-곳

Middle Korean

Etymology

Unattested in Old Korean, where only 火叱 (*-pos) (whence Middle Korean ᄇᆞᆺ (-pos)) is attested.

In Middle Korean, 곳 (-kwos) and ᄇᆞᆺ (-pos) appear to be wholly synonymous except that the former is much more common (the latter is also not attested outside conditional clauses, but this may be a result of its rarity). It is often speculated that they stem from the same etymon and that there is a diachronic shift from 火叱 / ᄇᆞᆺ > 곳, but the phonological differences are difficult to resolve.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kos/

Particle

곳〮 (-kwós)

1. (in conditional clauses) as long as (emphasizes that if the conditional holds true, the result is inescapable)

   Synonym: ᄇᆞᆺ (-pos)

   • 14th century?, “滿殿春 / 만전춘 (Manjeonchun)”, in 樂章歌詞 / 악장가사 (Akjang gasa):

     소콧 얼면 여흘도 됴ᄒᆞ니

     swoh-kwos elmyen yehul-two tywo-honi

     As long as the pond is frozen, the rapids are good as well

   • 1459, 月印釋譜 / 월인석보 (Worin seokbo), page 11:4b:

     산〯 것곳〮 아니〮 주기〮면〮 어〯두ᇙ 주〮리〮 업〯스니〮

     sǎn kès-kwós àní cwùkímyén ĕtwùlq cwúl-í ěpsùní

     As long as one does not kill a living thing, it cannot be obtained

2. (outside conditional clauses) Perhaps an emphatic marker, or perhaps a marker limiting the clause; see contrasting analyses below. Typically used with adverbs of limitation, such as 오직 (wocik, “only, solely”).
   • 1447, 釋譜詳節 / 석보상절 (Seokbo sangjeol), pages 13:42b—43a:

     ᄉᆞ라ᇰᄒᆞ〮야〮도〮 ᄯᅩ〮 모ᄅᆞ〮리라〮 나옷〮 이〮 相(샤ᇰ)ᄋᆞᆯ〮 알〯오〮 十(십)方(바ᇰ)佛(불)도〮 아〯ᄅᆞ시〮ᄂᆞ니〮라〮

     sòlàng-hóyá-twó stwó mwòlólìlá nà-Gwós í SYANG-ól ǎlGwó SIP.PANG.PWUL-twó ǎlòsínònílá

     (limiting) Even if they reflect upon it, they will not know; it is only that I know this figure, and the Buddhas of the Ten Directions know it as well.
     (emphatic) Even if they reflect upon it, they will not know; I indeed know this figure, and the Buddhas of the Ten Directions know it as well.

Usage notes

• This particle was syntactically quite versatile and has been attested after nouns, adverbs, inflected verbs, and case markers. A 2009 analysis of over four hundred instances of this particle in the Middle Korean corpus showed that around 80% of all attestations are from conditional clauses. It was used into Early Modern Korean, but slowly declined until final obsolescence in the nineteenth century.

Alternative forms

• 옷 (-Gwos) — allomorph after a vowel or /l/

References

• 하귀녀 (Ha Gwi-nyeo) (2004) “보조사 '곳/옷'과 '火叱' [bojosa -got/ot gwa -火叱, The particles -kwos/Gwos and *-pos]”, in Gugeohak, volume 43, pages 181—208
• 문병열 (Mun Byeong-yeol) (2009) “중세국어 한정 보조사의 의미·기능과 그 변화 양상 [jungsegugeo hanjeong bojosaui uimi·gineunggwa geu byeonhwa yangsang, The meaning and function of Middle Korean limiting particles and their transformation]”, in Gugeohak, volume 54, pages 137—164