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Korean
Etymology
First appears in the late sixteenth century as 데 (Yale: -tey). Traditionally analyzed as a shortening of Middle Korean 더〮ᅌᅵ다〮 (Yale: -té-ngì-tá), from 더〮 (Yale: -té-, imperfective suffix) + ᅌᅵ (Yale: -ngì-, listener-honoring suffix) + 다〮 (Yale: -tá, declarative suffix), with the last being fully deleted.
However, Jang Yun-hui suggests that it may be more appropriate to posit 이 (Yale: -i) as a colloquial Middle Korean verb-final suffix, in which case this is a simple compound of 더〮 (Yale: -té-, imperfective suffix) + 이 (Yale: -i).[1]
Suffix
데 • (-de)
- Intimate-style equivalent form of 더라 (-deora).
걔가 밥을 먹데.- Gyae-ga bab-eul meok-de.
- he was having a meal.
- The intimate-style interrogative retrospective suffix. See 더 (-deo-) for usage notes.
걔가 밥을 먹데?- Gyae-ga bab-eul meok-de?
- he was having a meal?
Usage notes
- Koreans sometimes confuse this with homophonous 대 (-dae), which is used to mark reported speech:
- 그렇데. ― Geureo-te. ― it was like that.
- 그렇대. ― Geureo-tae. ― it was like that.
References
- ^ 장윤희 [jang'yunhui] (1997) “중세국어 종결어미 '(으)이'의 분석과 그 문법사적 의의 [jungsegugeo jonggyeoreomi (-eu)i ui bunseokgwa geu munbeopsajeok uiui, Analysis of the Middle Korean sentence ender (-u)i and its significance in grammatical history]”, in Gugeohak, volume 30, pages 103—140