Korean Linguistics - Volume 14, Issue 1, 2008

Abstract. This study aims to localize the brain regions involved in the apprehension of Korean laryngeal contrasts and to investigate whether the Internal Model advanced by Callan et al. (2004) extends to first versus second language perception of these unique three-way laryngeal distinctions. The results show that there is a significant difference in activation between native and second-language speakers, consistent with the findings of Callan et al. Specific activities unique to younger native speakers of Korean relative to native speakers of English were seen in the cuneus (occipital lobe) and the right middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann Area [BA] 10), areas of the brain associated with pitch perception. The current findings uphold Silva's (2006) conclusion that the laryngeal contrasts of Korean are increasingly distinguished less by VOT differences than by their effect on pitch in the following vowel. A subsequent experiment was conducted to establish whether more traditional, older native speakers of Korean who still make clear VOT distinctions also activate both the cuneus and BA 10 in the same task. Preliminary results indicate that they do not, whereas speakers with overlapping VOT distinctions do show intersecting activations in these areas, thus corroborating Silva's claim of emergent pitch sensitivity in the Korean laryngeal system.

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to examine acoustically the developmental characteristics of Korean stops. Stop productions were obtained from 30 Korean male and female children in two age ranges (5 and 10 years). Voice-Onset-Time (VOT) delay and fundamental frequency (f0) at the onset of vowel were measured for sequences of word-initial stop followed by the vowel /a/. These were analysed as a function of age, sex, place of articulation and stop manner category. Measure-ments of f0 were also made at the middle of the vowel /i/ in order to compare with vowel-onset f0. Results revealed that VOT values were not significantly different in terms of age, but did differ by sex in that boys produced significantly longer VOT lag than girls in the aspirated stop series. In addition, VOT varied by stop category and place of articulation. Vowel-onset f0 differed between sexes as well as by stop manner category, but vowel-middle f0 was not significantly different be-tween sexes. As expected, both vowel-onset and vowel-middle f0 were higher in 5 year-old children than in 10 year-old children. The results of this study indicate that, overall, differences which corre-late with sex and age are more prominent for laryngeal tension distinctions than for temporal coordi-nation gestures in Korean children, suggesting that sex and age differences in stop consonants during the pre-adolescent period should be examined across languages.

Abstract. Foreign accent has been assumed to be closely related to the degree of articulatory, acoustic and perceptual similarity between L1 and L2 sounds. This study examined cross-language acoustic and perceptual similarities between Korean and English sibilant fricatives: Korean [—tense] /s/ and [+tense] /s*/ vs. English alveolar /s/ and palato-alveolar /∫/. To determine acoustic similarity, two parameters were measured: duration and spectral peak frequency. A Same-Different (AX) discrimination task investigated listeners' perceived similarity judgments between pairs of sibilants. In most cases, the acoustic characterizations led to correct predictions about differences in listeners' perceptions. However, results showed several disparities between acoustic similarity and perceived similarity. These cases necessarily involve acoustic dimensions other than the two measured here; probable candidates are voice quality on a following vowel, and lip rounding, with its spectral lowering effects. Cases of mismatch between acoustic and perceptual characterizations are fruitful areas for examining additional acoustic characteristics that may be responsible for listeners' ability to distinguish sounds. Acoustic and perceptual characterizations in tandem provide the best method of establishing areas of difference between the sounds of different languages, and in turn of establishing ways to teach L2 sounds to learners.

Abstract. The Multiple Input approach in Optimality Theory for Korean allomorph alternations has been challenged by recent research. It is shown not only to have failed in dealing with alternations after ŋ-final stems and with the lo/ilo and the wa/kwa alternations, but also to have resulted in a ranking paradox between different allomorph sets. These problems lead researchers to argue that Optimality Theory is incapable of dealing with the Korean allomorphy or to propose a separate selection device outside of the evaluation component to explain the allomorph alternations in Korean. This paper, however, shows that the apparent problems come from the partially optimizing nature of Korean noun allomorphy. It argues that parallel evaluation with multiple inputs has no problem in dealing with Korean allomorphy. A universal allomorphy constraint, DEFAULT ALLOMORPH, which prefers a phonologically simple allomorph, is proposed to remedy the problems found in the previous analyses. With DEFAULT ALLOMORPH and other relevant constraints, we do not have to resort to separate selection/elimination stages or to language-particular and morpheme-specific constraints to explain Korean noun particle allomorph alternations.

