Sporadic Voice Syncretism in Korean

The paper explores voice syncretism in Korean and proposes that the merger of distinct diatheses through a single voice suffix should be examined within the framework of the general morphosyntax of verbs. It emphasizes the differences between native and non-native verbal roots in terms of voice syncretism, underscoring that the merging of voice forms occurs irregularly and impacts only a subset of native verbal roots. The paper also addresses the variability and inconsistency in the syncretism of grammatical voices in native verbal roots, noting the irregular merging of causative and passive forms. It also discusses the potential ambiguity arising from the merger of causative and passive forms in Korean due to the same voice suffix. The conclusion is that voice syncretism in Korean has a limited range and productivity, with a polyfunctionality of voice suffixes applicable to only a subset of verbal roots. Unlike the clear one-to-one correspondence in non-native roots, native verbal roots do not consistently maintain a direct relationship between voice suffixes and the diatheses they represent.