There exist asymmetries between the iss-headed periphrases and the others of grammatical aspect in Korean. The auxiliary verb iss- ‘to be’ is plastic with regard to the grammatical aspect being rendered as well as the accompanying aspectual suffix, in a stark contrast with the other aspectual auxiliary verbs that are rigid in those regards. In addition, the -e iss- perfective, one of the iss-headed periphrases, is subject to both the telicity and the intransitivity requirement on participating verbs from which the other aspectual auxiliary verbs are free. It is suggested that these asymmetries stem from the semantic vagueness of the auxiliary verb iss-, and that this auxiliary verb is underspecified for the grammatical aspect.
1. Introduction
2. Asymmetries in the Aspectual Periphrases
3. A Morphosyntactic Approach
4. Concluding Remarks
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