Comparatives in Korean: A grammaticalization perspective.

• Multipliciticity of degree markers is due to their limited grammaticalization. • Elative degree markers, including intensifying adverbials, are numerous. • Standard markers are grammaticalized from a limited set of source lexemes. • Comparatives form conceptual and functional networks. • Extent of operation of grammaticalization mechanisms is variable. Korean has a large number of markers signaling diverse notions involved in comparative constructions. This paper analyzes Korean comparatives from the grammaticalization perspective, thus identifying the source semantics of the comparative markers in contemporary as well as historical data, analyzing the grammaticalization mechanisms behind their development, creating the conceptual and functional networks among the comparative markers, and comparing the grammaticalization sources with those attested in other languages. It is found that the standard markers are small in number, whereas degree markers diverge greatly: superiors, inferiors and superlatives make use of a small number of markers, whereas elatives make use of a large number of intensifying adverbials. We discuss the development of the comparatives with respect to grammaticalization mechansims, i.e. Desemanticization, Extension, Decategorialization, and Erosion, and conclude that their operation is variable depending on the functional category item as well as the individual lexical form. From a crosslinguistic comparison, we argue that the concepts and schemas found in Korean are largely consonant with those attested in crosslinguistic literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]