Remarks on Right Dislocation Construction in Korean : Challenges to bi-clausal analyses

Abstract

This paper investigates the syntax and semantics of postverbal elements in so-called Right Dislocation Constructions (RDCs) in Korean. Recently, a growing number of researchers have argued that RDCs in Korean must be analyzed under the assumption that RDCs contain a bi-clausal structure. This paper aims to closely re-examine and evaluate the validity of current bi-clausal analyses. In particular, I discuss three representative approaches couched under bi-clausal analyses: (i) the scrambling-based analysis, (ii) the pro-predicate based analysis, and (iii) the fragment-based analysis. I show that each of these approaches faces non-trivial challenges. Specifically, I show that the syntax of postverbal elements cannot be equated to either scrambling or a regular fragment answer. An array of intriguing contrasts between RDCs and scrambling, and between RDCs and fragments are presented in this paper. I also present a new set of challenges to the claim that postverbal elements are licensed by a pro-predicate.