Une Classification Formelle des Adjectifs Psychologiques en Coreen

Abstract

In this work, we have tried to describe a set of adjectives which includes a large majority of those adjectives semantically termed psychological, by making use of the following syntactic relation: (Qu P)0 N1-e Ad) [(Qu P)0 be Adj Prep N1] = N1 (Qu P)0-fo Adj N1be Adj Prep (Qu P)0] We discuss most particularly: the construction in which the complement clause can be replaced by a noun phrase, possibly containing the reflexive pronoun caki; the construction with a double N-i, the one described most frequently in the literary tradition; and finally two related verbal constructions of the following type: N1 (Qu P)0-Acc Adf-6 Vop [N1 V(find) (Qu P)0 Adj°] = (Qu P)0 N1-Acc Adj1-ke Vop [(Qu P)0 V(make) N1 Adj1] Our formal criterion characterizes about 150 psychological adjectives that have a certain semantic and syntactic homogeneity : they all express "a feeling activated by the Qu P and felt by the Nhum". However, we observe another set of adjectives semantically close to the first which nevertheless do not accept the complement clause construction with -lo: we term them evaluative adjectives. One of the major differences between these two classes is the absence of causativity in the complement clause of the evaluative adjectives. The study of psychological adjectives should be extended by other studies, in particular studies of psychological verbs that have no morphological relationship to adjectives, and which are defined in turn by appropriate formal criteria.