The Syntax of Modifier-Sharing Constructions in Korean: Evidence from a Phonetic Experiment

This research is subsequent to Lee (2015) to support the syntactic analysis of modifier-sharing constructions (MSCs) in Korean with additional evidence from a phonetic experiment. Lee (2015) investigated MSCs in Korean, where the semantically plural antecedent is manifested as split singular entities, and then proposed a sideward movement analysis of the construction. The analysis led to an empty nominal category immediately following the shared modifier. This contrasts with the syntax of the unsplit coordinate DP antecedent modified by the identical modifier, which lacks an empty category. The present study aims to further support the postulation of the null category in MSCs by conducting a phonetic experiment. The experiment shows that the shared modifier with split antecedents is followed by a relatively longer duration of pause than is caused by an orthographic space observed after the regular modifier with unsplit antecedents. This longer duration of pause is taken to be a reflection of the presence of the null category posited in Lee (2015).