La evidencialidad y la modalidad epistémica en los sermones católicos en español

Abstract

Epistemic modality indicates the degree of certainty or doubt a speaker has for the proposition expressed by their utterance. Evidentiality, on the other hand, is the indication of the kind of evidence for a statement in question. Given the eminently persuasive character of homiletic discourse, it frequently makes use of epistemic and evidential markers. The preacher emphasizes his high degree of certainty about the content of what he says and, in order to gain credibility, he supports his reasons citing the Bible or other reliable sources. This paper aims to analyze the markers of epistemic modality and evidentiality in Catholic sermons in Spanish. Moreover, it intends to defi ne the limit between different kinds of evidence. In order to carry out this analysis, twenty homilies pronounced in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City have been examined. First of all, the defi nitions of epistemic modality and evidentiality are presented and the relation between these concepts is explored. Then, a classification of evidential values, based on the one by Plungian (2001: 351, 353), is illustrated. After that, the results of the analysis of epistemic modality and evidentiality in twenty sermons are discussed. Finally, the paper touches upon some problematic issues resulting from the classifi cation of different kinds of evidence.