"XP-(이)나ˮ의 중의성

Abstract

In Korean, if “-(i)na” is used in the form of XP-(i)na, it has two different meanings. In general, it has been considered a single morpheme that is interpreted pragmatically differently, depending on the linguistic and contextual environments it is used in. One reason is that the two meanings involve a scalar meaning. However, the two meanings are robust and independent of each other. In one meaning, “-(i)na” means that the sentence with a higher alternative of X is not true. In the other, it adds the conventional implicature that XP is a higher alternative than the expected one. One meaning or the other is allowed or not in a sentence, depending on the sentence type and the type and force of modality involved in the sentence. From this we conclude there are two lexemes of “-(i)na”s used in the form of XP-(i)na.