Finality, function and telic feature: relation of telic information to artefacts, instruments and auxiliary objects

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the term of telic feature, which is usually used to define aspectually delimited verbs or, in the most modern literature on lexical semantics, nouns with function or finality. Here we analyze the scope of this term within the Generative Lexicon and the Meaning-Text Theories frameworks. We argue that telic feature and telic quale are attached to different concepts although they overlap in some predicates. We review the nature of artifact nouns; among these, precedent literature recognizes artifacts with direct telic quale, indirect telic quale and engagement telic quale. We acknowledge the existence of two kinds of objects: natural objects, with the features ‘utility’ and weak telic quale; and artificial objects or artifacts. Among artifacts, we distinguish (pure) artifacts, with ‘finality’ and direct telic quale; instruments, with ‘function’ and indirect telic quale; and auxiliary objects, with ‘finality’ and contribution telic quale.