Semantics of exceptives oyey and pakkey in Korean

Abstract

In this paper, I show how oyey 'except' and pakkey 'but' in Korean are semantically different from but/except in English. The exceptive oyey is attached only to a definite NP and shows no restriction on the NP that it is associated with. The referent of the NP is removed from either the restrictor, or nuclear scope, of the associated NP, also giving rise to two different inferences about the exception phrase. The inferences are based on the condition that an expression should make a non-trivial meaning contribution in a sentence. The complement of oyey is really taken to be an exception in one interpretation, but not in the other. The exceptive pakkey is assumed to be a NPI. It does not require a phrase that a pakkey-phrase is associated with. It can be attached to any type of phrases, including a NP. Attached to a full phrase, it is interpreted as a scalar item. Its core meaning contribution is to remove weaker alternatives from the scalar set locally. For a general interpretation, the other meanings are captured globally. A pakkey-phrase with a demonstrative has a conjunctive meaning, and it can be analyzed like oyey in one of the two interpretations.