Heejeong Ko

I argue that linear order in constructions with scrambling is constrained by Cyclic Linearization of syntactic structure at the interface, and I show that this proposal provides a unified account for a variety of asymmetries in scrambling. Arguments in this article establish novel evidence for the thesis that the architecture of grammar requires linearization in phonology to be cyclically determined by the syntax. The article also sheds light on the distribution of floating quantifiers, possesso

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 2005.

This article investigates the role of presuppositionality (defined as the presupposition of existence) in the second language (L2) acquisition of English articles. Building upon the proposal in Wexler 2003 that young English-acquiring children overuse the with presuppositional indefinites, this article proposes that presuppositionality also influences article (mis)use in adult L2 acquisition. This proposal is supported by experimental results from the L2 English of adult speakers of Korean, a la

Ko, Heejeong & Oh, Eunjeong. 2012. A Hybrid Approach to Floating Quantifiers: Some Experimental Evidence. Linguistic Research 29(1), 69-106. The non-local dependency between a noun and its associate quantifier has been widely discussed. The details may differ, but the formal analyses of floating quantifiers can be divided into three schools of research. One is an adnominal approach, which argues that the noun and the quantifier are externally-merged together (at some point of the derivation), an

It has long been widely known that L2-learners make errors in article choice. In particular, L2-English learners sometimes misuse the definite article the with an indefinite DP, and sometimes misuse

Introduction 1. Edges in cyclic syntax 2. Edges of primary predication 3. Syntactic edges and two types of floating quantification 4. Edges of complement predication 5. Edges of adjunct and secondary predication 6. Concluding remarks

In this paper, we investigate how L2-learners whose L1s lack articles acquire the semantics of articles, with special focus on article use by L1-Korean learners of L2-English. Based on our experimental studies, we argue that article choice in L2-acquisition reflects systematic access to universal semantic features: definiteness, specificity, and partitivity. It is shown that L2-learners associate the with [+specific] and [+partitive] features, which results in non-random error patterns: overuse

This paper discusses the peculiar interactions between wh-adjunct ‘why’ and the Intervention Effect (Beck and Kim 1997), with a comparative approach to in-situ languages: Korean, Japanese, Turkish, and Chinese. This paper shows that in in-situ languages, there exists a systematic language-internal and cross-linguistic asymmetry between ‘why’ with short distance vs. long distance construal. I maintain that language internal peculiarities of ‘why’ is attributed to the base-merge position of ‘why’,

Abstract This book provides a discussion concerning cyclic syntax by examining the characteristics of syntactic edges and their interactions with linearization and movement. In particular, it contributes to the current debate over how cyclic Spell-out affects the (re)ordering of elements in scrambling. The chapter develops a proposal that accounts for certain peculiarities associated with syntactic edges by exploring three major factors in cyclic syntax. Specifically, it shows that the probe-goa

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-base

This paper examines the syntax of gapless right-dislocations in Korean. I argue that gapless right-dislocation constructions are not uniform, but divided into two types: specificational and repetitive right-dislocation. I propose that specificational right-dislocation constructions are derived by rightward movement in a mono-clausal structure, whereas repetitive right-dislocations are a result of ellipsis in a bi-clausal structure. Evidence for my proposal is drawn from a wide range of syntactic