A Formal Definition of Temporal Default Relations

In this paper, I will redefine standard formulations of aspect, using partial ordering structures (i.e., lattices) on intervals. I will show that such a reformulation allows unexpected insights on the nature of aspectual relations, and temporal relations more in general. More specifically, it will be shown that the underspecification account of unmarked aspect can be motivated in this way, and that the old idea of the present tense as a default tense (cf. Jakobson 1932/1971) can be formalized in a precise way. Furthermore, perfective and imperfective aspect turn out to be in a scalar relation, where imperfective aspect is more informative than perfective aspect.