Tense, mood, and aspect in Gungbe (Kwa)

This paper is a first attempt at understanding the distribution of tense, mood, and aspect expressions in Gungbe, and the interaction thereof. The discussion shows that Gungbe INFL-related expressions are realized by functional items, which head distinct projections within I. These items may combine to form complex tense, aspect, and mood sequences. It is further shown that while modal expressions block perfective aspect in Gungbe, imperfective aspect, on the other hand, appears to enhance the deontic and epistemic readings of the modal auxiliaries.