Speculative mood

Speculative mood (abbreviated SPEC) is an epistemic grammatical mood found in some languages, which indicates that the utterance is based on speculation of the speaker, and not actually known to be the case.^[1] For example, "The butler could have been the killer."

References

↑ Loos, Eugene E.; Susan Anderson; Dwight H. Day, Jr.; Paul C. Jordan; J. Douglas Wingate. "What is speculative mood?". Glossary of linguistic terms. SIL International. Retrieved 2009-12-28.

Linguistic modalities and grammatical moods

Realis
(what is)

Indicative/declarative
Aggressive
Energetic
Evidential (Sensory)
Generic/gnomic
Mirative

Irrealis

Deontic (what should be)	Commissive (promises, threats) Directive (commands, requests, requirements) Deliberative Hortative (+ subtypes) Imperative Jussive Necessitative Permissive Precative Prohibitive Propositive Volitive (hopes, wishes, fears) Desiderative Imprecative Optative

Epistemic (what may be)	(inferences, possibilities, questions, etc.) Alethic Assumptive Deductive Dubitative Hypothetical Inferential/renarrative/oblique Interrogative Potential Speculative Subjunctive

Dependent circumstances (what would be)	Conditional Eventive