Omen partkula: ziurtasunak eta ziurtasunik ezak

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to provide a brief account of the meaning and use of the Basque reparative particle 'omen'. It is a general belief that the speaker using an 'omen'-utterance expresses uncertainty. That is, for example, what Euskaltzaindia says in its grammars. I try to show, however, taking as a basis some concepts and theories of semantics and pragmatics, that the content of uncertainty often attached to 'omen', if present, belongs to the pragmatic content of the utterance. Although it is the case that in some examples the speaker implicates uncertainty by using 'omen', in many other cases the speaker conveys total certainty; sometimes she is certain that things have happened the way someone else has reported, and other times she is totally certain that things have not happened the way someone else has reported. Therefore, the uncertainty cannot be part of the meaning of the 'omen'-sentence. Neither can it is part of what is said ban 'omen'-utterance, since the rest/it of Grice's (1967a, 1967b) cancel ability 'test' show that the content of uncertainty can be cancelled. So, I conclude that it is a conversational/ implicative; more precise/y, a generalized conversational/ implicative, that can be generated by using an 'omen'-utterance. Then, the context will he/p to clarify, in each case, whether such an implicative was generated or onto I finally try to find the reason of attaching the content of uncertainty to the meaning of 'omen'-sentences.