Remarks on the Syntax of Right Periphery in Korean

Abstract

In this study, we examine the syntax of right periphery in Korean, focusing specifically on declarative questions. We disagree with the idea that intonation is in the outermost functional layer in determining the speech act, as proposed by An (2023) and Ituarte (2022). Instead, we propose, like Wiltschko (2022) and Ceong (2018), that intonation is linked to the head of the Resp(onse) phrase, which indicates whether the speaker is including the current statement in the listener’s response set. Additionally, we argue that the sentence-final particle ‘-ko’ in the ‘-ko’ construction, which An (2023) claims is formed through ellipsis (Fragmenting), is actually an evidential marker that has developed in the history of Korean through insubordination from an embedded subordinator. This grammaticalization allows the clause-typing marker to interact directly with prosody.