• Speech Sciences
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to revisit the property of tapping, based on the data from Yonbyon Korean. Taps have been described as short segments derived from corresponding stops or trills. It is also widely assumed that tapping occurs due to lenition to minimize articulatory effort. However, Yonbyon Korean data show that taps can occur in strong as well as weak positions The results of the acoustic experiments conducted in this study show that in syllable-onset position, obstruent taps consistently appear from the underlying laterals, while in intervocalic position, sonorant taps similar to American English taps occur. The results of this study provide evidence against the uniform account of tapping as the result of lenition.

• MALSORI
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• no.37
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• pp.1-12
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• 1999

In this paper, we examine the allophones of an underlying segment /l/ in Korean dialects. In particular, we examine how an underlying /l/ sound surfaces in the Korean dialect spoken at Yonbyon, China. To do so, we employ the following processes: First, we perform the phonetic studies on the allophones of an underlying /l/ in the Yonbyon dialect. Secondly, we compare the phonological environments of the allophones of an underlying /l/ in the Yonbyon dialect with the South Korean dialect. Finally, we discuss the phonological implications of the allophones of the underlying /l/ in terms of Feature Geometry and Syllable Contact Law. Based on the phonetic study, we will argue that the distinctive feature [sonorant] should be placed outside the root node and that the flap, an allophone of an underlying /l/, should be understood as an obstruent, not a sonorant.