Constraint Cloning and Lexical Listing in Korean Irregular Verbs and Adjectives

Abstract

The present study addresses the question of whether Korean irregular conjugations are really irregular. Traditional approaches are in agreement espousing the dichotomy between regulars and irregulars. What is problematic is that Korean conjugations conflict with our common sense that regulars are the majority and irregulars the minority. In reality, p, l.-irregulars overwhelmingly outnumber their regular counterparts, and t, s, h, lǝ-irregulars are statistically comparable to regulars. To address this problem, regulars vs. irregulars are identified as inconsistent in terms of constraint hierarchy, and constraint cloning with concomitant listed lexical items is proposed. One of my key findings is that a unitary schema Markednessirregular items >> Faithfulness >> Markednessregular items guarantees the rise of regulars vs. irregulars. Second, the size of the set of listed lexical items affects existing inflectional paradigms. Larger sets are likely to launch a paradigm innovation such as total leveling for lɨ-irregulars. Cloned constraints enriched with listed lexical items contribute to the dilution of the demarcation between regular and irregular lexical items, disclosing the continuous undercurrent of Korean.