The Syntax of VP Ellipsis in Korean

Abstract

This paper argues against the existence of VP ellipsis in Korean. The constructions examined below are the Main Verb Only construction, the auxiliary verb construction and the stripping construction. The first construction, which Otani and Whitman (1991) argue as involving VP ellipsis, is better analyzed as containing null pronominal pro rather than null VP. The second construction, which can be considered as a counterpart of the VP ellipsis construction in English, does not allow VP ellipsis at all. The last, third construction, which Kim (1996) argues as resulting from VP ellipsis, should be treated on a par with the pseudocleft construction independent of VP ellipsis. It is suggested below that absence of VP ellipsis in these constructions is attributed to lack of tense which undergoes overt Spec-head Case checking relation, and of a head-governing free-morphemic positive or negative marker in Korean.