Epistemic uses of the pretérito pluscuamperfecto in La Paz Spanish

Abstract

This paper explores epistemic-evidential uses of the pluperfect, i.e. pretérito pluscuamperfecto, in La Paz Spanish. The pretérito pluscuamperfecto displays functions of a reported evidential form, conforming to results from previous studies on Argentinian Spanish (Bermúdez 2008; Speranza 2014) and, furthermore, is used according to a previously unnoticed inferential evidential function. Using theoretical frameworks from Kockelman (1957) and Bergqvist (2018), this paper describes the configuration of participant roles and event types implied in the different evidential functions of the pretérito pluscuamperfecto.