Oblique case morphology in evidential predicates

[Bernhard Waelchli]

Dear typologists,

Does anybody know of any languages that have grammaticalized oblique
(non-nominative) case morphemes in their expression of evidential
mood. I found three such languages (Latvian, Estonian and Kayardild)
and I guess this is not very common in the world's languages.

In Estonian (in the Standard language and some southern dialects), the
evidential present is formed by a participle present active in the
partitive case. The subject is in the nominative:

Ta luge-va-t.
s/he:NOM read-PTC:PR:ACT-PART
'she is reading, it is said'

In Latvian, the evidential present is formed by a participle present
active in the accusative case (can not be analyzed syncronically any
more). The subject is in the nominative:

Vin'a las-ot.
she:NOM:F read-PTC:PR:ACT:ACC
'she is reading, it is said'

In Kayardild, at least some sentences with evidential meaning are
marked with complementizing case (oblique or locative case). I.e. the
same marking as for odd-topic marking (different topic or different
subject) in subordinate clauses is used:

Dan-kurrka riin-kurrka dali-jurrka budubudu-nth.
here-LOC:COBL from_east-LOC:COBL come-IMMED:COBL boat-COBL
'(I can hear) the boat coming here from the east.' (Evans 1988: 245)

In Latvian and Estonian, the evidential forms express reported
evidence. In Kayardild, they seem to express rather attested and
inferring evidence according to Willet's (1988) typology.

Bernhard