The Study of Prosodic Features in Korean Topic Constructions

한국어 화제구문의 운율적 고찰

This paper analyzes the prosodic features distinctively associated with Korean topic constructions (marked by nun or its variant un) and subject constructions (marked by ka or its variant i) as a way of explicating the role that prosody plays in differentially constituting their discourse messages. Using both spoken data elicited in controlled settings and spontaneous conversational data, an attempt is made to identify differentiating prosodic features and intonation contours associated with distinct meanings and functions of nun- and ka-constructions evoked in a variety of discourse contexts.