전남 방언의 ‘ㅓ’ → ‘ㅡ’ 모음 상승에 대한 인식 연구

Abstract

This paper conducts an experimental investigation into the phonological variation of vowel raising from /ʌ/ to /ɨ/ in the South Jeolla dialect of Korean, shedding light on the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that influence this phenomenon. Native speakers of the South Jeolla dialect participated in an online survey, evaluating words containing an /ʌ/ and rating the well-formedness of the corresponding /ɨ/-raised variant for each item. The results indicate that the existence of a minimal pair, differing solely in the /ʌ/ and /ɨ/ sounds, significantly reduces the likelihood of vowel raising, serving as a mechanism to prevent semantic ambiguity. Also, /ʌ/ is less prone to raise to /ɨ/ in word-final syllables compared to word-initial or word-medial syllables. This study also uncovers a reduced occurrence of vowel raising in words featuring another non-high back vowel, which violates an Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP). However, the number of syllables in a word, the word’s origin, and the place of articulation of the preceding consonant do not exhibit a statistically significant influence on the /ʌ/ to /ɨ/ vowel raising. Extra-linguistically, Gwangju speakers demonstrated more frequent vowel raising than other South Jeolla regions. This meticulous analysis offers valuable insights into the complex nature of phonological variation associated with vowel raising in the South Jeolla dialect of Korean, contributing significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of vowel raising across various Korean dialects.