On the difference between telicity and perfectivity

In this article, I argue that the difference between telicity and perfectivity falls out from the interaction of morphology and syntactic structure in temporal construal. I assume that interpretation of the sentence is subject to a constraint on the interface between syntax and the Conceptual–Intentional component of mind, namely that the situation the VP describes must be placed in the spatial expanse and in the time interval of the speakerʹs world (or in a space-time world accessible to the speaker). The verb phrase is associated with a spatial construal, while the TP receives a temporal construal; hence the same element may receive a spatial or temporal interpretation depending on whether it is merged within the VP or the TP. The approach is applied to English aspects formed with the auxiliary have and to Russian particle–verb complexes with perfective and imperfective readings.