証言

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 証言 (しょうげん) is a noun for the act or content of formally stating what one witnessed.
• Basic usage: 見たことを証言した makes what the witness saw the content testified to in court, while 二人の証言には違いがある compares the accounts given by two people.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Act of testifying and resulting accounts
  • 証言した is the witness’s act of speaking, whereas 二人の証言 refers to accounts that can be compared. Differences between them do not by themselves establish that either account is false.