This paper uses data from Sissala to evaluate two alternative accounts of so-called 'hearsay' particles. According to the first account, hearsay particles are used to weaken speaker commitment to the expressed proposition, according to the second account, hearsay particles may or may not weaken speaker commitment to the expressed proposition, as their primary function is to mark an utterance as echoic. The second account is found to be superior to the first on descriptive and explanatory grounds.