Time in Language, Situation Models, and Mental Simulations

The purpose of this article is to propose a view of language processing, and particularly the role of aspect therein, from a mental-simulation perspective. I argue that situation model theories can account for the flow between and interconnectedness of event representations but that mental simulation theories are needed to account for the internal structure of event representations. The article concludes with some speculative thoughts on how simulation theories might accomplish this intellectual feat.