NYU Field Methods, Fall 2013
Topic: Epistemic Modality
Time/Place: December 2, 2013, Monday, 9:30-10:45, Room 103, 10 WP, NYU
Language: Sherpa (Sino-Tibetan)
Consultant: Phuri Lama
At-Board: Chris Collins
Transcriber: Linmin Zhang
Recorder: Purnima Thakur
Equipment: Zoom H4n, used as an audio interface
Summary: There are three ways of expression epistemic modality, according to this data.
(1) doke: This is used when there is some visual or auditory reason for the belief. doke occurs with a participle.
(2) te (ki) : This is most often glossed as “maybe” by Phuri. Jinde (ki) may be another form of te (ki). Underlyingly analyzed as: jin+te (ki). te (ki) occurs with the non-participial verb forms.
(3) go: This is translated as “need” by Phuri. Note that in (8) go appears with rang “only”, to convey that there is only one possibility.
In future work, I need to look at what the difference in interpretation between te (ki) and go is.
Context: I am wondering where Dawa is. I ask my wife, and she says: Dawa went climbing.
1. dawa ka zek gal Dawa.ABS mountain climb go 'Dawa went climbing.' 2. zekup 'to climb' 3. dawa ka zekup-la gal Dawa.ABS mountain climb.PART-OBL go 'Dawa went climbing.'
Context: I am wondering where Dawa is. He is not at home and we notice that his climbing equipment (ropes and shoes) is not in the usual place. I ask my wife where Dawa is. She doesn’t know where he is either, so she says:
4. dawa ka zek ɖo go ciwi
Dawa.ABS mountain climb go need SFP
'Dawa might have gone climbing.'
5. dawa ka zek gal te (ki)
Dawa.ABS mountain climb go maybe ?
'Dawa probably went climbing.'
'Maybe Dawa was climbing'
6. ɲe: sem-la dawa ka zek ɖo go kiwi
1GEN thought-OBL Dawa.ABS mountain climb go need SFP
'I think Dawa went climbing.'
7. ɲe: sem-la dawa ka zek gal te (ki)
1GEN thought-OBL Dawa.ABS mountain climb go maybe SFP
'I think Dawa went climbing.'
8. dawa ka zek raŋ ɖo go ciwi
Dawa.ABS mountain climb only go need SFP
'Dawa could only go climbing.'
(This is the only possibility; very confident.)
9. dawa ka zek galup doke nok
Dawa.ABS mountain climb go.PART look.like SFP
'It looks like Dawa went climbing.'
10. dawa ka zek galup jinde (ki)
Dawa.ABS mountain climb go.PART ? SFP
'Maybe Dawa went climbing the mountain.'
(The speaker is wondering himself; the (un)certainty is on the
same level as Sentence 5.)
11. dawa ka zek gaku jin
Dawa.ABS mountain climb go.PART SFP
'Dawa went to climbing the mountain.'
Context: I see Dawa getting his climbing equipment ready. Dawa told my wife that if the weather is good tomorrow, he will go climbing. I ask my wife what Dawa is doing. She says: Dawa might go climbing tomorrow.
12. dawa sala ka zek ɖop doke ciwi
Dawa.ABS tomorrow mountain climb go look.like SFP
'It looks like Dawa is climbing tomorrow.'
(based on what she saw.)
Context: I see Dawa asleept in his bed at noon. I know he is very tired. I ask my wife why Dawa is still sleeping. She does not know where he was yesterday, but she knows that if he goes out
climbing, he usually comes home tired. She she says: He might have gone climbing yesterday.
13. dawa daŋ ka zek galu tʃha:sa nok
Dawa.ABS yesterday mountain climb go.PART style SFP
'(By looking at his style,) Dawa went climbing the mountain yesterday'
(The style of late sleeping is because of climbing the mountain.)
14. dawa ka zek galu doke nok
Dawa.ABS mountain climb go.PART look.like SFP
'Dawa might have gone climbing yesterday.'
(= Sentence 9. Somebody sees that his equipment is dirty.)
15. dawa lu laŋ jī
Dawa.ABS song LV PROG
'Dawa is singing.'
16. láŋgu
'to sing'
17. làŋgu
'to feel'
Context: I hear a noise upstairs in the bathroom, and ask: What is noise? My wife knows that Dawa sinngs in the shower, so she says: Dawa might be singing.
18. daw-i lu laŋgu doke nok
Dawa-ERG song sing.PART look.like SFP
'It sounds like Dawa is singing.'
19. ɲe: sem-la daw-i lu laŋgu doke nok
1GEN thought-OBL Dawa-ERG song sing.PART look.like SFP
'In my opinion, I feel like Dawa is singing.'
Note: (18) seems to show that doke can mean “look.like” as well as “sound.like”.
Context: Last night, late, I heard a noise upstairs before I went to bed. In the morning, I ask my wife: What was that noise? My wife knows that Dawa sings in the shower before going to bed, so
she says: Dawa might have been singing.
20. daŋ gomu daw-i lu lawu tʃha:sa nok
yesterday evening Dawa-ABS song sing style SFP
'(According to his style,) Dawa sang a song yesterday.'
(We know what style he has after singing.)
21. daŋ gomu daw-i lu lawu doke nok
yesterday evening Dawa-ABS song sing look.like SFP
'It looks like yesterday evening Dawa sang a song.'
Note: the participles in (18) and (19) are different from the participle sin (20) and (21). This seems to show that participles have both present and past versions.
22. dawa sotaŋ-la gal
Dawa-ABS store-OBL go
'Dawa went to the store.'
Context: I notice that Dawa is not at home. We know that she had
to buy something. So my wife says: Dawa might have gone to the store.
23. dawa sotaŋ-la gal te
Dawa-ABS store-OBL go maybe
'Did Dawa go to the store?'
24. dawa sotaŋ-la galu jin de
Dawa-ABS store-OBL go.PART SFP maybe
'Maybe Dawa went to the store.'
25. dawa sotaŋ-la gal te maɲ gal te
Dawa-ABS store-OBL go maybe NEG go maybe
'Did Dawa go to the store?'
(He was supposed to go. I am wondering myself.)
26. dawa sotaŋ-la gal
Dawa-ABS store-OBL go
'Did Dawa go to the store?'
(He was supposed to go to the store.)
sherpalanguage 