Enhanced Exploration of Long-distance NPI Licensing from Embedded Non-finite Clauses.

The current paper has provided various example sentences that support Lee's (1997) discussion of the long-distance licensing of negative polarity items (NPIs) in Korean from non-finite clauses using the complementizers such as –ki/ko. This paper has also supported Lee's (2024a,b) claim that in Korean, NPIs derived from non-finite embedded clauses, which form a weak CP phase, are licensed by negation in the higher clause. Specifically, when licensed by a negative implicature, the NPI te isang 'any more' must be used in the complement clause of the negative implicature, which was extensively discussed. Theoretically, in non-finite clause boundaries, the CP functions as a weak phase, exempting it from the Phase-Impenetrability Condition (PIC), thereby allowing the NPIs in the subordinate clause to be licensed by the negation in the higher clause. This distinction is crucial because in Korean, long-distance NPI licensing is permissible only when the NPI appears in the infinitival complement, which contrasts with English where NPIs can be licensed across both finite and non-finite clauses. In future research, I plan to explore how multiple NPIs can be licensed from the embedded non-finite clause within the bi-clausal structure.