Notes on Case Alternation in Passive Constructions

Passive constructions in Korean reorganize case assignment by transforming the object of an active sentence into the subject of a passive sentence, typically marked with nominative case. However, the presence of accusative-marked DPs in passive sentences poses a challenge to traditional case licensing theories. Korean passive constructions exhibit a range of case-marking patterns: some allow alternation between nominative and accusative case, others require nominative case exclusively, while certain constructions mandate accusative case for a single DP. This study examines these patterns using the Dependent Case framework, which posits that accusative case emerges from competition between DPs within the local case domain. Such competition occurs in two-place predicates, where multiple arguments vie for case assignment, enabling accusative marking. Conversely, one-place predicates lack this competition, leading to double nominative constructions. These findings underscore the pivotal role of verb argument structure in shaping case competition and determining the observed case-marking patterns in Korean passives, offering a principled explanation within the Dependent Case framework.