‘-도’는 명사구 등의 자립형식에만 통합하므로 조사로만 존재하고 어미로는 존재하지 않는다는 것이 국어 문법의 상식이다. 그런데 국어사전에 어미 ‘-도’가 표제어로 수록된 예가 보인다. ‘-아도/어도’에서 ‘아/어’가 준 말 ‘-도’가 그 하나인데 이 ‘-도’는 동사의 끝모음 ‘ㅏ, ㅓ’가 음운론적인 요인에 의하여 탈락한 것이므로 어미 ‘-아도/어도’가 규칙적으로 실현된 것이다. 다른 ‘-도’는 ‘-지도’로 바꿀 수 있는 것으로 표준어는 아니지만 동북, 서북 방언을 제외한 대부분의 방언에서 확인된다. 비자립형식인 동사구에 직접 통합하므로 어미로 분류해야 하지만 ‘-도’는 조사로만 존재한다는 선입견 때문에 이 ‘-도’는 ‘-지’가 생략된 것처럼 보이게 되고 15세기 국어를 대상으로 이 ‘-도’는 ‘-디’가 생략되어 ‘-도’와의 축약이 이루어졌다는 기술까지도 있었다. 그러나 15세기 국어에서 부정 동사 앞에 분포하는 ‘-도’는 ‘-디도’의 존재를 반드시 가정해야 하는 것은 아니다. 상태동사가 반복되면서 나타나는 ‘-도 … -ㄹ쌰’ 구성에서 ‘-도’는 ‘-디’의 존재를 가정하기도 어려워 어미 ‘-도’의 존재를 인정하지 않을 수 없게 한다. 충분한 근거가 없는 생략, 축약이라는 기술을 지양하는 방법은 조사 ‘-도’와 함께 어미 ‘-도’를 인정하는 것이다. ‘-지도’와 ‘-도’가 공존하는 방언이라도 부정의 영역에서는 차이가 없지만 긍정하는 과정이 있으면 ‘-지도’가 쓰이고 그런 과정이 없으면 ‘-도’가 쓰일 것이다. 어미 ‘-도’와 조사 ‘-도’는 앞말이 아닌 것 가운데 최소한 [하나 이상이 이미 선택]되어 있다는 의미와, 앞말이 [추가 선택]이라는 의미를 나타내므로 그 기본의미가 동일하다. 조사와 어미를 구별하지 않으면 동일한 ‘-도’가 자립형식에도 통합하고 비자립형식에도 통합한다는 기술을 할 수 있다.

The aim of this paper is to ascertain ‘-do’ as the ending in Korean and to identify the postposition ‘-do’ and the ending ‘-do’ in Korean in terms of the principle of ‘one category for one form and one form for one category’. To ascertain ‘-do’ as the ending we examine the entries and the example sentences of ‘-do’ which have been described as the ellipsis of ‘-ado/eodo’ and ‘-cido’ in Korean dictionaries. The ‘-do’ which has been described as the ellipsis of the ending ‘-ado/eodo’ can not be described as the ending on account of its morphological and phonological distribution. The ‘-do’ which has been described as the ellipsis of the ending ‘-cido’, ‘-dido’ can be described as the ending on account of its syntactic and morphological distribution in dialects and historical documents. It is so unnatural and abnormal to describe ‘-do’ as the ellipsis of the ending ‘-cido’, ‘-dido’ that we ascertain ‘-do’ as the ending which is positioned right after bound form such as VP. Regardless of the differences in their distributions, the postposition ‘-do’ and the ending ‘-do’ can be explained as an identical morpheme representing ‘one basic meaning for one form’ in Korean. The basic meaning of the postposition ‘-do’ and the ending ‘-do’ is to ‘presuppose at least one or more sister items are already selected‘ and to ‘select in addition’ preceding locution regardless of the differences in its morphological distributions and syntactic positions.

The aim of this paper is to ascertain ‘-do’ as the ending in Korean and to identify the postposition ‘-do’ and the ending ‘-do’ in Korean in terms of the principle of ‘one category for one form and one form for one category’. To ascertain ‘-do’ as the ending we examine the entries and the example sentences of ‘-do’ which have been described as the ellipsis of ‘-ado/eodo’ and ‘-cido’ in Korean dictionaries. The ‘-do’ which has been described as the ellipsis of the ending ‘-ado/eodo’ can not be described as the ending on account of its morphological and phonological distribution. The ‘-do’ which has been described as the ellipsis of the ending ‘-cido’, ‘-dido’ can be described as the ending on account of its syntactic and morphological distribution in dialects and historical documents. It is so unnatural and abnormal to describe ‘-do’ as the ellipsis of the ending ‘-cido’, ‘-dido’ that we ascertain ‘-do’ as the ending which is positioned right after bound form such as VP. Regardless of the differences in their distributions, the postposition ‘-do’ and the ending ‘-do’ can be explained as an identical morpheme representing ‘one basic meaning for one form’ in Korean. The basic meaning of the postposition ‘-do’ and the ending ‘-do’ is to ‘presuppose at least one or more sister items are already selected‘ and to ‘select in addition’ preceding locution regardless of the differences in its morphological distributions and syntactic positions.

postposition ‘-do’, ending ‘-do’, ‘-ado/eodo’, ‘-cido’, ‘-dido’, morphological distribution.