The Meanings of '-uy', the So-called Korean Genitive Case Marker, and the Theme-Location Relation

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the meanings of ‘-uy,’ the so-called Korean genitive case marker, used in ‘N1-uy N2’ constructions, under the framework of Cognitive Grammar (Langacker 1987, 1991a,b, 2000, etc.), and propose a new relation that may hold between the two nouns. The discussion will focus on three tasks: first, to propose the prototypical meaning of ‘-uy’ and analyze the semantic relations between the two nominals N1 and N2; second, to account for how ‘-uy’ can be attached to the postpositional phrases, as in kunye- ropwute-uy pyenci ‘a letter from her,’ and kunye-wa-uy kyelhon sayngwhal ‘a marriage life with her’; third, to propose a new relation that holds between N1 and N2, which can account for the various types of relations in a unifying way. For the first task, I apply Langacker’s analysis of the prototypical meaning of the English preposition of, and propose that in Korean ‘-uy’ prototypically profiles a relationship in which the trajector (N2) constitutes an inherent and restricted subpart of the landmark (N1). The second task will be done from the point of semantic extension. Concerning the third task, I will propose the ‘Theme-Location Relation,’ in which the trajector functions as a ‘Theme’, and the landmark as a ‘Location.'