Semantics and Syntax of Correlative Adverbs

Abstract

This paper concerns the syntax and semantics of a set of adverbs, dubbed as Correlative Adverbs (CAs), that apparently have no semantic content but pair with particular functional elements in Korean. For example, adverbs simcie and tanci pair with delimiters -kkaci/-to/-mace 'even' and -man 'only', respectively, and adverbs pilok and manil cooccur with a concessive complementizer and a conditional complementizer, respectively. (See Kim 1996, Park 1996, Ym 1999, and Chae 2002a,b, Chung 2003, among others.) It will be observed that such CAs function as focus scope barriers. Their status as focus scope barriers is ascribed to the syntactic position they assume, i.e., at the edge (SPEC) of the associated functional categories, marking the left edge of the focus scope, analogous to Sohn's (1995) positioning negative polarity items at the left edge of NegP. Two alternative approaches, i.e., Chae's (2002a,b, 2004) IPSG (Indexed Phrase Structure Grammar) analysis and an LF raising/agree analysis will be discussed but ultimately rejected due to some empirical and theoretical problems they bear.