[DOI: 10.17959/sppm.2023.29.1.3]

[본문: 파일] 

음성코퍼스 기반 현대한국어 모음조화 양상의 분석 

박선우(계명대학교)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate whether the vowel harmony in Korean still adheres to 

the positive and negative vowel system, or if it has been altered due to historical 

shifts in the vowel system. The vowels in the last two syllables of 153,597 words in 

the Seoul Corpus, which contains audio recordings of spontaneous speech, were 

extracted to examine whether these two vowels conform to harmonic patterns. Chi- 

square tests were performed based on the observed frequency and expected frequency 

of  these  two  vowels.  The  results  reveal  no  clear  tendency  for  the  observation 

frequency to increase or decrease based on the phonological features of the [back] or 

[round]. Through chi-square testing, it was found that there is a weak correlation 

between positive and negative vowels, and unround and round vowels. Despite the 

presence of these weak correlations, the Korean vowel harmony can be interpreted as 

a historical trace of the old Korean vowel system, rather than a consequence of 

phonological constraints. 

Keywords

vowel harmony, vowel system, palatal harmony, observed frequency, expected frequency