TAM categories: Can they be predicted from their numbers (a language's TAM inventory size)?

Question

To some extent, vowels can be predicted based on the size of the vowel inventory, so, for example, in a 3-vowel system, it will be /a i u/, whereas in a 4-vowel system, we will get /a i u ɛ/ or /a i u ɨ/ etc. (based on Crothers 1978). We can also predict consonants, to a limited degree, based on their numbers, place of articulation etc. In addition, we can predict the colour terms based on the number of colours distinguished in the system.

Hence, I would like to know what kind of implicational tree can one draw when we think of the TAM categories (separately - as tense, aspect and mood - or as a bundle), e.g. if a language only has two tenses, what are they (not)?

I could imagine something like this:

• 2 tenses: past vs. non-past or future vs. non-future
• 3 tenses: past vs. present vs. future
• 4 tenses: past I vs. present I vs. past II vs. present II

etc.

I will be grateful for any relevant references too.

Answer 1

For a starter, you may look up the Wikipedia article on Grammatical Tense (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_tense). Besides past vs non-past you can also find future vs. non-future in a two-tense system, e.g., in Quechua.