Quotatives#

Relevant postpositions: -이고 (-iko), -이라 (-ila), -이라고 (-ilako)

Korean quotative markers identify direct and indirect quotes as well as reported speech. These postpositions mark that participant arguments of the verbs of communication (e.g., saying, telling) and of cogitation (e.g., thinking and considering).

Content#

Quotatives that mark the content of communication or cogitation is labelled with the Content label. Unlike Topic that marks the subject matter of communication/cogitation, the quotative postpositions mark the content of the information that is evidenced by the speaker or writer.

철수는
chelsu
집에
home
갔다
go-quotative
한다
say
.

'They say that Cheolsu went home.' 001

나는
I
독서가
reading
중요하다
go-quotative
생각한다
think
.

'I believe reading is important.' 002

그는
he
미혼이다라고
single-quotative
거짓말을
lie
했다
said
.

'He lied by saying '[I am] single'. Lit: He said lie 'single'.' 003

그는
he
청주가
Chengcu
아름다운
beautiful
마을이라고
town-quotative
생각한다
think

'He thinks that Chengcu is a beautiful town.' 004

누가
who
들어오
enter-quotative
했니
said-Q
?

'Who told you to enter?' 005

IdentityContent#

For verbs of considering (e.g., consider, deem, acknowledge) or designation (e.g., call, name), we assign IdentityContent to the postposition that mediates a relationship between an entity and an identity (e.g., entity's identity, profession, name, label).

나는
I
지나를
Gina
천사라고
angel-quotative
생각한다
think

'I consider Gina an angel' 006


new
엄마를
mom
누나
`noona'-quotative
부른다
call

'(They) call (their) stepmom `noona' (older sister)' 007

한국에서
Korea-at
빌게이츠라고
Bill Gates-quotative
불리는
called-REL
사람을
person
아시나요
know
?

'Do you know the person who is called Korea's Bill Gates?' 008

There is a slightly more idiomatic usage where the nominal marked is interpreted as a claim that does not meet up to the speaker/writer expectation of the label. This usage encodes a level of indignation on the part of the speaker.


you
그걸
that
농담이라고
joke-quotative
하고있니
say
?

'Do you consider that a joke? (You calling that a joke?)' 009

사람이라고
human-quotative

all
사람인가
human-be
?

'Humans are all humans? (Can we consider all those we call humans (to, in fact, be bonafide) humans?)' 009