The semantics of temporal adjuncts in the time-aspectual domain: aspect, actionality and temporal reference

• Grant number: 14/10894-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2014
• End date: October 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Renato Miguel Basso
• Grantee: João Francisco Bergamini-Perez
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The semantic investigation of time-aspectual phenomena, which include temporal reference, aspect and actionality, is one of the most important areas of the "semantics of events. "One of the main goals of this kind of research is to define the different types of events, such as the Vendlerian´s classes, as well as the description and interpretation of aspectual differences and temporal reference. Temporal adjuncts such as, for example, 'por X tempo' ('for X time') and 'em X tempo' ('in X time') are two of the most important tools used to make actional and aspectual distinctions, since the work of Vendler (1957). However, there are several temporal adjuncts in addition to these two, such as 'during X time', ' until X time' and 'from X to Y time', and the investigation of the semantics of these adjuncts is still incipient. Thus, the main aim of this research project is the investigation of the semantic and pragmatic interpretation of the adjuncts mentioned above, comparing them with the adjuncts 'por X tempo' and 'em X tempo', in order to provide them a description in the framework of the formal semantics of natural languages. We will investigate, for example, the inference patterns displayed by these adjuncts. As an example, we will consider if these adjuncts allow or do not allow a reading according to which a perfective telic event did not reach its telos, as in the sentence below:(1) John built the house for 1 year. Therefore, our goal in this project is to study the role of certain temporal adjuncts, relating them to the different actional classes, conveyed in the perfective and imperfective aspects, and possible timeframes. We will then describe the possible inferences displayed by the adjuncts considered, in order to give them a formal semantic description.