The ambiguity and alternative construals of the [X-ko iss-ta] construction in Korean

This article analyzes the Korean [X-ko iss-ta] construction from the perspective of construal-based semantics, where the speaker’s choice and the grammatical context play an important role. The [X-ko iss-ta] construction exhibits ambiguity between the Progressive and the Resultant meanings. I argue that the Progressive reading is associated with the accomplishment construal of the construction, while the Resultant reading is associated with the achievement construal. I further argue that this type of alternative construal is motivated by the granularity observed ubiquitously in our everyday language. In terms of the function of -ko iss-, I argue that it segments out a smaller portion of the profiled semantic contour for focused viewing — an advantageous perspective from which to analyze stative verbs. My construal-based semantic analysis overcomes difficulties left by the previous proposals on the same topic.