Earticle

Kwon, Iksoo. 2012. Construing Korean Proverb 'Arms Bend Inward' through Property Selection Processes. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 481-500. Proverbs assert their veracity about social and moral matters by linking features of generic social situations to mundane and individual human affairs. This paper focuses on the generic-to-specific mapping in the construal, exploring how a generic statement such as a proverb is used and understood in a relevant specific context. Particularly, this paper aims to revisit Lakoff and Turner’s (1989) model, GENERIC IS SPECIFIC metaphor and to show that the model itself does not fully explicate which properties of the source domain are picked and mapped onto their counterparts in the target domain. Rather, it merely provides a pool of relevant inferences and entailments for the generic statement. This paper argues that property selection process (Ibarretxe-Antuñano 1997) enables us to transparently explain the processes of construing a proverb; if we are able to characterize the domain of experience that constitutes the source domain in terms of selection processes, it will constrain the semantic extensions that occur in the corresponding target domain. This paper analyzes the Korean proverb phalun anulo kwupnunta ‘arms bend inward,’ roughly equivalent to saying in English, charity begins at home, as a case study and shows that the selection process helps to provide motivated accounts of how proverbs are construed. (University of California at Berkeley)

Kim, Sun-Hoi. 2012. Extra Derivation in Harmonic Serialism Grammar. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 501-524. In Harmonic Serialism (HS) grammar (McCarthy 2008, 2010), outputs are the result of multi-step derivations, and every derivational step is governed by the principles of Harmonic Improvement and Gradualness. This means that a derivational process can continue until EVAL selects, as an optimal output, an output candidate that is identical with the most recent input form, as long as these principles are observed at each derivational step. This paper investigates whether this type of derivational process provides an opportunity for an 'extra derivational' step, which then results in the selection of a problematic output. This paper focuses on the intermediate form transcribed as H, which does not have a [Place] feature and is derived from an input consonant. Possible outputs of H in HS are compared with actual outputs of Placeless /h/ in the typological analysis of word-medial clusters. This paper shows that HS allows the extra derivational step to occur, whereby non-existing forms in natural languages are incorrectly selected as optimal ones, and that this is due to the principles of Harmonic Improvement and Gradualness. (Chung-Ang University)

Kim, Jieun. 2012. A Semantic Approach to Intervention Effect. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 525-546. This paper proposes a new analysis of Intervention Effect, which is thought to occur as a Q-operator cannot properly bind a wh-phrase due to the interference of the so-called interveners. This intervention in binding can be interpreted either syntactically (Huang 1982, Chomsky 1986) or semantically (Beck 2006, Kim 2002, 2006, Wee 2007). I point out that the so-called interveners are neither general focus phrases nor simply quantified components. Previous approaches have missed the point of what kind of properties the interveners share. The interveners induce universal quantifier either in their at-issue proposition or in their presuppositional proposition. This universal quantifier from interveners interacts with an existential quantifier, the correspondence of a wh-phrase in the framework of a set theory of question meaning (Hamblin 1973, Karttunen 1977). This interaction between two quantifiers generates two possible question meanings. However, one of the question meaning is uninterpretable contradicting to the existential presupposition of a wh-question. I argue that Intervention Effect occurs because the 'intervener + wh-phrase' word order, which is alleged to induce Intervention Effect, makes this interaction between universal and existential quantifier possible. (University of Ulsan)

Park, So-Young, 2012. Derivations of Korean Causatives. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 547-570. This paper proposes a syntactic analysis of lexical and syntactic causatives in Korean. Korean falls into the voice-splitting language type of Pylkkänen(2002)'s (contra Son(2006)). Lexical and syntactic causatives diverge depending on the size of syntactic structure that the functional head CAUSE, the locus for causation, embeds; a lexical causative has a structure where CAUSE merges directly to a Root Phrase, whereas in a syntactic causative, the functional head CAUSE merges with a phasal vP. The former forms a uniform phase as a whole, while the latter is double-phasal. The proposed analysis offers direct accounts to syntactic and morphological properties of lexical and syntactic causatives in Korean. Discussions in this paper support a syntax-formation approach to lexical causatives. (Pusan National University)

Son, Gwangrak. 2012. The Scientific Inquiry of Linguistics, Its Goal and Means. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 571-588. A linguistic theory must satisfy both the observational and the explanatory adequacy. Since the former aims to explain a native speaker's knowledge and language phenomena in a particular language while the latter gives its top billing to an account of the initial state of language(i.e., Universal Grammar), the two are necessarily in conflict with each other. On top of this, the two adequacies stand on different philosophical grounds, the former being on empiricism and the latter on rationalism. This paper tries to release the tension between the two, and in the course of discussion, it explores what 'science' means in linguistic inquiry and how human beings have obtained the so-called 'science-forming faculty' through the evolution of human mind. (Kyungpook National University)

