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Article published In: Language and Linguistics
Vol. 27:1 (2026) ► pp.73–102

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Left/right-node-raising in Korean

ORCiD logo with link | Korea University
ORCiD logo with link | University of North Georgia
ORCiD logo with link | Korea University
ORCiD logo with link | Korea University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 5 September 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/lali.00252.kim
Abstract
In this experimental study, we explore the syntactic constructions of left-node-raising (LNR) and right-node-raising (RNR) in Korean, examining whether LNR functions as a mirror image of RNR, as suggested in previous work by Yatabe, Shûichi. 2001. The syntax and semantics of left-node raising in Japanese. In Flickinger, Dan & Kathol, Andreas (eds.), The Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar, 325–344. Stanford: CSLI Publications. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, Nakao (Nakao, Chizuru. 2009. Island repair and non-repair by PF strategies. College Park: University of Maryland. (Doctoral dissertation.); . 2010. Japanese left node raising as ATB scrambling. U. Penn Working Papers in Linguistics 16(1). 156–165.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), and . 2010. Left node raising as a shared node raising. Studies in Generative Grammar 20(1). 51–72. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar. Our findings from formal experiments indicate the existence of a unique left/right-node-raising (LRNR) construction in Korean, which we propose as a true mirror of RNR. We analyze RNR and LRNR through the framework of multidominance theory, drawing specifically on Wilder’s (Wilder, Chris. 1999. Right node raising and the LCA. In Bird, Sonya F. & Carnie, Andrew & Haugen, Jason D. & Norquest, Peter (eds.), WCCFL 18: Proceedings of the 18th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, 586–598. Somerville: Cascadilla Proceedings.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; . 2008. Shared constituents and linearization. In Johnson, Kyle (ed.), Topics in ellipsis, 229–258. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) in situ linearization approach and Citko, Barbara. 2005. On the nature of merge: External merge, internal merge, and parallel merge. Linguistic Inquiry 36(4). 475–496. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar movement-based linearization approach, which provide insights into how shared elements (i.e. pivots) in these constructions are interpreted syntactically and semantically across conjuncts. For the derivation of LNR, however, we propose an alternative approach, namely, a scrambling-plus-pro analysis. Our experiment centers on acceptability judgments of sentences featuring dependent-plural markers (DPMs) within pivots across these constructions, revealing that DPMs influence acceptability differently in each structure. Specifically, DPMs mildly impact the acceptability of RNR but more strongly affect LRNR, which we attribute to distinct linearization schemes in each construction. In contrast, the presence of DPMs within pivots severely degrades the acceptability of LNR. Our study concludes that RNR and LRNR are more effectively explained by multidominance theory with in situ and/or movement-based linearization, while LNR aligns better with the scrambling-plus-pro analysis due to its unique derivational properties. Thus, our findings support the claim by Kim, Jeong-Seok & Choi, Seojin & Lee, Jee Young. 2023. Licensing case-mismatches and dependent plural markers in Korean left-node-raising. Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics 59(1). 133–158. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar that LNR is not a direct mirror of RNR.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical predictions
    • 2.1Deriving a pivot
    • 2.2Licensing dependent-plural markers within a pivot
  • 3.Experiment
    • 3.1Logic of the experiment
    • 3.2Design and materials
    • 3.3Participants, procedure, and data analysis
    • 3.4Results
  • 4.General discussion
    • 4.1Deriving a pivot in LNR
    • 4.2Pivotal dependent-plural markers: RNR, LNR, and LRNR
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • List of abbreviations
  • References
References (33)
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