Types of Possessive Meanings: Semantic Differences between Korean and English Possessives

소유의 의미유형 : 한.영 소유구문의 의미차이

We examine attributive possessive constructions in Korean in examples like wuli manwula 'my wife' and wuli nala 'my country', where an apparently plural pronoun wuli 'our' is used to convey the singular meaning of 'my.' An example like wuli manwula has been a frequent topic of joke, because it clearly contains the literal sense of 'shared wife.' This type of use and the frequent use of wuli in an exclusive my context led many to claim that these are products of Korean culture which emphasizes groups and group solidarity over individuality, the example wuli manwula being the extreme case. Drawing on the work of Taylor (1989; 1996), Croft (2001; 2003), Haspelmath (1997; 2003), and 윤재학 (2003), we compare the meanings of Korean and English possessive constructions and seek a more linguistically based account for the data. In particular, it is shown that (i) wuli in question is not really the plural form of nay 'my', (ii) the possessive constructions in Korean are more conservative and limited in possible relations than the English counterparts are, and that (iii) these two facts interact to produce the afore-mentioned uses.