The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a lexical analysis of certain constructions that license unbounded dependencies in Korean. The term ‘unbounded dependency’ refers to the long-distance relationship holding between a gap and its coreferential element. We investigate four types of unbounded dependency constructions (UDCs): topic constructions, tough predicate constructions, double nominative constructions, and relative clause constructions.
Over the last few decades, various syntactic approaches have been taken in order to explain the formation of these UDCs. In particular, grammarians in GB theory claim that UDCs involve movement processes language universally. However, as pointed out in previous literature, movement-based accounts for Korean UDCs are problematic because island constraints and bouding conditions for movement are frequently violated. As an alternative, some analyses propose that UDC gaps are not traces but null resumptive pronouns, pros that involve semantic binding relations.
In this dissertation, we argue that UDC gaps in Korean are traces that need to be handled at the level of syntax. We support our argument by showing how UDC gaps have unique properties. We discuss their semantic interpretations and strong crossover and coordination facts. In addition, we analyze overt pronouns and the reflexive ‘caki’ as sort of audible traces when they occur in a gap position in a UDC. We argue for three different kinds of UDC gaps in Korean: traces, resumptive pronouns, and resumptive reflexive ‘caki’. In non-UDCs, these correspond respectively to pro, overt pronouns, and the long-distance reflexive ‘caki’. Because these corresponding forms have the same semantic and pragmatic properties, UDC traces do form separate categories from their corresponding non-UDC forms. Without assuming any extra mechanism, we provide a simple UDC analysis using the nonlocal SLASH feature proposed by Pollard and Sag (1994). In HPSG, this SLASH feature can encompass the different lexical properties of traces, pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.
Our theory investigates four kinds of Korean UDCs and provides lexical constraints and structural representations for each type. This study touches on various issues, including filler-gap dependencies, argument realization, morphosyntactic combinations, and multi-level interfaces (syntax-semantic-pragmatics), which are crucial parts of a speaker’s unconscious knowledge of linguistics.