Telic — Purpose & Function

GL Telic quale — encodes the purpose or function conventionally associated with an entity. Pustejovsky (1995) distinguishes Direct Telic (the entity is the object or patient of the action — a cake is eaten) from Indirect Telic (the entity is the subject or instrument — a pen is used to write).

The Telic family is rooted at fnbr:has_telic, with six direct children and three grandchildren via has_indirect_telic.

fnbr:has_telic

The Direct Telic relation: an entity is conventionally used to perform a particular action. The entity is the patient/theme of the action.

• DUL parents: dul:has_role · dul:has_task
• Children: fnbr:agentively_uses · fnbr:constitutively_uses · fnbr:has_adversarial_telic · fnbr:has_indirect_telic · fnbr:has_telic_as · fnbr:is_resolved_by
• Domain: Artifact
• Range: Purpose

fnbr:has_telic_as

An entity is used in the role of another object type (e.g., a brick used as a doorstop). The role-as-instrument reading.

• DUL parents: dul:is_classified_by
• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_telic
• Domain: Object
• Range: Role

fnbr:has_adversarial_telic

An entity is used to act against a particular target or adversary. Specialization of Telic with an Adversary role.

• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_telic
• Domain: Weapon
• Range: Adversary

fnbr:has_indirect_telic

The Indirect (Purpose) Telic: the entity is the subject, instrument, or indirect object of the Telic action — not the theme.

• DUL parents: dul:has_role
• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_telic
• Children: fnbr:is_locus_activity · fnbr:is_purpose_of_agent · fnbr:is_purpose_of_instrument
• Domain: Facilitator
• Range: Action

fnbr:is_purpose_of_agent

An activity is the defining purpose of a particular agent type — characteristic of agentive nominals (singer:sing, runner:run).

• DUL parents: dul:has_task
• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_indirect_telic
• Domain: Activity
• Range: AgentiveNominal

fnbr:is_purpose_of_instrument

An activity is the purpose of an instrument or utensil. The instrument facilitates the activity.

• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_indirect_telic
• Domain: Activity
• Range: Instrument

fnbr:agentively_uses

A composite quale combining Agentive and Telic: the entity uses another in its creation process.

• DUL parents: dul:has_participant
• fnbr: parents: fnbr:has_telic · fnbr:has_agentive
• Domain: Creator
• Range: Material

fnbr:is_resolved_by

A problem, question, or issue is resolved by a particular solution, answer, or action.

• DUL parents: dul:has_postcondition
• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_telic
• Domain: Problem
• Range: Solution

fnbr:is_locus_activity

An activity is the conventional purpose of a functional location (church → worship, library → reading, gym → exercise).

• DUL parents: dul:has_location
• fnbr: parent: fnbr:has_indirect_telic
• Domain: Activity
• Range: Location