Korean has a large number of markers signaling diverse notions involved in comparative constructions. This paper analyzes Korean comparatives from the grammaticalization perspective, thus identifying the source semantics of the comparative markers in contemporary as well as historical data, analyzing the grammaticalization mechanisms behind their development, creating the conceptual and functional networks among the comparative markers, and comparing the grammaticalization sources with those attested in other languages. It is found that the standard markers are small in number, whereas degree markers diverge greatly: superiors, inferiors and superlatives make use of a small number of markers, whereas elatives make use of a large number of intensifying adverbials. We discuss the development of the comparatives with respect to grammaticalization mechansims, i.e. Desemanticization, Extension, Decategorialization, and Erosion, and conclude that their operation is variable depending on the functional category item as well as the individual lexical form. From a crosslinguistic comparison, we argue that the concepts and schemas found in Korean are largely consonant with those attested in crosslinguistic literature.

韩语有大量标记，表明比较结构中涉及的不同概念。本文从语法化的角度对韩语比较级进行分析，从而识别当代和历史资料中比较标记的来源语义，分析其发展背后的语法化机制，建立比较标记之间的概念和功能网络，并比较语法化。来源与其他语言证明的来源。发现标准标记数量较少，而程度标记差异很大：上级、下级和最高级使用少量标记，而上级使用大量加强状语。我们讨论了语法化机制方面的比较级的发展，即去语义化、扩展、去范畴化和侵蚀，并得出结论，它们的操作是可变的，取决于功能类别项以及个体词汇形式。从跨语言比较中，我们认为在韩语中发现的概念和图式在很大程度上与跨语言文学中所证明的一致。