Case Alternation in Morphological Passive and Theoretical Implications

Abstract

I investigate so called case alternation in morphological passive constructions, focusing on the whole part and numeral floated quantifier constructions. I suggest that case morphemes in Korean are isomorphic, serving as case, topic, or focus morphemes, quite in agreement with the recent observation in the literature (Schütze 2001, Choi 2008, 2013). I also suggest that part NP in the whole part construction and the associate NP in the numeral floated quantifier construction are nominal adverbials. With this view, we can address the interesting but yet unnoticed contrast in so called case alternation in whole part and numeral floated quantifier construction in a fundamental way. The present proposal has a non-trivial theoretical implication with respect to the problems of case and theta theory as posed by the two constructions.