Hyperarticulated Production of Korean Glides by Age Group

This research uses the hyperspace effect (Johnson, Flemming, & Wright, 1993; Lindblom, 1990) of Korean glides to address the issues triggered by the diachronic sound change of some Korean vowels. Specifically, we examine whether there is any difference between Korean ‘wae [w]’ versus ‘oe [we]’ by speech style (casual and clear speech) and speakers’ age. Twenty adults from Seoul and the Kyunggi area participated: (i) a younger group (21-34 years old) and (ii) an older group (44-71 years old). The first and second formant frequencies (Hz) were measured at two time points: (i) onset of test syllable and (ii) vowel midpoint. The results showed that the transitional trait of glides “wae [w]” and “oe [we]” at initial timing of syllable was more enhanced in clear speech than in casual speech, as predicted. However, no phonetic evidence was found for the difference between “wae [w]” and “oe [we]” in terms of F1 and F2, even in clear speech. Also, no systematic difference of age group depending on vowel type was found. Therefore, we argue that the diachronic sound merge between “wae [w]” and “oe [we]” is now completed even in the Seoul area and for older groups.