Overt subject NPs as a contrast marker in Korean discourse

Abstract

Contrast has been regarded as one of the major functions for the understanding of the overt subject in pro-drop languages like Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish, in which null subject is more frequent than overt subject in discourse. The literature in Korean linguistics commonly addresses contrast as a significant aspect of an expressed subject, but the research can be further developed with empirical data analysis and re-definition of the notion of contrast. The present study, analysing TV drama scripts, claims how contrast may be differently identified in relation to the recognition of contrastive candidates in discourse. I find that contrast in the data is in various types and that overt subject NPs are used in marking contrast either in a single utterance or over several utterances as the discourse develops. By providing an extended analysis of overt subject NPs as a contrast marker, this study seeks to broaden the understanding of subject expression in Korean discourse.