Detransitivizing and Korean

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the notion of detransitivizing in line of linguistic typology, and try to explain Korean object case marker LUL in terms of a marker (=particle) that indicates one (or more) of the transitivity features of Hopper & Thompson (1980). Detransitivizing is a various kinds of non-typical transitive sentences that have been cross-linguistically found when transitivity features become disappeared or weaker.BR To define transitivity, this paper takes stance on prototypical transitivity, and it argues against markedness transitivity (Comrie’s generalization (de Swart 2003, Næss 2007), saying that the former can explain better about the transitivity and detransitivizing phenomena cross-linguistically than the latter can, based on which the long-term syntactic dichotomy between transitive and intransitive cannot be more retainable. According to prototypical transitivity, transitivity is defined as a bundle of 10 or so semantic features that composes transitivity. Basing on the various typological data and some Korean evidences dwelt with in this paper, we proposed that among 10 or so features 2 (or more) participants (A and O) appear to be most typical elements that compose prototypical transitivity, but other features are not given any different weight among them.BR In line of this foundlings, we propose that Korean objet case LUL can be better explained if we understand LUL as a particle indicating transitivity features, contrast to the Case or the special definitive markers. As a result, the LUL can appear whenever the one (or more) of the transitivity features occur in the given sentences, regardless of transitive or intransitive sentences.