Meaning of telic | Babel Free

Definitions

1. Tending or directed towards a goal or specific end.
2. That expresses an end or purpose.
3. That expresses the perfective aspect.

Equivalents

Examples

“Several theorists of the previous chapters are supportive of this more telic view⟳ of human nature.”

“They were asked to rate the 36 activities for how purposeful they were.[…]Comparing the 10 most telic and the 10 most paratelic we found that the paratelic leisure activities were thought to involve⟳ less skill or challenge⟳; they were also judged to satisfy⟳ social needs more, and to be more enjoyable.”

“I have⟳ certainly become⟳ more telic as I strive to achieve⟳ my goals set⟳, but I am not really enjoying any of it.”

“1995, Michela Cennamo, Patterns of 'Active' Syntax in Late Latin Pleonastic Reflexives, John Charles Smith, Delia Bentley (editors), Historical Linguistics 1995: Selected Papers from the 12th International Conference on Historical Linguistics, Volume 1: General Issues and Non-Germanic Languages, page 39, In this framework, verbs denoting directed change⟳ of location, such as Italian andare 'go', instantiate Core Unaccusativity, in that they have⟳ a Theme subject and are the most telic, concrete, dynamic.”

“Similarly, verb forms that can govern either transitive or middle-case marking (cf. 2.1.3.1.2(c)) are more telic in their transitive manifestations.”

“Moreover, let⟳ us remember⟳ that some verbs can be telic and agentive at the same time: if one looks at the ASH category n°1 (change⟳ of location), i.e. the verbs considered the most telic, like⟳ FF arriver (arrive⟳), partir (leave⟳), venir (come⟳), revenir (come⟳ back) (Sorace 2000:256), old Spanish huir (run⟳ away) and escapar (escape⟳) (Legendre 2007), do they not bear⟳ an agentive component?”

CEFR level