한․중 양태 표현의 대조적 고찰

A Contrastive Study on Modal Expressions of Korean and Chinese: Especially concerning the '-(으)ㄹ 수 있다' in Korean and '能'in Chinese

This paper reviewed the modal expression systems of Korean and Chinese, especially contrasted the modal expression '-(으)ㄹ 수 있다' and '能', which mean 'possibility' and compared their meaning and negative patterns. (1) The representative modal expressions in Korean are the pre-final endings, final endings and periphrastic constructions); the representative grammatical form of modal expressions in Chinese are the modal auxiliary verbs and modal particles. (2) The meanings of Chinese modal auxiliary verb could be interpreted as the periphrastic construction modal expressions in Korean. The meanings of Korean modal endings hardly correspond to Chinese modal expressions. On the contrary, it is difficult to present the domain of Chinese modal particles with simple grammatical patterns in Korean. (3) In Korean, '-(으)ㄹ 수 있다' indicates [capability], [permission] or [sporadic] of the subject in the obligatory modality and supposition of cognitive modality, while '能' does not imply the supposition of epistemic modality and sporadic of obligatory modality, but it implies [be good at] which '-(으)ㄹ 수 있다' can not. (4) '-(으)ㄹ 수 있다' has its negative form '-ㄹ 수 없다', however, when it implies the supposition of epistemic modality and sporadic of deonic modality, the negative form could not be actualized. The negative forms of '能' are '不能, 不能不, 能不’ etc. Among them, the double negative form of '不能不' makes affirmative, and '能不' is used in interrogative sentences, it is close to the character of rhetorical affirmative sentences.