In this paper, I discuss a semantic aspect of the null degree word/operator in Korean clausal and phrasal comparatives to suggest the following: First, the null degree word in Korean comparatives can be replaced with overt deictic degree words (cf. Choe (2012)). Second, -pota may license a generic or a specific phrase, but not a non-specific phrase. Third, while deictic degree words in Korean are ambiguous between specific and non-specific, the null (deictic) degree word in Korean comparatives is non-specific so that -pota may not come directly after the stripped compared constituent containing the (non-specific) degree word. During the discussion, to explain a certain cross-linguistic difference between Korean and English, I also suggest that the null degree word in English can be ambiguous between specific and non-specific, unlike the one in Korean, and that the null degree word of the stripped compared constituent should be specific in English, because than also cannot license a non-specific phrase.
1. Introduction
2. Some aspects of Korean comparatives
3. The (non)specificity of the (null) degree word
4. Summary