대한영어영문학회

The ultimate goal of this article is to demonstrate that null pronouns in Korean are not pro but null arguments different from overt pronouns. There are six tenable reasons to argue for our claim. First, when overt pronouns and null pronouns appear within opaque contexts, the former induces a de dicto interpretation, whereas the latter yields a de re interpretation. Second, overt pronouns have less functional load than null pronouns in that the former is sensitive to number and gender features, but the latter is not sensitive to these features. Third, the reason why null pronouns cannot be analyzed on a par with overt pronouns is that null pronouns induce a strict/sloppy ambiguity, whereas overt pronouns yield only a strict reading. Fourth, another reason is that null arguments admit indefinite and definite readings, whereas overt pronouns yield only a definite reading. Fifth, null pronouns are interpreted as bound variables, whereas the overt pronoun ku 'he' is not. Finally, ambiguous sentences also lend their support to the assumption that null pronouns in Korean are not the equivalent of overt pronouns.