Benjamins
To appear
I present data from Pama-Nyungan languages that display aspectual and modal readings in the antipassive construction, and propose that antipassives contain a predicate-internal aspectual morpheme that derives an atelic predicate. Taking a modal approach to aspect unifies the aspectual and modal readings. I detail the striking resemblance between the set of interpretations attested in antipassives and imperfectives more generally, and show how the compositional analysis I propose is able to provide insight into unexpected volitional and “total effect” readings.