On verbal intransitivity in Korean: With special reference to middle constructions

I examine the characteristic properties of several types of surface intransitive constructions, with special reference to Korean middle constructions. Specifically, two potential middle constructions in Korean--K1 type and K2 type--are examined. The principal aim is to identify the potential middle constructions using assumptions on which linguists are generally agreed and to determine their actual status and their relationship to other intransitive verbs such as passive and unaccusative constructions.;Chapter 2 (Middle constructions in general) will discuss issues on middle constructions, reviewing literature of the current theories on middle constructions, and pointing out problems in the study of middle constructions in Korean.;Chapter 3 (On the potential middle constructions in Korean) deals exhaustively with two types of potential Korean middle constructions (K1-type and K2-type). On the basis of cross-linguistic semantic and syntactic criteria, it will be shown that Korean does not have any typical middle constructions. The present analysis will suggest possible ways to solve the question of what types of structures the K1 and K2 patterns really are.;In Chapter 4 (Passive constructions), I will first examine the characteristic properties of a construction widespread in the world's languages, the passive. Analysis of the various constructions referred to as passive leads to the conclusion that there is no single property which all such constructions have in common. Secondly, I will attempt to extract universal features for the passive, formulate a possible definition of the passive and then show how this definition fits into one type of potential middle (K2) in Korean. Finally, I will provide evidence that the K2 type is not a true middle, but one of the passive constructions in Korean.;In Chapter 5 (Unaccusative constructions), I will examine the characteristic properties of unaccusative constructions and explore the syntactic and semantic properties of the unaccusativity hypothesis in Korean. I will show evidence that one of the potential middle constructions (K1-type) in Korean is an unaccusative verb. It will also be shown that Korean unaccusativity involves a combination of two characteristics and can be classified into two broad types. Finally, Chapter 6 (Conclusion) summarizes and concludes this dissertation.