Quapaw potential mode.

[R. Rankin]

> > wie    naN-hi         aN-o-   ki-      ttoN-we   tta-i-tte-   naN,
> > 1sg alone-EMP  1PAT-in-BEN-depend-PL POT-?-POT-as
> > Me alone just me      they depend       would     as
> > Since they would be depending on just me alone,
> >
> >  wi-tteke o-a-ki-we-bda-bda a-b-di$taN.
> >  my-mo.bro in-1AGT-BEN-INDF-1AGT-work-1AGT-work on-AGT-stop
> >  my mother’s brother  I  work-work  I  ceased
> >  I stopped working for my (maternal) uncle.
>

> I'd read it 'since it appeared that they would be depending on me alone'
> or 'since I concluded that they would be depending on me alone'.  I'm
> assuming that he quit working for his uncle because more immediate
> responsibilities developed.

This is the autobio of Alphonsus Valliere.  I imagine he was pretty sure his
sister and mom would need his help, but this really highlights my problem with
these evidential meanings -- you can conceivably add them to nearly any
sentence the way we say a polite "seems like...." no matter how sure we are,
if we don't want to offend.  The Quapaws and Omahas could have done that too,
of course, but it makes it too easy to assume the analysis.  Another argument
for sending you to Macy!!  :-)

Bob

--
Robert L. Rankin, Visiting Professor
Research Center for Linguistic Typology
Institute for Advanced Study
La Trobe University
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