The structural ambiguity of the (im)perfective [V-ko iss-] in Korean

Korean [… V-ko iss-] expressions are well-known for their ambiguity between a progressive meaning (P-reading) and resultative meaning (R-reading). Depending on the properties of the verbs in the V position, we can divide them into three groups: those with only a P-reading, those with only an R-reading, and those with both P- and R-readings. Many previous analyses have assumed that there is only one construction involved while a few have assumed two constructions. In this study, we provide a new analysis of the P(-reading) and R(-reading) constructions. We argue that the former is a complement-head construction, while the latter is a modifier-modified construction. The [… V-ko] part is a complement of the auxiliary predicate iss- in the former, but it is a modifier of the following VP in the latter. Previous analyses of the R construction failed to observe that [… V-ko] is an adjunct of the following VP and that iss- constitutes just one of an almost unlimited number of VPs. We will show that the present analysis is more systematic and covers a wider range of data than previous analyses.