Pitch Accent Systems in Korean(<Feature Articles 1>Tone and/or Pitch-accent Languages of the World)

Abstract

This paper describes some of the typical pitch accent systems found in Korean dialects and discusses various tonal or accentual phenomena that are important for a deeper understanding of each of the pitch systems. Typological comparisons with the pitch accent systems of Japanese are also made. The author also gives a provisional classification of all the Korean pitch accent systems so far reported, including non-distinctive ones, based on several synchronic criteria.