32: You heard about it but I was there - Evidentiality
Sometimes, you know something for sure. You were there. You witnessed it. And you want to make sure that anyone who hears about it from you knows that you\u2019re a direct source. Other times, you weren\u2019t there, but you still have news. Maybe you found it out from someone else, or you pieced together a couple pieces of indirect evidence. In that case, you don\u2019t want to overcommit yourself. When you pass the information on, you want to qualify it with how you found out, in case it turns out not to be accurate. \n\nIn this episode of Lingthusiasm, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic about how we come to know things, and how different languages let us talk about this. Some languages, like English, give us the option of adding extra adverbs and clauses, like \u201cI\u2019m sure that\u201d or \u201cI was told that\u201d or \u201cmaybe\u201d or \u201capparently\u201d. In other languages, like Syuba, indicating how you\u2019ve come to know something is baked right into the grammar. We also talk about what this means for how kids learn languages and how English might evolve more evidentials. \n\nThis month\u2019s bonus episode is about talking to animals! Making animals learn human language has not generally worked out as well as people have hoped, but the attempts are still very interesting! Support Lingthusiasm on Patreon to gain access to the animals episode and 26 previous bonus episodes. patreon.com/lingthusiasm\n\n--\nMerch update! \n\nHave you ever browsed the "Insert Symbol" menu just for fun? Do you stay up late reading Wikipedia articles about obscure characters? Or do you just\u2026somehow\u2026know a little bit too much about Unicode?\n\nIntroducing the new ESOTERIC SYMBOLS scarves! \n\nWe've hand-picked and arranged in a pleasing array our favourite symbols from the editing, logic, music, game piece, punctuation, mathematics, currency, shapes, planets, arrows, and Just Plain Looks Cool sections of Unicode!\n\nIncluding fan favourites like: the interrobang \u203d multiocular o \ua66e the old school b&w snowman, the pilcrow \xb6 the one-em, two-em AND three-em dashes And yes, the classic Unicode error diamond with question mark itself \ufffd\n\nWe're also very excited to announce that all our scarf designs (IPA, trees, and esoteric symbols) are now available on mugs and notebooks, for those who prefer to show off their nerdery in household object rather than apparel form. \n\nBy popular demand, we've made LITTLE LONGITUDINAL LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROJECT onesies and kiddy tshirts available for everyone! Available in Mum's, Dad's, Mom's, and without possessor marking (because it turns out that there are a LOT of kinship terms).\n\nGet them at: https://redbubble.com/people/lingthusiasm/ \n\nHere are the links mentioned in this episode: https://lingthusiasm.com/post/184928796346/lingthusiasm-episode-32-you-heard-about-it-but-i