Abstract. In the 15th C, the Korean existential verb had three allomorphs, is-, isi-, and si-, while Present Day Korean has one form, iss-. Using diachronic corpus data, the present article examines the historical development of the existential verb stem leading to the current form iss-. Reexamination of three previous explanations of the structural transformations of is(i)- demonstrates that, as Huh (1987) suggested, the pattern of structural change was is-/ isi- > is-/ is.si- > is-/ is.s- > iss-. With respect to the insertion of s in isi-, this article shows that the case of the existential verb should be distinguished from cases of regular "double writing (cwungchel phyoki)" based on differences in the directionality and the location of the insertion. Instead, it argues that in the 17th and 18th C., when double writing was commonly practiced, of the two allomorphs is- and isi-, is-had long been the frequent stem form and as such, assimilation of the less frequent form isi- to is-could have motivated the insertion of s into isi-.

Abstract. It is well known that Korean marks clauses through the particles that occur at the end of sentences and also that there are many clause types. One can find as many as eleven clause types proposed in the literature. In this paper I examine all proposed sentence types and sentence end particles through Sadock and Zwicky's (1985) criteria on clause types and decomposition of the particles. The study lends the conclusion that there are at most 5 clause types; declarative, interrogative, imperative, exhortative, and promissive (the last three can even be grouped into one clause type, jussives). It also reveals that not all sentence end particles mark clause type and that they can be categorized into three categories: special mood particles, speech style particles, and clause typing particles. The paper concludes with the issue of the role of clause typing particles. While they are labeled clause typing particles in the sense that they are unique to the clause types they appear in, I argue that they are not markers of sentential force.

Abstract. One of the unique features of Korean is that it marks sentences used to promise with the same grammatical mechanism - a paradigm of sentence final particles - with which it marks other clause types, like declaratives, interrogatives, and imperatives. In this paper we investigate this cross-linguistically rare type of PROMISSIVES and argue that they are members of the broader clause type of JUSSIVES, along with imperatives and exhortatives. However, within the jussive clause type, promissives, imperatives, and exhortatives differ from each other in having not only different sen-tence final particles but also different subjects. We argue that these two differences are correlated in such a way as to distinguish the three distinct clause types, promissives, imperatives, and exhorta-tives. We specifically argue that the jussive particle (sentence final particle in jussive clauses) is the head of a Jussive Phrase which carries person features and that the jussive particle enters an agree-ment relation with the subject. In studying various types of subjects allowed in both root and embed-ded jussive clauses we further argue that the Jussive head, as well as null pronouns in Korean has a shiftable person features while overt pronouns have unshiftable person features.

Abstract. This paper investigates the semantic development of icey 'now,' originating as a temporal adverb and evolving into a discourse marker, by analyzing a large corpus drawn from diachronic and synchronic data. Further, through a corpus-based frequency analysis this study explores the mecha-nism of the semantic change. It demonstrates that icey was used as a transition device in historical texts which focuses on a temporal contrast or shift between one event and another. By analyzing the distribution of icey in both written and spoken corpus, it shows that the discourse meaning of icey emerges in the contexts where the speaker/writer expresses his/her subjective stance and attempts to elicit attention from the addressee/reader. It argues that (inter)subjectivity is the primary factor for the semantic extension of icey.

Abstract. This paper investigates the usage of the Korean plain speech level suffix -ta in spoken discourse and discusses the relationship among its interactional functions, the local contexts of its use, and its basic meaning. This paper employs a usage-based approach, whereby naturally occurring spoken discourse is analyzed in detail by examining how the functions of -ta are distributed and to what extent the suffix is adapted to its context through the development of local patterns. The suffix -ta functions differently in terms of sentence types: on the one hand, it serves as a reactive token, an attention-getter, a self-repair, or a stance marker by indexing the speaker's cognitive process in spon-taneous sentences. On the other hand, it can function as a way to claim speakership by indexing the on-going interactional process in non-spontaneous sentences. On the whole, compared with the intimate speech level suffix -e/a, the various functions of -ta are grounded in the representation of cognitive and interactional processing among conversation participants as the primitive form of their internalized knowledge. -Ta's frequent collocations with -keyss-, mac-, and ani- explain the highly adaptive feature of -ta to its local contexts. This paper reveals that the grammatical, lexical, and interactional contexts in using -ta contribute to the emergence of its interactional functions and its basic meaning.

Abstract. Neither J suzuna 'turnip' nor suzusiro 'radish' has a good J-internal etymology. But suzuna is similar in form to OK *swuy 'turnip' + *s + *no 'greens'. Likewise, suzusiro resembles OK *swuy + *s + *silay 'radish' (cf. silayki 'dried radish leaves'). Since turnips and radishes in China go back only about 2500 years and are known to have originated farther west, J suzuna and suzusiro are likely to be phrases borrowed into Japanese from Korean in proto-historic times.