Understanding the と-particle in 「宏と花子は同時に結婚する。」


Consider the sentence

> 宏と花子は同時に結婚する。

This sentence apparently means

> Hiroshi and Hanako will marry simultaneously.

**Question:** Is と being here used in the "with" sense, or the "and" sense? It
seems to me it's ambiguous.

  1. If と as "with" is being used: I assume this means that Hanako is marrying "with" Hiroshi (e.g., they are marrying each other)?
  2. If と as "and" is being used: I assume this means that Hanako "and" Hiroshi are both marrying simultaneously, not necessarily to each other.

The fact that the sentence includes "同時に" makes me inclined to think (2) is
the correct interpretation, since if they were marrying each other, "同時に"
would be redundant, no?




This と is simple "and". If other senses are intended, it should be near the
word it modifies, like this:

  * 宏 **と** 花子は同時に結婚する。  
Hiroshi **and** Hanako will get married at the same time.  
(They each are marrying another person, because saying 同時 makes little sense
if they are marrying each other)

  * 花子は同時に宏と結婚する。  
At the same time (as some other event), Hanako marries Hiroshi.

  * 花子は宏と同時に結婚する。  
Hanako marries (someone else) at the same time as Hiroshi's marriage.

Since word order in Japanese is flexible, you may insist 宏と花子は同時に結婚する is
_technically_ ambiguous, but other interpretations are extremely unlikely when
there is no other context.




This と is simple "and". If other senses are intended, it should be near the
word it modifies, like this:

  * 宏 **と** 花子は同時に結婚する。  
Hiroshi **and** Hanako will get married at the same time.  
(They each are marrying another person, because saying 同時 makes little sense
if they are marrying each other)

  * 花子は同時に宏と結婚する。  
At the same time (as some other event), Hanako marries Hiroshi.

  * 花子は宏と同時に結婚する。  
Hanako marries (someone else) at the same time as Hiroshi's marriage.

Since word order in Japanese is flexible, you may insist 宏と花子は同時に結婚する is
_technically_ ambiguous, but other interpretations are extremely unlikely when
there is no other context.

