Negotiating Knowledge: Evidential Verbs and Stance in Early Modern English

This article explores the modulation of seven verbs that mark source of information in English: believe, hear, know, remember , see , seem , and think . Drawing data from two collections of Early Modern English legal records, the study shows that modulation is of five main types: negation, degree modification, evidential combination, frequency, and justification. The analysis reveals that the modulation fulfills communicative, stance needs related to the language users’ roles as witnesses or participants in a court case. Some uses are localized, responding to situational needs (such as negating a particular piece of information and the evidential foundation of that information), while others involve moves that were likely expected and conventional in testimony (such as expressing sincere conviction). Overall, the study highlights the importance of evidentials as stance resources in historical periods and the need for further attention to such interactional stance means in the description of the history of English.