# -라
## Jeju
### Pronunciation

* (Morphophonemic) IPA: ⫽la⫽
* (Jeju City) IPA: [ɾa̠]
* Phonetic hangul: [라]

### Suffix

라 (-ra)
* Post-vowel and post-liquid allomorphic form of 으라 (-eura, imperative suffix).

## Korean
### Pronunciation

* (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [ɾa̠]
* Phonetic hangul: [라]

### Etymology 1

From Middle Korean 라〮 (Yale: -lá), lenited form of 다〮 (Yale: -tá).
It is not clear why lenition only occurred at these specific environments. Vovin speculates that lenition occurred at intervocalic environments except at verbal morpheme boundaries when preceded by a "minimal vowel": ㅡ (Yale: u-) or ㆍ (Yale: o-). Hence lenition occurred after 더 (Yale: -te-), but not after ᄂᆞ (Yale: -no-). To explain why only the stem 이 (Yale: -ì-, “to be”, copula) triggers lenition and not the many Class H! verbs, all of whose stems end with a non-minimal vowel, Vovin suggests that all Class H! verbs were originally once closed-syllable stems with nasal or liquid finals. However, Vovin's arguments remain for the most part speculative.

#### Suffix

라 • (-ra)
* Alternative form of 다 (-da, declarative suffix), found in the following environments:
** Directly after the stem of 이다 (-ida, “to be”, copula), whether present or elided, and its negative 아니다 (anida, “to not be”):
*** Used in all indirect quotes (either explicit or implicit), before markers such as 고 (-go), 니 (-ni), 면 (-myeon), etc.
    뭐라고? ― mwo-ra-go? ― What did you say?
    쟤가 누구라고? ― jae-ga nugu-ra-go? ― Who did you say he was?
    이게 아니라고? ― ige ani-ra-go? ― This isn't it?
    저게 사람이라니, 뭔 말이야? ― jeoge saram-i-ra-ni, mwon mar-iya? ― That's a person? What do you mean?
    스펀지도 동물이라고 그랬어. ― Seupeonji-do dongmur-i-ra-go geuraesseo. ― They say a sponge is also an animal.
    나는 아니라고 그랬어. ― Na-neun ani-ra-go geuraesseo. ― I said that it wasn't me.
*** (colloquial) Short for 라고 (-ra-go, alternative form of 다고 (-da-go) for the copulative stems), when not used sentence-finally.
    스펀지도 동물이라 그랬어. ― Seupeonji-do dongmur-i-ra geuraesseo. ― They say a sponge is also an animal.
*** (dated, dialectal or very literary) Used directly after the stem in all environments. This was historically obligatory but is now dated.
    이는 효자가 아니라. ― I-neun hyoja-ga ani-ra. ― This is not a filial son.
    도를 모르거든 사람도 금수라. ― Do-reul moreu-geodeun saram-do geumsu-ra. ― If a man knows not the Way, he too is a beast.
** After 더 (-deo-, retrospective suffix), as 더라 (-deora).
** Optionally after 으리 (-euri-, prospective suffix), as 으리라 (-eurira).
** Used in 느니라 (-neunira).

##### Usage notes

* Note that 라 (-ra) cannot occur after 었 (-eot-) and 겠 (-get-), because both derive etymologically from 있다 (itda).
    Hence 이라고 (-i-ra-go), but 이었다고 (-i-eot-da-go), 이겠다고 (-i-get-da-go).

#### Particle

라 • (-ra)
* Short for 라고 (-rago, post-vowel form of 이라고 (-irago, direct quotation marker)).

### Etymology 2

From Middle Korean 라〮 (Yale: -lá).

#### Suffix

라 • (-ra)
* because, since; used directly after the stem of 이다 (-ida, “to be”, copula), whether present or elided, and its negative 아니다 (anida, “to not be”). It is the equivalent of the infinitive 어 (-eo) for other stems.
    Synonym: 라서 (-raseo)
    유기농이라 그런지 많이 비싸다. ― Yuginong-i-ra geureonji mani bissada. ― It's very expensive, maybe because it's organic.
* Only used in 아니라 (anira, “but rather”).

##### Usage notes

* Its interaction with other suffixes, such as 으옵 (-euop-), suggests that the underlying form of this suffix is actually 으라 (-eura). However, this form never actually surfaces because it only occurs after two vowel-final stems.

### Etymology 3

From Middle Korean 라〮 (Yale: -lá); see the main entry for more.

#### Suffix

라 • (-ra)
* Post-vowel and post-liquid allomorphic form of 으라 (-eura, imperative suffix).

### Etymology 4

Compare dialectal 레 (-re) and 리 (-ri).

#### Particle

라 • (-ra)
* (Hwanghae, Pyongan, Northern Gangwon) suffix used after words ending with a vowel.
    Synonym: (Standard Korean) 가 (-ga)
** 2007, 황대화 [hwangdaehwa], 황해도 방언 연구 [hwanghaedo bang'eon yeon'gu, Study of the Hwanghae dialect], (북한) 강원도 이천군 [(bukhan) gang'wondo icheon'gun]: 한국 문화사, →ISBN:누구라 없니?nugura eom-ni?Is someone there?

### References

* ↑ Vovin, Alexander (2010) Koreo-Japonica: A Re-Evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin, University of Hawai’i Press, →ISBN, →JSTOR, pages 26—28