► pp. 25–48

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Chapter 2
On the dynamicity of evidential scales

Pragmatic indirectness in evidentiality as a rhetorical strategy in academic and political discourse

 | University of Valencia. Val.Es.Co Research Group
 | University of Valencia. Val.Es.Co Research Group
Published online: 24 July 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.290.02est
Abstract
Based on examples from academic papers and parliamentary debates in Spain, the present paper studies a particular phenomenon within evidentiality, which is called ‘pragmatic indirectness’ in this work. This phenomenon involves examples in which evidentiality is expressed formally in a certain way (for instance, it is presented as reporting someone else’s words), but where the meaning conveys a different kind of evidentiality (for example, it is actually obtained through a process of reasoning). The existence of this phenomenon can be explained by the facts that
a.
Evidentials are organised according to scales: some evidentials are considered more preferable than are others, as the degrees of preference are changeable and determined contextually; and
b.
Speakers accommodate their discourse to these scales (more or less) strategically, depending on their intentions and goals, as well as on the expectations raised by the context; and they do so by
i.
Choosing the evidence best ranked in a particular context and, if not available,
ii.
By concealing the (less preferable) evidence they have available in the guise of evidentials located higher in the ranking.
Special attention will be paid to the role of discursive genres in the use and values of pragmatic indirectness in evidentiality.
Article outline
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1Aims and scope
    • 1.2 Some introductory examples
  • 2.Evidentiality and pragmatics
    • 2.1How is evidentiality categorised?
    • 2.2The pragmatic dimension of evidentiality
      • 2.2.1Evidentials and scales
  • 3.Evidentials in interaction: Dynamic scales and pragmatic indirectness
    • 3.1On the dynamicity of evidential scales in context. Communicative goals
    • 3.2Mismatches between form and meaning. ‘Pragmatic indirectness’ in evidentiality
    • 3.3 On pragmatic indirectness as a cancellation of compositional meaning. Foregrounding and backgrounding information
  • 4.Final remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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