ABSTRACT
This chapter meticulously examines a morphosyntactic model of the Korean language, specifically focusing on Korean grammar, as compiled by missionaries during the Enlightenment period. The analysis presents an in-depth exploration of various grammatical elements, encompassing nouns, pronouns, numerals, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, postpositions, conjunctions, interjections, as well as syntactic constructs such as negation, passive voice, causative forms, honorifics, and indirect speech. Throughout the chapter, a multitude of illustrative examples are presented and thoroughly dissected. These instances, composed in Early Modern Korean, are further accompanied by translations into English, French, and Latin, as provided by the missionaries. Remarkably, the missionaries’ approach to understanding the Korean language was underpinned by a Greek-Latin model, necessitated by the absence of dedicated Korean language study resources during that era, and compounded by the absence of native-authored Korean grammar texts until 1910.
