Abstract
Abstract In this paper we describe the French adverb visiblement in synchrony as well as in diachrony on the basis of all its occurrences in the data base Frantext. We show how and when it developed into an evidential marker. We examine the various distributional, syntactic and semantic changes the adverb underwent, from Old French until now. Regarding its evidential meaning, we show that visiblement, despite the presence of the perception element visible in its morphology, belongs to the category of evidential markers of inference (on the basis of perceivable or cognitively clear evidence) and not to that of evidential markers of direct perception. Finally, on a more theoretical level, we show in this study that in the case of visiblement semantic change precedes syntactic change, which seems to be rather uncommon.
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