The High Goal Argument in Korean Ditransitive Constructions

In this paper, I propose that characteristics of the possessive Goal in Korean ditransitive constructions can be adequately explained without positing a ‘applicative head’ such as that assumed by Miyagawa and Tsujioka (2004) for Japanese, despite the striking typological and morphosyntactic similarity between the two languages. This paper examines their claim that the possessive Goal in Japanese, which is referred to as the ‘high’ Goal in their analysis, is base-generated by the phonologically null applicative head with respect to the Theme argument by examining corresponding constructions in Korean. I discuss characteristics of the high Goal in Korean and argue that the applicative head approach can be problematic for its properties. My proposal for the syntax and semantics of the high Goal is based on the general mechanism of phrasal complex predicate formation in inalienable possession type NPs. This mechanism can nicely capture the characteristics of the high Goal in Korean ditransitive constructions, and high Goal-related predictions naturally fall out within the mechanism.