earticle

영어

The purpose of this study is to examine actual pronunciation data and previous research results regarding to the free variation phenomenon in the /ㄴㄹ(nl)/ string, and to show that there is a possibility to explain the phenomenon in terms of a cognitive approach. For this purpose, we have examined the data from the survey of pronunciation conditions conducted by the National Institute of the Korean Language, and carried out an investigation of modern Korean speakers’ preferences of pronunciation. In terms of the examination of the data, we can yield the following analytic results. (Though ① has been already mentioned by the existing studies, we nevertheless present it for the purpose of a systematic description of the phenomenon.) ① It is according to whether or not there is a morphemic boundary inserted into the /ㄴㄹ(nl)/ string that the free variation of liquidization and nasalization. ② There is a distinction between those speakers who prefer liquidization and those who prefer nasalization. ③ In proportion, those speakers who prefer liquidization outnumber those who prefer nasalization. ④ Even those speakers who prefer liquidization tend to apply nasalization when they pronounce unfamiliar words. ⑤ Those who prefer nasalization tend to apply nasalization more frequently when there is a clear morphemic boundary.