@article{ART003323336},
author={Liu, Xiao-han},
title={The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}},
journal={Korean Language & Literature},
issn={1229-1730},
year={2026},
number={132},
pages={55-80}
TY - JOUR
AU - Liu, Xiao-han
TI - The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}
JO - Korean Language & Literature
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 132
PB - Korean Language & Literature
SP - 55
EP - 80
SN - 1229-1730
AB - This study investigates the syntactic status and semantic function of the Korean inferential expression {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}. Previous studies have often explained this construction mainly in terms of the speaker’s degree of certainty by comparing it with expressions such as {-겠-}; however, many of these analyses rely on intuitive examples and therefore fail to adequately reflect actual language use. To address this limitation, this study analyzes authentic examples from the spoken and written corpora of the National Institute of Korean Language (2019). The results show that although {-나(ㄴ가) 보-} historically derives from the combination of an interrogative ending and the auxiliary verb po-ta ‘see’, it functions in modern Korean as a grammaticalized inferential marker similar to {-겠-}. Semantically, {-나(ㄴ가) 보-} expresses causal evidentiality, in which a speaker infers a possible cause from an observed result. This meaning reflects abductive reasoning and can be explained through propositional metonymy, where one proposition evokes another within the same cognitive frame.
KW - {-나(ㄴ가) 보-};inferential expression;evidentiality;causal inference;abductive reasoning
DO -
UR -
ER -
Liu, Xiao-han. (2026). The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}. Korean Language & Literature, 132, 55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han. 2026, "The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}", Korean Language & Literature, no.132, pp.55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han "The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}" Korean Language & Literature 132 pp.55-80 (2026) : 55.
Liu, Xiao-han. The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}. 2026; 132 : 55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han. "The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}" Korean Language & Literature no.132(2026) : 55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han. The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}. Korean Language & Literature, 132, 55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han. The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}. Korean Language & Literature. 2026; 132 55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han. The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}. 2026; 132 : 55-80.
Liu, Xiao-han. "The Syntax and Semantics of {-나(ㄴ가) 보-}" Korean Language & Literature no.132(2026) : 55-80.
