Why do Obstruents Neutralize in Syllable Final Position\ulcorner

음절말 자음 중화의 원인

The purpose of this study is to explain the cause of obsturents neutralization in syllable final position. Most of the previous phonological studies did not reflect phonetic reality sufficiently because of the limited use of the binary feature system. Using binary distinctive features, we can't explain the cause of neutralization. In order to explain the cause of neutralization, I use the multi-valued phonetic feature -[vocal tract aperture]. By [vocal tract aperture] I mean the distance between articulators in the hold stage. In this study, I claim that the cause of neutralization is assimilation to [vocal tract aperture] 0 degree. The neutralized sounds become aplosives, as a consequence of assimilation to [vocal tract aperture].