The phoneme /h/ in Kyeongsang Korean

Abstract

The special nature of the phoneme /h/ in Kyungsang Korean is studied, with the aim to identify the main adjustments of Kyungsang Korean, lettered by the symbol ㅎ. Study materials were isolated words forms of the Kyungsang Korean with the sound [h]. In the intervocalic position and after the consonants, the allophones of the phoneme /h/ were found to be usually realized as aspiration of the prepositive consonant and postpositive vowel. No realizations of the phoneme /h/ in the final position and before any consonant were found. In the initial position (74 % of all cases), the phoneme /h/ is realized as a laryngeal fricative sound [h]. In 10 % word forms, it occurs as a velar fricative sound [x]. In 6 % of all cases, we found a palatalized hushing or a whistling sound [ʃб] or [sб] in preposition to front vowels such as [ү] or [і]. In preposition to back narrow vowels, such as [u] or [ɯ], the phoneme /h/ is realized as a bilabial sound [φ] or a dentolabial sound [f] in 10 % of all cases. In the intervocalic position, the phoneme /h/ is realized as a voiced allophone. Usually, in the intervocalic position, the phoneme /h/ is realized as a voiced laryngeal sound [ɦ] or a voiced velar sound [ɣ] (in preposition to vowels like [a], [o], or [e]). In preposition to back vowels like [ɯ], it is realized as a dentolabial voiced fricative sound [v]. Thus, the pronunciation of the phoneme /h/ was found to depend on the postpositive vowel.