한국어 화제성과 초점성의 위계 : 인가 화제의 ‘는’과 비인가 화제의 ‘가’를 중심으로

Abstract

It is well known that nun and ka function as prototypical markers of topic and focus, respectively. They are generally distinguished in terms of relational givenness, with nun linked to old information and ka to new information. However, this distinction is not always clear-cut: what appears to be a topic may be marked by either nun or ka. We propose a division of topic into ratified and unratified topics. A ratified topic refers to an entity that the speaker assumes the hearer can readily anticipate as a topic, whereas an unratified topic lacks this property. We argue that ratified topics are marked by nun, while unratified topics are marked by ka. This distinction allows us to account for a wide range of related phenomena. At first glance, it may seem contradictory that ka marks both topic and focus, since topic encodes old information, whereas focus encodes new information. However, just like referential givenness, relational givenness also exhibits gradience. On this basis, we propose a hierarchy of topichood and focushood: ratified topic - unratified topic - information focus - identificational focus. Ratified topics are marked by nun, while all other statuses are marked by ka, thereby resolving the apparent contradiction.