(A)symmetric Tense Interpretation in Korean Tensless -ko Coordination and Structural Analysis

Abstract

Yoon (1996) and Yoon (1993, 1994, 1997) claim that bare -ko coordinate structures are instances of VP (or verbal constituent) coordination and the post-verbal morphemes as phrasal suffixes/enclitics are cliticized to verbs or verbs with such affixes. In this paper, however, I argue that the size of the coordinated elements in bare -ko coordinate structures are sometimes larger than VP (or verbal constituent) and that post-verbal morphemes are not necessarily phrasal suffixes, either. My argument is based on the following two observations: (i) bare -ko coordination sometimes produces asymmetric tense interpretation and (ii) post-verbal morphemes can be sporadically recovered in the interpretation of the first conjunct.