Relative Tense in Japanese: The Case of Multiply Embedded Relative Clauses

Relative tense is a phenomenon where the reference time of a clause is determined based on some context-dependent time, not necessarily the speech time. While relative tense can be observed with Japanese subordinate clauses, most previous studies have focused only on a single level of embedding, leaving cases of multiple embedding underexplored. Against this backdrop, this study investigates the temporal interpretations of multiply embedded relative clauses in Japanese. We report that a multiply embedded relative clause can receive a relative tense interpretation that depends on its nonimmediately higher clauses. We also show that this 'clause skipping' interpretation is constrained by the tense forms of the clauses. Based on these observations, we then develop a formal account of the temporal interpretations of Japanese relative clauses. Our account employs the notion of a time interval list, which enables us to derive the attested interpretations compositionally.