The Role of Subjectivity and Intersubjectivity in the Grammaticalization of Icey in Korean

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of subjectivity and intersubjectivity in the grammaticalization of the Korean temporal adverb icey ‘now’. We argue that the deictic adverb icey grounded in the speaker's temporal position has developed into an epistemic discourse marker over time. Based on the investigation of instances of icey from modern Korean spoken corpora, we also claim that its seemingly various synchronic functions as an adverb and discourse marker are not arbitrary, but are coherently related to one another as the multiple senses of a single form, which can be accounted for by the process of increased subjectification and ultimately intersubjectification (cf. Traugott & Dasher 2002). Furthermore, it is claimed that the increase in the subjectivity of icey is motivated by cognitive mechanisms such as metonymic, metaphoric and pragmatic factors.