A Study on the Number of Syllable Types in Present-day Korean

A Study on the Number of Syllable Types in Present-day Korean

 

Bae Juchae

 

 

「현대국어 音節의 가짓수 연구」『어문연구』38권 4호(통권 148), 한국어문교육연구회, 2010. 12. 31. (pp.7-29)

Eomunyeongu 148, December 2010, The Society for Korean Language & Literary Research.

 

 

    It has been noted that there are about 3,000 syllable types in Present-day Korean.  But there is a lack of consensus on the exact number of them.

    Standard Korean has 3,192 (=initial 19× middle 21× final 8) syllable types without phonotactic constraints.  But since the 3 affricates /c/, /c'/, /ch/ cannot be followed by the 6 diphthongs beginning with /j/, i.e. /ja/, /jə/, /jo/, /ju/, /je/, /jɛ/, 144 (=initial 3× middle 6× final 8) syllable types make sytematic gaps.  So there are 3,048 syllable types in Standard Korean.

    Current Korean has 2,736 (=initial 19× middle 18× final 8) syllable types without phonotactic constraints.  But it has another phonotactic constraint concerning /ɯj/ beside the one concerning the affricates; If the middle part is /ɯj/, the initial and final consonants cannot be combined with it at the same time.  So when the middle part is /ɯj/, there are 26 syllable types, and when it is not /ɯj/, 264 with /c/, /c'/, /ch/ as their initial parts, and 2,176 with other consonants or no consonant as their initial parts.  In total, Current Korean has 2,466 syllable types.