The subsyllabic hierarchy of Korean

Korean, a syllable-timed language, has been the subject of much study in theoretical phonology. In particular, the branching hierarchy of the syllable has been a topic of much debate, especially considering the relative simplicity of the syllable, which has a maximal CGVC structure. This essay examines the issue of sub syllabic branching in Korean. In light of an asymmetrically substantial body of evidence, I conclude that the Korean syllable, in contrast to syllables in other languages, is left-branching. The salient subsyllabic unit is the body, composed of the body and nucleus, which challenges previously held assumptions that the rime, the nucleus and coda, formed a cross-linguistically universal constituent. Further, the prevocalic glide is investigated, and deemed to join an initial consonant in the onset, and not join the nuclear vowel. The nature of Korean orthography and its implications for the above results are also discussed, as written Korean script could be seen to encode various details at hierarchical levels above the syllable. It is concluded that various phonological phenomena, while not completely independent of orthographic effects, nevertheless motivate the above conclusions. The theoretical implications of this study include challenging traditional notions of phonological universals, as well as past and future changes to Korean speakers' mental representations of syllabic phonology. 1 '.' ~.t ,~ I I Acknowledgements Of the many, many people without whom this essay would not have been possible, I thank first of all my senior thesis advisor, Matthew Wolf, as well as my DUS and overseer, Laurence Horn. I cannot stress enough that I, and I alone, am responsible for the weaknesses and omissions of this essay; they are merely its victims. My thanks also go to those who have guided me through the beautiful sciences of phonetics and phonology, Louis Goldstein, Darya Kavitskaya and Jelena Krivokapic, Your encouragement and patience, I value beyond words. To the Yale Linguistics faculty, who have each, in some way, contributed to this, Dianne Jonas, Raffaella Zanuttini, Claire Bowern, Ashwini Deo, and Gaia Jarosz, thank you. To my fellow undergraduate linguists, thank you for your good humor and helpful attention. To all the Korean students I've tutored in English, thank you for not understanding rhyme. Finally, thank you to all my family and friends, who have had to put up with my complaints regarding the writing of this essay, and have worried about my sanity. 11