The PA/SN Distinction in Korean

Abstract

This paper explores the so-called PA/SN distinction in Korean and proves that there IS that distinction in Korean. This claim is supported by the fact that the two types of contrastive connection are realized by different kinds of connectives. It is also proved that the relevant connection and connectives are sensitive to different types of implicatures, which is observed in several other languages such as German, Spanish, Japanese and so on. At the same time, this paper demonstrates the versatile nature of the discourse marker kuntey, especially in spoken discourse. In doing so, I support that the discourse marker kuntey has expanded its functions and that it shows differences from similar connectives in other languages.