Clause final grounding and metonymy in Korean indirect requests

Abstract This article proposes a Cognitive Grammar account of Korean conventional indirect requests and connective behavior. Sentence-ending particles (SEPs) are analyzed as grounding morphology that links clausal content to the speaker–addressee Ground. Clause type provides a default access path to a speech-act scenario, which may be overridden when an SEP profiles a subpart such as desire, ability, obligation, or intention. Mapping before, result , and after phases to Korean morphosyntax predicts the distribution of declaratives, interrogatives, and intention forms. It also accounts for the agent shift of -ulkeyyo in service talk and the preference for grammaticalized endings over periphrastic expressions. We extend the analysis to Sweetser’s domain shifts to show how -umyen , -unikka , -ese , and -ciman alternate across content, epistemic, and speech-act uses under clause-final anchoring. Integrating Panther & Thornburg’s scenario-based metonymy with CG grounding, the study links grammaticalized endings to speaker–hearer interaction in the usage event.