This paper revisits the structure of the so-called “adversity” construction in Korean. The construction is formed by attaching the idiosyncratic -i/-hi/-li/-ki suffixes to some transitive roots, but differ from typical inchoative/passive constructions, which also involve the -i/-hi/-li/-ki allomorphy. I show that the peculiarities of the construction arise due to the selectional relationships among syntactic heads—active Voice, high applicative, verbalizer—as well as an implied PRO argument. I motivate the analysis with various pieces of evidence—the behaviors of depictive secondary predicates, properties of case marking and agent-oriented adverbs, as well as scope interpretation. I then show that a three-way distinction among the construction in question and two types of passives in Korean emerges due to two syntactic factors: the type of the Voice head and the syntactic position of the relevant verbal suffixes. Finally, some implications regarding the semantics of Voice and high applicative are discussed.
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Background
3. The Properties of the “Adversity” Constructions
4. Proposal: The Structure of the Affected -i/-hi/-li/-ki Construction
5. Further Consequences: Three Types of Constructions
6. Implications: The Semantics of Voice and High Appl
7. Conclusions and Remaining Questions
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