-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)

(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
(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' [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