보조사 구문의 통합 양상과 원리 - 비교의 보조사 구문을 중심으로 -

초록

This study investigates the patterns and principles governing the integration of Korean focus particle constructions, with particular attention to comparative focus particle constructions such as the pota, mankhum, and chelem constructions. The primary objective is to examine how the focus and alternative of each focus particle construction are interpreted when another focus particle follows a comparative focus particle, and to identify both the principles that license such integrations and the constraints that block them. Among these comparative focus particle constructions, the mankhum construction shows the highest degree of integration flexibility. It integrates with nearly all types of focus particle constructions. This flexibility is attributed to its dual semantic function: in addition to marking a standard of comparison, mankhum also expresses scalar degree, allowing the focus of the following focus particle construction to denote an endpoint on a scale. The chelem construction also permits integration with a wide range of focus particle constructions; however, unlike degree comparison, it encodes manner comparison, and the meanings of the chelem construction and the following focus particle construction are realized transparently. In contrast, the pota construction exhibits the most restricted integration pattern. It is incompatible with exclusive particles such as man, since exclusive focus particle constructions require focus and alternatives to take different values and exclude those alternatives, which is incompatible with inequality comparison in the pota construction. Through a systematic analysis of focus extension, whereby a short focus receives a wider interpretation, and focus contraction, whereby the particle of a long focus construction shifts into the focus domain, this study demonstrates that the focus and alternatives of the following focus particle construction are interpreted as including the comparative particle. The findings further suggest that certain combinations, such as pota-to, pota-nun, mankhum-irato, and mankhum-un, have undergone conventionalization and may be analyzed as compound particles.

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