The Knowledge Qualification in Jury Court

Abstract

The qualificational categories of epistemic modality and evidentiality are analyzed in the specific context of jury sessions. Indicating the speaker's evaluation with respect to the truth value of the propositions and the source of the information expressed, these qualifications are specially productive in the construction of persuasive strategies. In this context, we analyze the lexical expression of these categories in order to verify the functionality of the indication of evidences in the prosecutor and the defense's speech, defending the hypothesis that evidentials can also function as reinforcement or attenuation of the truth value, a typically modal function.