What is epistemic modality?

Definition
	Epistemic modality is a modality that connotes how much certainty or evidence a speaker has for the proposition expressed by his or her utterance.

Example (English)
	There’s no answer; he must have already left.

Kinds
	Here are some kinds of epistemic modality:
	What is evidentiality? What is judgment modality?

Generic
	Epistemic modality is a kind of
	What is mood and modality?

Sources
	Crystal 1985 110
	Chung and Timberlake 1985 242
	Bybee 1985 165–166
	Palmer 1986 10–11, 51

Context for this page:

Concept module: epistemic modality
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): E
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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