Cwuta as the Marker for the Benefactive Construction - A Constructionist Approach -

초록

The present study aims to provide empirical evidence for the constructionist view of the benefactive ditransitive construction in Korean, especially focusing on the verb of giving cwuta. Specifically, the following two constructionist arguments are tested: First, cwuta is involved in the formation of the benefactive ditransitive construction in Korean. Second, the contrast between the benefactive ditransitive construction and its interchangeable counterpart (i.e., the plain benefactive) is also observed in Korean; they are two distinct constructions. To empirically confirm these theoretical arguments, we designed an acceptability judgment test of 198 sentences and administered it to native Korean-speaking university students. The test investigated whether the presence or absence of cwuta and the type of benefactive construction (ditransitive or plain) affected the acceptability of the sentences. These results are consistent with the constructionist arguments previously mentioned. Omitting cwuta in a benefactive ditransitive construction results in lower acceptability, implying the necessity of cwuta. However, the presence or absence of cwuta was not a decisive factor in the plain benefactive construction.

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