Shin, Keun Young. 2012. Determiner Restriction in Bare Singulars and Weak Definites. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 589-606. This paper attempts to support Carlson and Sussman’s (2005) claim that English weak definites and bare singulars should be classified into the same group and to suggest that the peculiar forms of bare singulars and weak definites are attributed to the semantic structure of a noun. I propose that nouns in weak definite DPs and bare singulars do not simply denote entities but have event/argument structure. Under this approach, the absence of a determiner or the non-ordinary use of the definite article is understood as a general characteristic of nouns with event/argument structure. Weak definites and bare singulars show the same restrictions of determiners as complex event nominals and gerunds. It is also possible to extend the proposed analysis to account for weak definite readings with relational nouns and to generalize weak definite readings in different constructions. (Hanyang University)

An, Duk-Ho. 2012. Genitive Case from a Minimalist Point of View: With Special Reference to Korean. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 607-621. I propose in this paper that the nature of the so-called genitive Case marker uy in Korean should be reconsidered. More specifically, working under the formulation of Case in generative grammar―in particular, its GB and Minimalist incarnation, I argue that despite its traditional designation as a Case marker, the occurrence of uy actually does not entail or correlate with Case-licensing of its host. To this effect, I show that uy attaches, sometimes obligatorily, to elements which under standard assumptions do not require Case at all. Then I go on to argue that uy is in an allomorphic relation with some other element in the language used for marking prenominal verbal and adjectival modifiers, which further supports the claim that uy is not to be considered a genuine indictor of Case-licensing. Regarding the nature of the allomorphic variation in question, I argue that these elements instantiate an abstract prenominal inflection. This is supported by the fact that in Middle Korean, this abstract prenominal inflection was in fact realized overtly. This further strengthens the current proposal concerning the status of uy in that the primary function of the prenominal inflection, which is realized as uy in proper contexts in Modern Korean, was not to mark Case-licensing. Finally, I suggest that the function of uy is to make Merge in prenominal position possible, essentially following Cho & Sells (1994) and Chomsky (2008). (Konkuk University)

Yae, Sunhee. 2012. The Functional Evolution of '-Ppwun-' in Korean: A Grammaticalization Perspective. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 623-638. This paper examines the grammatical functions of a defective noun ppwun from the perspective of grammaticalization. Ppwun synchronically functions as a sentential ending, an additive connective marker, a modality marker, or a discourse marker. Its obsolete functions as a concessive marker and a definiteness particle in the place of man in PDK are also identified diachronically. Subjectification accounts for the development into a modality marker of ppwun based on the speaker's strong commitment on the truth condition of the proposition. The evolution into the discourse marker of ppwun verifies the fortification of its subjective and procedural function toward the cohesiveness of the discourse. (Chung-Ang University)

Yong, Namseok & Lee, Miseon. 2012. Semantic Effects of a Pre-verbal Argument on the Online Processing of Korean Sentences: An Eye-tracking Study. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 639-657. The goal of this study was to examine the role of the lexical semantic information of pre-verbal arguments in the online processing of sentences. More specifically, it was examined whether the semantic information of the subject can predictively restrict the semantic domain of the upcoming argument even before the verb is introduced into the string. Given that the speakers of SOV languages can produce and process verb-final sentences without any difficulties, other information than that from a verb should be involved in the sentence processing so that the speakers do not have to wait until the end of a clause. In our eye-tracking experiment, 38 participants showed anticipatory eye-movements to the picture of the direct object (e.g., food) as soon as hearing a semantically related subject (e.g., cook), but did not when the subject (e.g., Yenghi) was semantically neutral to the object. These results confirm the predictive mechanism of the parsing system and the semantic effect of a pre-verbal argument: that is, using the semantic information of a pre-verbal argument which is available early in the input, the parser can rapidly limit the semantic type of the following argument. In this way, a verb-final language can be processed immediately and incrementally. (Hanyang University)

Lee, Doo-Won. 2012. Multiple Case Marking and Null Argument Phenomena. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 659-678. This paper deals critically with An's (2012) argument that the second clause (i.e. target clause) of a sentence is derived from the multiple case marking (MCM) construction via null pronominalization (i.e. pro) of the second nominative phrase with the optional introduction of a relevant discourse particle such as the topic marker -nun. This paper identifies the following by examining some empirical phenomena involved in this argument. First, though the genitive construction in the first clause allows MCM counterparts, the target clause does not always permit null pronominalization. Second, only when the genuine grammatical subject or object in the target clause is selected by its predicate, it can undergo null pronominalization. At this point, body-part or kinship expressions are a typical example which can be represented as pro. Third, the target clause may or may not be equivalent to the MCM counterpart when it involves pro. Finally, the genuine grammatical subject or object in question necessarily shows up as a null argument when the target clause involves null pronominalization, regardless of whether one or more genitive elements appear in the genitive construction in the antecedent clause. (Korea National University of Transportation)

