Self-Addressed Questions and Quantifier Interpretation

In this article we offer an analysis of the internal structure of the so-called indefinite/existential quantifiers in Korean. For this purpose, we will first try to establish the existence of the hitherto unidentified question marker in Korean, namely, the "self-addressed" question marker -ka. Second, we will argue, on the basis of the analysis, that the indefinite/existential quantifiers in Korean are actually composed of a wh-expression plus a self-addressed question marker at some level of representation. We will provide supporting evidence from Middle Korean and Kyengnam dialect as well as from Modern Standard Korean. In the first part of this paper, we will identify a new type of question marker -ka, which marks a question addressed to the speaker him/herself as opposed to one directed to the hearer. In the second part of this paper, we will argue that the indefinite quantifiers in Korean are actually composed of a wh-word plus a self-addressed question marker -ka.