Shared vs. Primary Epistemic Authority in Jaminjung/Ngaliwurru

Abstract

Abstract This paper contributes to the typology of complex perspective markers by presenting an in-depth analysis of a system of epistemic authority marking which functionally overlaps with, but has no exact parallels in, similar systems attested cross-linguistically; it is also the first analysis of grammaticalised marking of epistemic authority in a language of Australia. Jaminjung/Ngaliwurru, a language of the Mirndi family, distinguishes between primary and shared epistemic authority by means of two non-obligatory clitics. By employing the first clitic, speakers claim privileged (asymmetrical) access to evidence informing their utterance; the holder of epistemic primacy shifts to addressees in questions. The second marker, which is transparently related to a 1