For instance
옛날의 일본은 신분 차이가 크게 엄격한 상하 관계가 있습니다.
Is 크게 modifying 어려운? But the way I understand this sentence is in ancient Japan, there were large social divides and strict social hierarchy, which is in effect 크고 엄격한 상하 관계가 있습니다.
Thank you!
Answer
Can adverbs modify adjectives?
Yes . That “s part of what adverbs do. Consider
- 과] {●} [て] {●} [도] {●} 레드 [아카] 있던 자동차 [자동차]
a very red car - 까지] {●} [부] {●} 이빨] {●} [구] {●} 아키라 [아카] 루이 푸른 하늘 [푸른 하늘]
a dazzlingly bright blue sky
Is 크게 modifying 어려운?
No. At least, not directly. In your sample sentence, as you correctly parsed it, the 대 【오】 근무 is not being used as a direct modifier on the following adjective 엄 【기미】로운, but is instead being used in a way that can be understood either as a conjunction, as you suggest with your 대 【오】 근무 [밖으로] {● } alteration, or as a kind of adverbial clause that modifies the whole rest of the sentence.
One of the grammatical clues telling us that this 대 【오】 근무 is not just an adverbial modifier for 엄 [기장 ] 시이 alone is that the 대 【오】 근무 has a subject marked with 이 immediately before it, telling us that the 대 【오】 근무 is in fact being used as the predicate of a descriptive phrase with that이 -marked subject as the head noun of that phrase
The grammar
This kind of adverbial ending to a phrase can also happen with verbs, where, by one analysis, the て is omitted. Example :
- 밥 【납땜]를 음식 【기】 베 TV 시청 [몸]있는
[I] eat and watch TV
This kind of construction joins clauses using the 연용 형 [연용 형] : the -masu stem for verbs, the 구 adverbial for -i adjectives, the에 adverbial for -na adjectives – literally, the 형 [케이] or “form”that 연속 [응] or attaches to a 용언 [용언] or inflecting word.
How this affects the meaning
In terms of nuance, the meaning of the phrase ending in the 연용 형 is a bit more closely linked to the meaning of the following phrase than if you use the ~라고 conjunction. Compare
- 섬광 [구] {●} 아키라 [아카] 루이 푸른 하늘 [푸른 하늘]
a dazzling ly bright blue sky - 섬광 [구] {●} [て] {●} 아키라 [아카] 루이 푸른 하늘 [푸른 하늘]
a dazzling and bright blue sky
Or
- 밥 【납땜]을 음식 [ 한] [곰팡이] {●} TV 시청 [몸]있는
[I] eat and watch TV (probably at the same time) - 밥 【납땜]을 먹는 【기】 [곰팡이] {●} [て] {●} TV 시청 [몸]있는
[I] eat and then watch TV (as distinct actions, possibly separated in time)
Looking specifically at your sample sentence
- 신분의 차이가 크기 [구] {●} 엄격한 상하 관계가 있습니다.
There is a big difference in status and [thus] a strict hierarchy - 신분의 차이가 크기 [구] {●} [て] {●} 엄격한 상하 관계가 있습니다.
There is a big difference in status and [separately] a strict hierarchy
I “m stretching the English translations here to try to emphasize the distinction in the Japanese, but hopefully this helps shed some light on why an author or speaker might use the 연용 형 [연용 형] to end a clause, as opposed to the ~라고 conjunctive form.