Excessive Post-Obstruent Tensing in Korean Spondee Word List: Comparison between the Colloquial Korean Language and Hahm's List / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the frequencies of phonemes in the colloquial Korean language and compared them with those of the Korean spondee word list (KSWL). MATERIALS AND METHOD: One hundred fifty nine scripts (2, 312, 651 syllables) from several television dramas and news in Korean were selected as study materials. A computer program was developed and used to estimate the frequencies of phonemes from the pronunciated notation of the materials and KSWL. RESULTS: All materials except KSWL showed similar trends in the frequency of phonemes. The vowel distribution of KSWL mostly corresponded with the colloquial language. More (86.1% vs. 35.8%) final consonant phonemes were present in KSWL than in the colloquial Korean. The most prominent discrepancy existed in the initial consonant phonemes which had excessive post-obstruent tensing. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study recommend that KSWL needs to be modified in order to have more similar frequencies of phonemes with the actual frequencies of the colloquial Korean language.