Topics in the Historical Phonology of Korean(<Feature Articles>Issues in Historical Phonology)

Abstract

This paper discusses various topics found in the historical study of Korean phonology. First, I will examine the phonological system of Middle Korean from the synchronic point of view. Then, I will review various attempts to reconstruct earlier Korean. It will be demonstrated that both written records and the method of internal reconstruction play important roles in explaining the origins of consonant clusters, aspirates, and so on. It will be also shown that the pitch was not distinctive in Proto-Korean and the system of Middle Korean pitch accent was a secondary development.