ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I discuss kěndìng thoroughly. 1 I present data of kěndìng and compare them with the yídìng family examined in the previous chapters. I argue that, in addition to the dynamic semantics shared with yídìng and tiědìng, kěndìng has two additional semantic properties. First, kěndìng obeys the Requirement of Alternatives, because of its literal meaning: certainty confirmation. Second, it executes illocutionary force enhancement, which enhances the illocutionary point of the sentence, with the information ‘it is the salient participant’s (i.e., the speaker’s or the addressee’s) opinion that.’
