A Study on the Internal Structure of Consonants in the Chinese Language: Based on Precedence-free Phonology

This study introduces a new phonological theory, Precedence-free Phonology, and applies it to the internal structure of consonants in the Chinese phonological system. Precedence-free Phonology is applied to determine the internal structure of Chinese consonants, yielding the following points. First, the laryngeal element |ʔ|, which serves a prosodic function. Second, all components of a phonological representation in Precedence-free Phonology are included in an asymmetric relationship between a nucleus and a dependent. Third, melodic information is represented by dependent elements within a dotted circular shape, while prosodic information is represented by nucleus elements connected by a vertical line, where the lower position of a dependent element indicates a greater proportion of acoustic features.BR In Precedence-free Phonology, the prosodic and melodic domains are simultaneously encompassed within a comprehensive and unified hierarchical structure through a set of units. Precedence-free Phonology is thus a phonological theory well-suited for analyzing natural languages with both supra-segmental and segmental phonemes. It is also regarded as useful in interdisciplinary studies of phonological coding, phonetics, and language cognitive neuroscience. As there have yet to be any theoretical or applied studies of Precedence-free Phonology in Korea, this study is significant in introducing and applying the new phonological theory of Precedence-free Phonology. Future research on both theoretical and applied aspects of Precedence-free Phonology should be conducted.