Actuality Entailment in Akan

Augustina Owusu, Rutgers

Abstract

The Akan modal tumi always has an actuality entailment when it is used as an ability modal. The data shows that this interpretation is not dependent on the type of aspect that scopes over the modal. My analysis is based on Francez and Baglini’s (2015) causal entailment theory for manage. I argue that the Akan ability modal tumi has three components; a modal assertion, a presupposition of a familiar catalyst which is a causally necessary but causally insufficient condition for the truth of q (the prejacent) and a presupposition that the speaker has reliable evidence for the actual occurrence of the event. I will argue that it is the evidence presupposition that generates an actuality entailment when the modal is used.