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Abstract:
Avatime is a Kwa (Niger-Congo) language spoken in Ghana. In this language, sentence topics are frequently followed by particles indicating some form of contrast. I will describe the semantics and pragmatics of the two particles most frequently used for this purpose: tsyɛ and kɔ.
The particle kɔ indicates in most cases that there is an alternative to the topic it associates with, and that there is an opposition between what is claimed about the associate of kɔ and this alternative.
The particle tsyɛ 'also/too' also marks contrastive topics, usually indicating similarity between alternative topics. Contrary to e.g. the English particle too, there is no strict condition that what is said about the associate of tsyɛ is identical to what is said about an alternative. In cases where this identity condition is not met, tsyɛ functions on the discourse level, contributing to discourse coherence.
