An Alternative Analysis of the “Case Alternation” Phenomenon in Korean
2
조회
0
다운로드
0
인용
0
참고문헌
키워드
초록
This study investigates the phenomenon traditionally referred to as “case alternation” between postpositions and the markers –i/ka or –ul/lul in Korean. These markers have traditionally been identified as nominative and accusative case markers, respectively. However, this study follows Chae’s(2023) argument that –i/ka and –ul/lul are not case markers but delimiters. The central hypothesis is that, in sentences exhibiting this alternation, one of the delimiters appears only in positions where a postposition can be omitted without compromising grammaticality. This claim is grounded in the intrinsic properties of adjuncts such as delimiters, which are contextually employed when their semantic and pragmatic functions align with the discourse context. To empirically validate this claim, syntactic experiments were conducted with native speakers utilizing authentic dialogue data from Korean dramas and films. The results revealed a robust correlation between the omission of postpositions and the occurrence of delimiters. Furthermore, the findings confirmed a complementary distribution:-i/ka consistently appeared in stative contexts, whereas -ul/lul occurred exclusively in dynamic contexts. Consequently, this study argues that “case alternation” in Korean does not reflect variability in case marking but rather arises from two fundamentally distinct syntactic structures: postpositional phrases on the one hand, and noun phrases modified by delimiters on the other. This approach provides a comprehensive explanation for the phenomenon and challenges established assumptions about case marking in Korean.
Abstract
This study investigates the phenomenon traditionally referred to as “case alternation” between postpositions and the markers –i/ka or –ul/lul in Korean. These markers have traditionally been identified as nominative and accusative case markers, respectively. However, this study follows Chae’s(2023) argument that –i/ka and –ul/lul are not case markers but delimiters. The central hypothesis is that, in sentences exhibiting this alternation, one of the delimiters appears only in positions where a postposition can be omitted without compromising grammaticality. This claim is grounded in the intrinsic properties of adjuncts such as delimiters, which are contextually employed when their semantic and pragmatic functions align with the discourse context. To empirically validate this claim, syntactic experiments were conducted with native speakers utilizing authentic dialogue data from Korean dramas and films. The results revealed a robust correlation between the omission of postpositions and the occurrence of delimiters. Furthermore, the findings confirmed a complementary distribution:-i/ka consistently appeared in stative contexts, whereas -ul/lul occurred exclusively in dynamic contexts. Consequently, this study argues that “case alternation” in Korean does not reflect variability in case marking but rather arises from two fundamentally distinct syntactic structures: postpositional phrases on the one hand, and noun phrases modified by delimiters on the other. This approach provides a comprehensive explanation for the phenomenon and challenges established assumptions about case marking in Korean. This approach provides a comprehensive explanation for the phenomenon and challenges established assumptions about case marking in Korean.