Lee, Sechang. 2012. Historical Development of Off-glides: A Diachronic Study of Sound Changes in Phonological System of Korean. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 679-696. This article aims to present a diachronic account of how the off-glides in Middle Korean have gone through convergence on /ɨj/ in Early Modern Korean and Modern Korean. I claim that there are inherent limitations in previous treatments in that their analyses employed crucial constraints embedding the observation to be explained, which leads to cyclicity in their argument. My account is based on the theoretical framework of Shane (1984), where three elementary particles represent phonological traits. I also take an already-established assumption that off-glides dominate two moras which contrast with on-glides with just one mora. The consequence in my analysis is that only off-glides are subject to diachronic sound changes in question. I provide a ranking of relevant constraints that derives all the off-glides in Middle Korean. The disappearance of all the off-glides except /ɨj/ after Middle Korean nicely falls out from re-ranking a single constraint. The most important finding in this article is the fact that the long-time process of off-glide conversion turned out to be due to an economic mechanism of re-ranking in a theory of constraint interaction. (Sookmyung Women’s University)

Lee, Wooseung. 2012. ECM Constructions Redux. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 697-717. Exceptional Case Marking /Subject-to-Object Raising (ECM/SOR, hereafter) constructions have been given largely two different analyses. Under GB assumption, the embedded infinitival clauses were taken as IP, where the infinitival subject is exceptionally Case-marked by the matrix transitive verb. This analysis gave the constructions the well-known name 'ECM'. A recent minimalist program (and an earlier transformational grammar) takes the constructions as involving subject-to-object raising. Specifically, the subject of the embedded infinitival clause undergoes raising to the object position or AgrO Spec of the matrix clause, where Case gets assigned or checked by the matrix transitive verb. This analysis gave the constructions the name 'SOR'. In this paper, we will revisit the constructions which have been argued to be Korean counterparts of English ECM. Specifically, this paper presents some empirical phenomena that appear to be ECM/SOR without supporting either of the above two analyses. In fact, the constructions will be analyzed as a Focus Phrase, that is, a focus DP followed by CP proposition containing a pro. (Hyupsung University)

Lim, Namsil. 2012. Processing of Relative Clauses in Korean: High vs. Low Attachment. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 719-736. It has been observed that temporary structural ambiguity often arises in many languages when a relative clause along with a complex NP is parsed. According to the experimental results from the previous studies, different languages show different attachment preferences for dealing with structural ambiguity. For instance, English prefers low attachment (LA) whereas Spanish prefers high attachment (HA) when such a relative clause is parsed. This study aims to investigate whether Korean monolinguals‘ HA preferences in processing relative clause is evident, as predicted by Predicate Proximity and as shown from the previous studies. This study found that the percentage of HA is much higher than that of LA and Korean monolinguals have a timing advantage when the disambiguating is toward HA. (Konkuk University)

Ha, Seungwan. 2012. A Sideward Movement Analysis of Transparent Free Relatives. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 737-756. This paper is concerned with syntactic derivations of Transparent Free Relatives (TFRs). We first reviewed the two previous analyses: PF-deletion and Multiple Dominance (MD), but found conceptual and empirical problems. The deletion analysis suffers from a conceptual problem, in that PF-deletion is considered optional but forced in TFRs. The MD account fails to account for empirical facts centering around NPI-licensing. We propose an alternative that TFRs involve sideward movement. The TFR predicate is copied from the relative clause and merged to the main clause. As derivation proceeds, the TFR is adjoined to the head noun in the main clause. The copies of the TFR predicate are in a c-command relation, forming chain. Since non-distinct copies would induce a violation of the irreflexivity condition on linear order, one of the copies must delete by Chain Reduction. Sideward movement also resolves the intervention effect in NPI-licensing which poses a serious challenge to the MD account. (Kyungpook National University)

Hong, Dal Oh & Um, Hong-Joon. 2012. A Cognitive Linguistic Study of the Meanings of the Time Words ‘tongan’ and ‘sai’. Korean Journal of Linguistics, 37-3, 757-782. The purpose of this paper is to consider and compare the characteristics and origins of meanings of the nouns ‘tongan; and ’sai’ which are widely used as ‘time expression’ from a cognitive linguistic perspective. The meanings of ‘tongan’ and ‘sai’ are originated from space concept which is gradually mapped into time concept. However, they differ from each other in that while the former is used to express the continuity(durability) of an event between two points in time, the latter is used to express the discontinuity of an event between two points in time. In this paper, we illustrate the origins of two words with image schema, describe their characteristics in meaning, and compare the meanings of the sentences in which ‘tongan’ and ‘sai’ are used. Furthermore, we classify the elements before and after two words ‘tongan’ and ‘sai’ according to the parts of speech and the meanings of the elements, and use its metrized result. (Chung-Ang University & Keimyung University)