Unified Formal Architecture of Temporal Semantics: Bridging Category Theory, Cognitive Primitives, and Universal Grammar in High-Impact Linguistic Research

Temporal semantics remains theoretically fragmented because many accounts treat time as a single external coordinate used to locate events, while under-specifying the event-internal structures that speakers reliably encode and interpret. This paper proposes a τ-first architecture that separates internal time (τ)—the event-internal dynamics by which processes unfold, culminate, persist, or accumulate—from external reference time (t), treated as a derived anchoring layer shaped by discourse coordination, pragmatic enrichment, and sociocultural convention. We recast tense–aspect systems as τ→t projection systems: τ provides the primary semantic substrate (event structure, aspectual composition, telicity, and phase), while t emerges through anchoring operations implemented by tense, temporal modification, and discourse-structural update. Formally, τ-structures are modeled as structured objects whose externalization is captured by structure-preserving mappings into morphosyntactic realization spaces, enabling a unified account of compositional temporal meaning. Cognitively, the proposal aligns with evidence that temporal interpretation tracks event-internal structure and situation-model dynamics rather than mere timeline indexing. Pragmatically and sociopragmatically, implicature, presupposition, and social norms are treated as interface mechanisms regulating how τ is externalized into socially usable t-anchors. The paper specifies an operational τ-annotation protocol and a minimal pilot design that renders the framework directly testable while remaining explicitly foundational. The result is a unified architecture meeting Q1 standards of formal explicitness, cognitive plausibility, cross-linguistic reach, and falsifiable predictions.