Clauses Emerging as Epistemic Adverbs in Estonian Conversation
Clauses Emerging as Epistemic Adverbs in Estonian Conversation

Summary/Abstract: The paper shows how four combinations of 1st person pronoun + epistemic verb emerge as adverbs in contemporary spoken Estonian, arguing that word classes have fuzzy boundaries. Excerpts from naturally occurring conversations demonstrate how ma tean ’I know’, ma usun ’I believe’, ma arvan ’I think’, and mai tea ’I don’t know’ are used in varying positions in relation to the commented clause with the prosody that usually suggests their integration into these units. The items display somewhat divergent semantics as compared to their components, expressing degrees of epistemic certainty and uncertainty as well as personalized stance.

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