Re: Trivalent logic in Aymara?

Kristian Jensen <kljensen@...> wrote:
>
> Since bivalent logic has the true/false opposition, I take it that a
> trivalent logic must be something like true/unconfirmed/false. With
> that as my understanding of what trivalent logic means, I take it
> that what Aymara really has is a logical category of irrealis -
> making no assertion as to the validity of a specific event or state
> of affairs.
>
> Consider modal categories (realis vs irrealis) together with the
> negative below, and we get a trivalent logic, right?:
>
> Realis:   Strongly asserting that a specific event or state of
>           affairs has actually happened or holds true.
> Irrealis: Making _no_ assertion whatsoever that an actual event
>           or state of affairs actually happened or holds true.
> Negative: Asserting that events or state of affairs do _not_
>           hold.
>
> Is that what is meant by trivalent logic?
Fascinating! I hadn't thought of it. It *is* really alien to
Western culture; we usually assert things or negate them. Even
if we express a doubt, we have to use periphrasis which don't
convey the exact meaning (using verbs like "doubt" or "suppose").

On a different topic, do you (anybody) know anything
about trivalent logic that parallels Boole's Laws?

>
> One subcategory of the irrealis that many American languages have is
> something called evidentiality - the linguistic coding of
> epistemology or certainty of truth. For instance, according to
> Payne's "Describing Morphosytax", Huallaga Quechua (a language in
> the same region as Aymara) has three enclitics that are clearly
> evidential. These enclitics are -mi "direct evidence, -shi
> "hearsay", and -chi "inference" (view in monospace font like
> courier):
/snip/

I knew a bit about Quechua, but not about the "inference" mark,
which is extremely interesting, especially regarding cultural
issues (e.g. politeness).

> Incidentally, Boreanesian also has evidential clitics. These are
> also hearsay and inferential, and can only be used together with the
> irrealis modal clitic. So Boreanesian could perhaps in this sense be
> a conlang with a trivalent logic as well.
Why didn't I think of that first? :)


--Pablo Flores