Structural Distributions of Numeral Expressions in Korean

Abstract

In this paper, we aim to analyze the structural distribution of three types of numeral expressions in Korean. The first type is bare numerals, the second is numerals combined with a classifier and –uy, (i.e. Num-CL-uy), and the third is numerals with a classifier (i.e. Num-CL) in post-nominal position. We show that the bare numeral serves as a boundary between low and high modifiers (NP vs. FP modifiers); that is, it is placed right above NP modifiers and below FP modifiers that are affixed with the relative clause marker -n. Following Hong (2010) and An (2014), we argue that -uy in the Num-CL-uy form is a marker of FP modifiers as it can alternate with other FP modifiers in linear order. Finally, we attempt to derive post-nominal Num-CL without the uy marker and argue that the Num-CL form is derived by NP movement to SpecFP.