Learning Journal #4

[Claire Yang]

Korean has 19 consonant phonemes. There is a three-way contrast between unvoiced segments, which are distinguished as plain, tense, and aspirated. Korean language has eight vowel phonemes，and long vowels are pronounced somewhat more peripherally than short ones. There are some interesting facts about Korean Phonology. In Korean language, nasalized /r/ and /l/ are often interchangeable, and there are no consonant clusters in word-initial or word-final positions. Also, fricatives and affricates do not appear in word-final position. There are some phonemes in English that are not found in Korean include the following: /ŋ/, /f/, /v/, /θ/, /ð/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ʧ/, /ʤ/, /ɹ/, and /w/. There sounds in my language that don’t exist in American English. The /n/ and /ŋ/ sound. In some words, we will prolong the /ŋ/ sound to make different meanings. In order to understand the sound system, I need to know the rules in the system and try to read words and understand the structures. I will practice by reading and writing. Every time I write down the word, I will speak out in order to help memorize the sound rules. I would also practice my pronunciation with my language partener to read correctly and practice to speak in a right tune.

[Michael Marsh-Soloway]

Excellent post, Claire! You're perfectly grasping the significant distinction between sound and spelling. Keep up the good work!