최근 한국인 남녀 이름의 성차와 변화에 대한사회음운론적 고찰

Abstract

Based on Korean babies' names registered in the family registry from 2012 to 2023, this study investigates the phonological gender differences and changing trends in Korean male and female names. The top 500 names for each year between 2012 and 2023 were used as data. The analyses revealed that 'sonorant' consonants, 'acute' consonants, 'front' vowels, and 'open' syllables appear more frequently in female names than in male names. The analysis of consonant and vowel segments in Korean personal names showed that both conventional size sound symbolism (peculiar to Korean phonology) and synesthetic size sound symbolism are at work in creating phonological gender differences. The research also found that Korean personal names are undergoing phonological changes of euphonization, simplification, and feminization, which can be attributed to the weakening of hierarchical structures and male dominance in Korean society, as well as Koreans' increasingly pragmatic culture and attitudes.