1. A computer implemented method comprising: identifying, using a processor, a time period to be described linguistically in an output text; identifying, using the processor, a communicative context for the output text; determining, using the processor, one or more temporal reference frames that are applicable to the time period and a domain defined by the communicative context; and generating, using the processor, a phrase specification that linguistically describes the time period based on a descriptor that is defined by a temporal reference frame of the one or more temporal reference frames, wherein the descriptor specifies a time window that is inclusive of at least a portion of the time period to be described linguistically.
5. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising: identifying, using the processor, another time period to be described linguistically; and determining, using the processor, a descriptor that is defined by another temporal reference frame of the one or more temporal reference frames.