Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2005 May;48(5):596-600.

Excessive Post-Obstruent Tensing in Korean Spondee Word List: Comparison between the Colloquial Korean Language and Hahm's List

• Byun SW
• Kim JK
• Lee SS
• Bae JH

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
This study investigated the frequencies of phonemes in the colloquial Korean language and compared them with those of the Korean spondee word list (KSWL). MATERIALS AND METHOD: One hundred fifty nine scripts (2, 312, 651 syllables) from several television dramas and news in Korean were selected as study materials. A computer program was developed and used to estimate the frequencies of phonemes from the pronunciated notation of the materials and KSWL. RESULTS: All materials except KSWL showed similar trends in the frequency of phonemes. The vowel distribution of KSWL mostly corresponded with the colloquial language. More (86.1% vs. 35.8%) final consonant phonemes were present in KSWL than in the colloquial Korean. The most prominent discrepancy existed in the initial consonant phonemes which had excessive post-obstruent tensing. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study recommend that KSWL needs to be modified in order to have more similar frequencies of phonemes with the actual frequencies of the colloquial Korean language.

Keyword

Speech audiometry; Phonetics; Speech reception threshold test

MeSH Terms

Audiometry, Speech
Drama
Phonetics
Speech Reception Threshold Test
Television
Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation*