Adverbials in Turkish: the third parameter in aspectual interpretation

Abstract

The main argument of the present dissertation is that T/A adverbials in Turkish constitute the third parameter in aspectual interpretation along with the other two parameters, namely situation type and viewpoint aspect. Concerning the expression of viewpoint aspect in Turkish, (i) the semantic distinctions denoted by Turkish T/A morphology and (ii) the basic opposition between perfective vs. imperfective and their extended interpretations are considered. As for the second parameter, the interaction of situation type with objects, Turkish perfective vs. imperfective morphology and T/A adverbials is analyzed. A time-relational analysis/categorization of T/A adverbials is proposed. The data suggest that T/A adverbials constitute one of the core elements of aspectual interpretation and that a combination of the insights of B. Comrie, C. Smith, W. Klein and M. Krifka is required to account for Turkish data adequately. In conclusion, it is argued that aspectual oppositions derive from universal properties of time intervals, relations between intervals and mereological structure and that aspect is a linguistic instantiation of boundedness. The opposition between perfective and imperfective is argued to be an instantiation of a total vs. partial overlap relation between the reference interval and the time of the situation, in analogy to one that obtains between an adverbial interval and the time of the situation. This, in turn, suggests that from a wider perspective aspect is a linguistic reflection of the basic conceptual /perceptual contrast between figure and ground in the sense of L. Talmy and H. Demirdache & M. Uribe-Etxebarria.