When to use "イ形容詞" plus "ったって"

Question

I found the following sentences containing "形容詞語幹＋い＋ったって" in dictionaries

「大きいったって、それほどじゃないよ」（小学館）

「行きたいったって､先立つものがないとね」（明鏡国語辞典）

and also the definition of "たって" written in 大辞林, "活用語の終止形に付き,｢…といっても｣｢…としても｣の意で,強い逆接を表す｡この場合,｢ったって｣の形になるのが一般である｡"

In the next sentence, I thought ったって can be replaced by としても and therefore sounds natural, however, I was told by a Japanese that it doesn't.

「今気づかれていないったって、毎日真面目に努力すればいつか報われると信じています。」

While this sentence is totally fine to say

「今気づかれていなくたって、毎日真面目に努力すればいつか報われると信じています。」

Therefore, I would like to ask when to use "形容詞語幹＋い＋ったって" and when to use "形容詞語幹＋く＋たって."

Answer 1

This ったって is basically a contracted form of と言ったって (see this question, too). So think of it as "even though someone says/thinks/tries ～" rather than simple "even though ～". A phrase that comes before ったって must be either of the following:

1. a topic which has been already brought up in the conversation / a phrase actually said by someone

   • 眠いったって、昨日9時間も寝てたじゃないか。
     although you're saying you're sleepy, ...
   • 明日手術を受けます。手術ったって、10分くらいで終わる簡単なものですよ。
     although I said 'surgery', ...

2. someone's (or your own) will/request/desire/etc.

   • 俺をだまそうったって、そうは問屋が卸さない。
     although you're trying to deceive me, ...
   • 3日の勉強で試験に合格しろったって、無理なものは無理ですよ。
     although you're telling me to pass the exam ...
   • この大雪では、助けに行くったって行ける訳がない。
     cannot rescue [him] even if you/I want to

In your example, 今気づかれていない ("my effort is unnoticed now") is not something someone said, and it's not related to someone's will. So ったって doesn't fit.

Answer 2

So according to 大辞林, we should use 連用形 (ends with く for i-adjectives) when we mean「たとえ…ても」 and 終止形 (ends with い for i-adjectives) when we mean「…といっても」or「…としても」.

① 動詞・形容詞の連用形に付き、「たとえ…ても」の意を表す。

② 活用語の終止形に付き、「…といっても」「…としても」の意で、強い逆接を表す。この場合、「ったって」の形になるのが一般である。

Both of the examples you listed are in the sense of「…といっても」(even though one might say). But I think your example, you are trying to say something like

"Even though I don't notice it now, I believe that if I work hard every day I will be rewarded one day."

You aren't talking about saying if you 気づかれていない or not. 気づかれていない is something that has already happened. So we can't use it in sense of 「…といっても」. We need to compare 「たとえ…ても」and「…としても」.

To put it simply,「…としても」is used for purely hypothetical future situations and 「たとえ…ても」can be used to indicate something that already happened. Here's an example:

せっかく英語を学んでも、使う機会がない (Even though I have learned English, I have no chances to use it.)

The important thing is that the 学ぶ has already happened just like the 気づかれていない in your example. That's why the form that means 「たとえ…ても」 is correct, which means we need to use the 連用形 form of the adjective.