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said what and to whom. This expectation is reflected in the
language.

The Simple, Remote Direct Knowledge, and Remonstra-
tor tenses are used when (usually visual) direct experience
on which to base a statement (or question) is available to
the speaker, hearer, or both. The Future, Imperative, and
Desiderative tenses are used for projections vouched for or
desired on the basis of directly acquired personal knowl-
edge. The Remote Indirect Knowledge tense indicates non-
presence of the speaker at the event(s) discussed and second-
hand acquisition of the information, possibly accompanied
by surprise or change of a former opinion. Compound tenses
with the Inferential express conjecture based on evidence
from personal experience, while compound tenses with the
Non-Involver imply inability to vouch for information be-
cause of factors beyond one's control.

The reportive verb sa.fia places the speaker in the
role of reproducing what someone else said. Varying de-
grees of directness or indirectness of acquisition of the
information may be expressed by the verb sa.fia as well as
within the quoted statements themselves.

The final suffixes -wa absolute and -pi reiterator
of known information are the strongest of the direct knowl-
edge markers. They often occur softened with the politive

-ya, but this does not detract from their absoluteness.