Earticle

This paper aims to make several suggestions. First, linguistic typology should be based on the correctly described data of the individual languages. Second, Korean linguistics also should be objectively described in terms of distribution so that it can contribute to the typology of languages of the world. We reexamined the so-called double subject constructions in order to check the justification of applying the concept 'non-nominative subject' to Korean. We concluded that the 'dative subject' is not true subject of the so-called double subject constructions, but just oblique constituent. The true subject of the so-called double subject constructions is realize in the form of 'NP1-eun/neun' or 'NP1-i/ga'. And we proved that the second constituent 'NP2-i/ga' in those constructions could be analyzed object complement, revealing the misconcept of 'predicate clause'.

When considering grammatical characteristics of a language, we must focus on properties which are rare or infrequent among the languages over the world. Most of the properties adduced by the so-called theory of (Ural-)Altaic common features, when viewed from modern typological viewpoints, are not confined to (Ural-)Altaic, but can be found in other families and areas. Moreover, many of them are quite common among world languages, so cannot be considered to be evidences of genetic affinity. On the other hand, Korean and Japanese have many properties of the Circum-Pacific Mega Linguistic Area, as well as the Eurasian Mega Linguistic Area. This is due to the fact that these two languages are located between these two Mega Linguistic Areas. In addition to surface properties, we should examine deep factors which influence and give shape to surface properties. Dominance and harmony proposed by Greenberg are good examples of such deep factors.

The purpose of this paper lies to provide with a new way of dictionary description of conjecture modal expressions expressed by grammatical collocations in Korean. This is so, because that we believe there are many problems in the dictionary description of grammatical collocations in major Korean dictionaries. Collecting collocation research data was done based on first 906 lemmas of [Korean Grammar for foreign students2 –usages], and second, the textbooks of major Korean Institutes for teaching Korean. After then, we first compare the dictionary definitions of the conjecture modal expressions of the 7 major Korean dictionaries to show how they differ, and what could be problems to others. Second, we provided with a new way of dictionary description emphasizing on classification, conditions, segmentation of grammatical collocations. Taking this stance on the dictionary descriptions reflects on the fact that, as time goes by, forms of grammatical collocation are not so much important information as function and meaning in selecting lemma, knowing dictionary users needing more and more practical usages.