Temporal de re and semantic variation: Composing simultaneity in Asante Twi [poster]

Giuliano Armenante (Universität Potsdam)

This work investigates the temporal interpretation of attitude reports in the Asante Twi dialect of Akan, focusing the (past) simultaneous reading (SIM) in X-under-Past embeddings. I show that a SIM-reading in Asante arises when the embedded predicate: (i) is unmarked, (ii) contains the deictic tense ná, or (iii) is marked with a perfective past-with a decreasing preference in that order from (i) to (iii). I propose that, while (i) is associated with a binding construal, both (ii) and (iii) involve a de re construal. Ultimately, speakers’ preferences hinge on principles favouring local binding over de re LFs and unbounded over bounded event structures.