Evidentiality in the Shiyoru Form of the Tokushima Dialect: The Usage of 〈将然〉 to Express Direct Evidence

Abstract

This paper examines the characteristics of evidentiality in the Tokushima dialect, focusing on the shiyoru form of the shōzen (将然) usage. The present form of shiyoru reflects the speaker's prediction of an event, while the past form shiyotta indicates a counterfactual event based on the speaker's experience. Although the subject's person, the tense of the predicate verb, and the overall meaning of the sentence may vary, both forms indicate the moment just before the occurrence of an event. Since the source of information that serves as the basis for the speaker's judgment is direct information based on signs of events witnessed by the speaker or their experiences, the shiyoru form of shōzen (将然) usage can be considered a direct expression of evidentiality. Additionally, the past form shiyotta is considered to convey a mood expression. It includes the speaker's evaluation of a counterfactual event that almost occurred but did not. Hence, the shiyotta form is seen to encompass not only an aspectual meaning of the shōzen (将然) but also evidentiality and mood simultaneously.