Chapter 3
On divergent paths and functions of ‘background’-based discourse
markers in Korean
This paper analyzes two polyfunctional discourse
markers (DMs) in Korean, kulssey and
kuntey, which share lexical and grammatical
sources, with the meaning of ‘at the time’ for
kulssey and ‘at the place’ for
kuntey. They denote the background of an
action/event (‘in such circumstances’), which is their primary
meaning when used as connective adverbs. Despite these source
commonalities, when they developed into DMs, their functional
differences are pronounced, only with a few shared functions. They
show a certain degree of positional preferences by function, but at
a more comprehensive level, left- and right-periphery do not show
rigid functional dichotomy with respect to subjectification and
intersubjectification, often hypothesized in the literature.
Instead, the role of prosody is more crucial.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The development of kulssey and
kuntey
- 3.Multiple DM functions of kulssey and
kuntey
- 3.1Kulssey
- 3.1.1Uncertainty (“Well, I’m not sure”)
- 3.1.2Pause-filling (“Well, let’s see”)
- 3.1.3Reluctance/Hesitance (“Well, I need time to reveal my
stance”)
- 3.1.4(Feigned) surprise (“Guess what happened!; Why on
earth”)
- 3.1.5Discontent (“I cannot understand; I’m not happy”)
- 3.1.6Protest (“What are you doing?”)
- 3.1.7Emphatic reassertion (“I’m telling you!; For
sure!”)
- 3.1.8Disregard for Emphasis (“No matter what!;
Whatever!”)
- 3.1.9Agreement (“You’re right!”)
- 3.2Kuntey
- 3.2.1Topic presentation (“So”)
- 3.2.2Topic shift (“By the way”)
- 3.2.3Elaboration request (“So?; Then what?”)
- 3.2.4Preface to dispreferred information (“Well..
but”)
- 3.2.5(Feigned) Surprise (“Guess what happened!; Why on
earth”)
- 3.2.6Discontent (“I don’t understand!”)
- 3.2.7Protest (“What are you doing?”)
- 4.Functional determinants
- 4.1Functions compared
- 4.2Syntagmatic independence
- 4.3Semantic persistence and periphery
- 4.4Prosody
- 4.5Pragmatic inference and functional network
- 5.Summary and conclusion
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
Abbreviations
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References