Context-induced reinterpretation and (inter)subjectification: the case of grammaticalization of sentence-final particles

This paper analyzes a case of grammaticalization of sentence-final particles (SFPs) that developed from clausal connectives. These newly emerging SFPs carry a wide range of subjectified and intersubjectified meanings. From the syntagmatic point-of-view, this grammaticalization process was triggered by the ellipsis of the main clause. From the pragmatic point of view, ellipsis of the main clause induces the addressee to reconstruct the missing main clause that is compatible with the explicitly presented connective with which the utterance is ended. The relation between the connective-marked prodosis and the reconstructed main clause came to be conventionalized as the meaning of the utterance-final connective, and the connective now functions as a signal of the end of a sentence.Drawing upon historical data, this paper investigates one such functional change exhibited by -nikka. The function of -nikka is connecting clauses with a causal relationship. As the cohesion between -nikka and its preceding declarative sentence/clause-type marker -ta increased, a new particle -tanikka was created, which came to carry diverse functions, such as marking contingency, contrast, adversativity, protest, reassertion, and emphasis. It is argued that the driving force of this semantic-functional change is context-induced reinterpretation (CIR) and that subjective and intersubjective pragmatic inferences are used to fill the information gap in elliptical structures. It is notable that the development of the declarative-based SFP triggered a parallel development involving the other sentence-type markers, i.e., imperative, interrogative, and hortative markers. The grammaticalization of SFPs occurred very rapidly, resulting in the creation of a complete sub-paradigm of innovative sentential endings, and the later forms grammaticalized despite that they did not attain the high frequency that typically enables a linguistic form to enter a grammaticalization channel. Based on these observations, this paper argues that grammaticalization processes can be paradigm-based and can be triggered by analogy by virtue of structural similarity among the forms involved.

► This paper analyzes grammaticalization of sentence-final particles (SFPs) in Korean. ► Causal connectives become SFPs by ellipsis of the main clause. ► SFP functions are created by (inter)subjectification via context-induced reinterpretation. ► Grammaticalization of SFPs is paradigm-based, contra exemplar-based. ► SFP-constructions are highly interactive and some develop into interjectional theticals.