Goal: Explore options for indicating (in)direct speech
Note: These strategies offer speakers a way to indicate they are reporting speech.
Tip: Useful terms include “quotative” and “attribute tag.”
Work focus: Learn/Brainstorm/Try
Languages often have ways for speakers to indicate when they are sharing information someone else had previously said—ways of indicating reported speech. When telling a story, whether it’s a fictional story or a retelling of an event that occurred yesterday, speakers often incorporate dialogue, or reported speech.
Indirect reported speech (often shortened to IRS or IS) refers to instances of summarized or paraphrased speech, such as “Maya told me she was leaving” or “Maya said she will bake the bread.” In both instances, I am reporting what Maya said but doing so in a way that it’s clear it’s still from my perspective. For instance, “she” refers to “Maya,” a third-person reference that’s required from my speaking point of view for indirect speech.
Direct reported speech (DRS or DS), on the other hand, refers to instances where a speaker mimics another’s speech. Mind you, the mimicry can include imitative features like vocal shifts, but they don’t have to. Grammatical shifts on their own can show that you are attempting to repeat what someone else has said. The two previous examples can be changed to direct reported speech: “Maya told me, ‘I am leaving’” and “Maya said, ‘I will bake the bread.’” Notice that “she” shifts to “I” to indicate that the piece of dialogue is being presented as if it is a verbatim repetition of what Maya originally said. (Though it is never really verbatim repetition, as human memory is a fickle thing.)
Linguistic strategies to mark how reported speech is presented includes quotatives (which sometimes go by other names, like “attribute tag”). Quotatives frame reported speech to indicate it is information reported from somewhere else, and how quotatives work can be quite different from language to language. So take some time to explore options to see how other languages mark this information to start generating ideas for your language!
If your language marks evidentiality, be sure to look at how evidentiality markers are used in conjunction with reported speech in other languages.