I haven't understood what even means here:
How do you even know that?
and what's the difference with the following?
How do you know that?
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It's an intensifier. – Robusto Jan 04 '15 at 02:59
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possible duplicate of Is there a rule or pointer explaining where to put '_even'_ in a sentence? – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '15 at 12:02
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@Robusto In general it's a scalar focus particle. This usage is certainly intensifying (almost equivalent to an introductory 'Wow!' – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '15 at 12:03
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@EdwinAshworth: Whatever you call it, I still think it acts as an intensifier in that sentence. – Robusto Jan 04 '15 at 13:46
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Agreed (though it's intensifying the statement here, not the verb know). It's a different usage from that in 'How could you even think that?', where (scalar) comparison with implied other verbs (firmly believe / say / write) makes sense. I'm saying it's rather an unusual usage in OP's example. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '15 at 14:35
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Is this actually only a part of what you intend the sentence to be, say 'How do you even know that there is a Father Christmas?' If so, there will be contextual scalarity (eg the previous sentence could be 'Do you think Father Christmas will come before 3 o'clock tomorrow?') – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '15 at 00:29
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the word "even" is used in this to show somewhat an act of surprise.
e.g "I can't believe your amount of knowledge, how'd you even know that?"
The difference between the two statements are the use of expressions. The word "even" provides a more stressed toned rather than simply questioning their comprehension.
wisty
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I agree. An unusual pragmatic usage (I can't find it listed in most dictionaries I've looked in). – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '15 at 16:33
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I think it is a term of wonderment that I can't believe you knew that rather than a simple question asking for a source
Queue21
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This is (to me) the right answer. The asker has no interest in how the other person knows that. "How do you even know that?" is the same as "I really, really, really, never imagined that you would know that". The simple "How do you know that?" (without any fancy intonation on 'you') is a straight forward request. – Frank Jan 04 '15 at 16:54
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This usage is picked up on in the Urban Dictionary
even word added to a sentence when you want to stress something hysterically just to sound angrier.
'Why are you EVEN trying it?'
'What are you EVEN doing here?'
Though both these examples strongly suggest other verbs with implications even more laughable (as required by stricter definitions in other dictionaries), the loose definition given here works with say
'How do you even know that?'
where one might well ask 'Know it as opposed to . . . ?
Edwin Ashworth
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I don't really see how this is anything other than a regular use of scalar even but with only one other alternative on the scale: the negation of the asserted one (with VP focus). If the only other alternative is the negative you will get the amazement reading for free. – Alan Munn Jan 04 '15 at 19:53
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That isn't the way E J Bakker, in Linguistics and Formulas in Homer: Scalarity ... looks at scalarity in language. Perhaps you can find an author supporting your view? – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '15 at 23:26
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That's a big book, and I can't see all of it through Google Books, but is there a place where this particular kind of sentence is discussed? I was basing my suggestion on Rooth 1992 (Natural Language Semantics) which is a fairly standard account, but he doesn't talk about that exact case either, but I don't see how it couldn't be applied to it. – Alan Munn Jan 05 '15 at 00:54
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What are you even doing here? means You shouldn't be here according to this Facebook site. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-what-are-you-even-doing-here-look/105134219529263?sk=info&tab=page_info Giving rise to Facebook is even a source? meaning Facebook is not a source – Frank Jan 05 '15 at 07:37
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In this article, Anyone for non-scalarity? Patrick J. Duffley and Pierre Larrivée explore whether the determiner any should be considered to have scalar meaning in all or just some of its usages. Certainly the promiscuous even hasn't: 'It's certainly meretricious. Meritorious, even.' (used informally as a correction marker) Assuming OP isn't omitting vital context here, I'd say it's simpler to view this usage of even as an amazement marker ('How on earth do you know that?'). – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '15 at 11:19