Comparative Analysis on Synonym for Adverb of Time in Korean and Thai: A Case Study on Adverbs ““이미-벌써” “지금-이제” “어서-얼른”

Abstract

          The objectives of this study were to 1) identify the specific grammatical meaning and application of the synonym for adverb of time in the Korean language, 2) analyse and compare the specific grammatical meaning and application of the synonym for adverb of time in the Korean and Thai languages. The sample data are the Korean adverb of time: “이미-벌써” “지금-이제” “어서-얼른” which are taken from the Korean dictionary, “표준국어대사전, 연세현대한국어사전”; the Thai dictionary, ‘the Royal Institute Dictionary’ (Royal Society of Thailand, 2011); and other related works on the specific grammatical meaning and grammatically correct usage terms from example sentences.

          The results of the study revealed that Korean synonyms for adverb of time with identical meaning and usage can be interchangeable, but it is unreciprocated if its meaning is different. Moreover, the comparative analysis on the specific grammatical meaning and application of the synonym for adverb of time in the Korean and Thai languages presented two significant points. Firstly, the similarity: 1) it can modify the sentence to present the past, the present and the future tense; 2) it can be freely put anywhere in the sentence; and 3) it can be found in affirmative sentences, interrogative sentences, invitations, commands, and exclamations. Secondly, the difference: 1) the Korean synonyms for adverb of time are usually found with the affixes of time ““-었-/-는-/-겠-”, but Thai adverb of time could be found either before or after verb without changing the word form; and 2) if Korean synonyms for adverb of time convey different individual meanings, it is necessary to combine new words, when comparing with Thai, to convey the meaning and terms of use to match the synonym adverbs in Korean.