Evidence / Source Signal
Evidentiality
Reportative
Inferential
Quotative
How does the speaker know?
advanced
advanced
Speaker stance
Betekenis
A signal that marks whether information is seen, heard, inferred, assumed, reported, remembered, or generally known.
Zo herken je het
Ask whether the sentence shows the source of knowledge.
Voorbeelden
Woorden
apparently|I heard|it seems|they say
Zinnen
I heard that|apparently true|it looks like
Voorbeeldzin
Apparently, the train is late.
Visual guide
Basic shape
claim: the train is late
^
evidence layer:
how does speaker know?
I heard / it seems / apparently
Apparently, the train is late.
Compare shape
Evidence choices: seen -> direct I heard -> heard they say -> reported it seems -> inferred apparently -> indirect
Taaloverzicht
In je taal
Dutch (standard)
Aanwezigheid
weak
Belang
Evidence source is not grammaticalized; words like blijkbaar or volgens mark source optionally.
Blijkbaar is hij ziek.
Apparently is he ill.
In de taal die je leert
Japanese
Aanwezigheid
medium
Moeilijkheidsgraad
Japanese has useful hearsay and inference markers, though not a mandatory evidential system.
電車が遅れているそうです。
I hear that the train is late.
Veelvoorkomend struikelpunt
Learners may confuse そうだ for hearsay with そうだ for appearance.
New in your learning language
This block is more central in your learning language. Give it extra focus in examples and practice.