Restriction and Apposition

Abstract

Restrictive relative clauses and non-restrictive (=appositive) relative clauses are distinguished in Korean phonologically and syntactically as well as semantically. In an appositive relative clause, the head noun is stressed whereas it can't be stressed in a restrictive relative clause. Also, restrictives and appositives are different in their syntactic positions: restrictives are inside the NP which is under the DP, and appositives are at a DP-adjoined position. The distinction between restriction and apposition is not due to the nature of the relative clause; rather, the distinction is due to different positions that a prenominal element can take. Depending upon the position that it takes, the prenominal element is interpreted either restrictively or appositively.