Assimilation in Korean Phonology394

Introduction

Assimilation is a phonological process in which a sound is influenced by a neighboring sound. It can occur in a variety of ways, including:* Place of articulation: A sound can be assimilated to the place of articulation of a neighboring sound. For example, the /t/ in "stop" is pronounced as a /d/ in "stoplight" because it is influenced by the /l/ that follows it.
* Manner of articulation: A sound can be assimilated to the manner of articulation of a neighboring sound. For example, the /s/ in "cats" is pronounced as a /z/ in "dogs" because it is influenced by the voiced /d/ that follows it.
* Voicing: A sound can be assimilated to the voicing of a neighboring sound. For example, the /p/ in "pit" is pronounced as a /b/ in "bit" because it is influenced by the voiced /b/ that follows it.

Assimilation in Korean

Assimilation is a common phenomenon in Korean phonology. It can occur between consonants and between vowels.Consonant assimilation

The most common type of consonant assimilation in Korean is place of articulation assimilation. This occurs when a consonant is pronounced at the same place of articulation as a neighboring consonant. For example:* /p/ becomes /b/ before /m/
* /t/ becomes /d/ before /n/
* /k/ becomes /g/ before /ŋ/

Assimilation can also occur between consonants and vowels. For example, the /n/ in "nun" is pronounced as a /m/ before the rounded vowel /o/ in "mom".Vowel assimilation

Vowel assimilation is also common in Korean. The most common type of vowel assimilation is height assimilation. This occurs when a vowel changes its height to match the height of a neighboring vowel. For example:* /a/ becomes /e/ before /i/
* /o/ becomes /u/ before /u/

Assimilation can also occur between vowels and consonants. For example, the /a/ in "cat" is pronounced as a /e/ before the palatal consonant /j/ in "jet".

Conclusion

Assimilation is a common phonological process in Korean. It can occur between consonants and between vowels. Assimilation can have a significant impact on the pronunciation of words, and it can be a source of variation in the language.

2024-11-05

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