Managing epistemicity among the Yucatec Mayas (Mexico)

Many studies have supported the idea that human interaction relies on cooperation and joint action, implying that everyday communication has primarily a social motivation. According to Grice, interlocutors are expected to meet the informational needs of their interactional partner(s) in both accuracy and informativeness. However, conversional principles incompatible with Grice’s maxims have been found to be implicitly applied in traditional societies from Madagascar, the Pacific Islands, and Mesoamerica. This chapter considers the management of epistemicity among the Yucatec Mayas of Mexico, focusing on the function and use of evidential particles and the broader cultural context into which they fit. Another is to present the implicit rules that adults and children follow to evaluate and endorse claims of knowledge. Such rules might explain why Yucatec Mayas tend to be linguistically accurate in stating and evaluating knowledge sources. Because they expect others to lie or withhold information, they constantly monitor how their and others’ assertions and information are shared.