This paper explores the well-known correlation between morphological causatives and morphological passives in Korean. The paper claims that despite the apparent overlap between the two constructions, the causative and the passive in Korean are derived in two different ways from a synchronic perspective. More specifically, I argue that the suffix -CI that appears to mark both the causative and the passive is listed in the lexicon, separately; -eykey in the causative is a case marker whereas -eykey in the passive is a postposition; and the possibility of the passive interpretation of some causative constructions is an instance of structural ambiguity. I support the claim by showing that the two constructions exhibit different behaviors with respect to relativization, quantifier floating, the possibility of idiomatic readings, and the scope of tasi ‘again’.
1. Introduction
2. The Syntax of the Causative and the Passive in Korean
3. The Partial Syncretism
4. The -Eykey Phrase
5. The Retained Object Construction
6. Conclusion
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