(Udmurt)
EpsV & EpsElse
EpsV: Epistemic modality is expressed using a complex verb construction.
EpsElse: Epistemic modality is expressed in ways other than using different verb forms or complex verb constructions.
| (1) | maša-ly | iźy-ny | kule | ńi. |
|---|
| Masha‑DAT | sleep‑INF | must.3SG | already |
| ’Masha must already be asleep.’ (Timár 2018) |
| (2) | naverno, | povod-jos-yz | vań, | dyr. |
|---|
| probably | reason‑PL‑3SG | be | maybe |
| ’(S)he may have her/his own reason, perhaps.’ (UdmCorp.) |
| (3) | maďar | kyl-ez | tod-em-ed | kyźy | ke | jurtt-e, | vyldy? |
|---|
| Hungarian | language‑ACC | know‑PTCP.PST‑2SG | how | PCL | help‑3SG | maybe |
| ’Does it help maybe that you speak Hungarian?’ (UdmCorp.) |
| (4) | kapka | ös-ez | kaľľen | uśt-i: | olo, | puny-zy | vań. |
|---|
| gate | door‑ACC | slowly | open‑PST.1SG | maybe | dog‑3PL | be |
| ’I opened the gate door slowly in case they had a dog.’ (UdmCorp.) |
| (5) | tatćy-oź | koncert | nomer-zes | tod-a-zy | vajy-ny | dyr |
|---|
| here‑TER | concert | number‑3PL.ACC | memory‑ILL‑3PL | hold‑INF | time |
| tyry-mte, | kožalod. | | | | |
| enough_will_be‑PTCP.PST.NEG | maybe | | | | |
| ’They may not have had enough time yet to memorize their songs for the concerts.’ (UdmCorp.) |
| (6) | kytćy | ke | myn-i-zy, | luoz. |
|---|
| where.ILL | PCL | go‑PST‑3PL | maybe |
| ’They may have gone somewhere.’ (Kibardina 2011: 362). |
| (7) | ťeorija-jez | tros-ez | ug | jaraty | kylzy-ny, |
|---|
| theory‑ACC | many‑DET | NEG.3SG | like.CNG.SG | listen‑INF |
| možet | prakťika | lu-i-z | ke, | tunsyko | pot-o-z. |
| maybe | practice | will_be‑PST‑3SG | if | interesting | seem‑FUT‑3SG |
| ’Many do not like listening to theory – it may seem interesting when it comes to the practical parts.’ (UdmCorp.) |
| (8) | muket-jos-yz-ly, | možet_byť, | | keľš-i-z… |
|---|
| other‑PL‑DET‑DAT | maybe | | like‑PST‑3SG |
| ’The others may have liked it…’ (UdmCorp.) |
In Udmurt, epistemic modality can be expressed by combining the infinitival form of the lexical verb and the auxiliary kule ’must’ (1) (Timár 2018). This category can be encoded by lexical means as well, among others by using modifiers such as dyr ’maybe’ (2), vyldy ’maybe, surely’ (3), olo ’maybe, possibly, perhaps’ (4) and naverno ’probably’, a modifier of Russian origin (2). Other implicit means of expressing the speaker’s opinion include kožalod (5), a lexicalized second person singular future tense form of the verb kožany ’think’ and luoz (6), a lexicalized third person singular future tense form of the verb luyny ’be’. The Russian borrowings možet / možet byť ’maybe’ (7)–(8) can also be used to express implicit epistemic modality (cf. Kibardina 2011: 361–362, 366).
Author: Laura Horváth
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