NP-ellipsis and numeral classifiers in Korean

Bibliographic Data

ID10292012
AuthorsSoyoung Park (0000-0002-9533-9191, Pusan National University, corresponding author), So-Young Park, So‐young Park (0000-0002-4573-6826, Pusan National University)
Year2021
Volume59
Issue3
Pages635-681
Publication date2021-05-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLinguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0024-3949 • E-ISSN: 1613-396X
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/ling-2021-0065
OpenAlexW3163144757
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited58

The syntactic status of numeral classifiers with respect to NP-ellipsis in classifier languages has been a controversial subject in many recent discussions. Addressing this issue, this article argues that Korean numeral classifiers can serve as functional heads that license NP-ellipsis via PF-deletion. A null NP appearing in a numeral classifier context cannot be identified with any other null categories, such as a pro or a null NP pro-form. This null NP induces a different reading from a pro, especially when a possessor argument is stacked with a numeral classifier construction. Unlike an NP pro-form, it allows the extraction of an internal argument and exhibits a complementary distribution with kes ‘one’, a visible counterpart of a Korean NP pro-form. This article’s claim gains additional support from the asymmetries in NP-ellipsis of a uy -marked numeral classifier, contingent on its ambiguity, such as a ‘quantity’ or ‘property’ interpretation. In addition, the distribution of bare numerals in relation to the NP pro-form kes offers further evidence, reinforcing the claim

Ambiguity · Argument (complex analysis) · Classifier (UML) · Linguistics · Natural language processing · Null (SQL) · Numeral system · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Mathematics · Natural Language Processing Techniques · Philosophy · semigroups and automata theory · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation