Pseudo-incorporation, event kinds, and atelicity

Abstract

This paper investigates how kind-referring arguments shape (a)telicity by examining aspectual contrasts involving pseudo-incorporation (PI) in Turkish. Building on Sağ's (2019, 2022) analysis of Turkish PI and Chierchia’s (2023) approach to plural kinds and their effect on lexical aspect, I argue that PI involves singular kind reference at the event-kind level, establishing taxonomic event kinds. This approach provides an explanation for the puzzling atelicity of PI constructions, distinguishing them from caseless indefinites and canonical singular kind arguments. Additionally, it elucidates how PI relates to plural kind argumentation, highlighting their similar yet distinct characteristics. Ultimately, my analysis demonstrates that event-kind-level arguments play a fundamental role in determining the aspectual interpretation of verbal predicates, expanding our understanding of kind reference beyond the nominal domain.