On Intervening Consonants Constraint in Umlaut in Korean

한국어 움라우트의 개재자음 제약에 대한 검토

  • Published : 2003.05.01

Abstract

In this paper I investigate the intervening consonants constraint in umlaut in Korean. It is generally known that if a palatalized consonant, i.e. s/ㅅ/ or $t{\int}/ㅈ/$ etc, intervenes in an umlaut environment, the expected umlaut process is blocked. But there are not a few words which are thought to have undergone umlaut diachronically: wensu $( If we assume that these words were formed as a result of umlaut, we must explain the reason of the violation of the intervening consonants constraint. On the other hand if we assume that these words were formed as a result of other phonological processes, we must explain these words by ad hoc rules respectively. In this paper I argue that these words including others have undergone the umlaut process by offering some historical and dialectal evidence.

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