A Survey of Morphological Issues in Korean: Focusing on Syntactically Relevant Phenomena

The purpose of this research is to critically review major works on morphological phenomena in Korean and, if possible, to provide a perspective on the study of Korean morphology. We will focus on those issues illustrating interactions between morphology and syntax. Morphology comprises inflection and word formation (i.e., derivation and compounding). Perhaps, some aspects of derivational morphology and compounds are relevant syntactically. They do not seem to be significant, however, in Korean. Therefore, after providing a brief introduction of the literature dealing with morphology and/or syntax, we will zero in on an appropriate treatment of syntactically relevant "little elements". Correct identification of these elements is essential for establishing a solid basis for proper syntactic analyses.