This study presents a novel and comprehensive analysis on the indirect plural marking –tul’’s realizations in Korean. -Tul exhibits esoteric distributions, in that it is essentially optional, can be realized conditioned by a plural element other than a subject, and is, in general, limited to VP-internal constituents, while being able to be attached to a sentence-final ending. Previous analyses, such as a plural subject copying analysis (Song 1975), a subject agreement analysis (Choe 1988, Lee 1991, Park & Sohn 1993, Park 2008), and a CP-adjunction analysis (Lee 2012), cannot fully accounting for these distributions. Based on the Distributed Morphology, this study proposes -tul as a dissociated morpheme inserted at PF, in agreement with its closest C-commanding plural antecedent. Such an analysis provides a straightforward account for those distributional peculiarities, and in addition, it leads to an implication on the phonological constraints on –tul’s realizations in relation with Phase Impenetrability Condition.
