Functions of the Verbal Affix -nuntey in Korean Conversation

Abstract

This paper discusses the distributional characteristics and discourse functions of the verbal affix -nuntey in Korean conversation. Upon the assumption that grammar is shaped through an interaction of speaker and hearer in the process of achieving communicative goals, I characterize the properties of -nuntey through an examination of discourse contexts where -nuntey is used. The analysis of the present conversational discourse shows that at a macro-level the main function of -nuntey is to provide a ground for the discourse that follows the -nuntey clause. This research also shows that at a micro-level -nuntey has the following four major functions: (i) a background-establishing function, (ii) an introductory function, (iii) an explanatory function, and (iv) a 'speech act' signaling function. When -nuntey is used as a turn-terminal affix, one of the main functions of -nuntey is to ask the addressee to provide new information or addressee's assessment/opinion about the information provided by the speaker. In this respect, -nuntey is one of the most typical markers of cooperation between speaker and hearer. Furthermore, this research shows that -nuntey is undergoing a process of grammaticalization in the sense that the clausal connective -nuntey is being shaped into a 'sentence-terminal' affix through an interaction of speaker's strategies, communicative goals, and the functional factors involved in the flow of information.