The effect of co-occurrence restriction on perception of laryngeal contrast in Seoul Korean and East Kyungsang Korean

Abstract

This study investigates dialect differences between Standard Korean and East Kyungsang Korean with respect to the role of co-occurrence restriction on perception of laryngeal contrast in stops and fricatives. The results obtained from the identification test first confirm that the laryngeal contrast is present only in the stops, but not in the fricatives in East Kyungsang Korean. In order to further explore the role of laryngeal co-occurrence restriction in the two varieties of Korean, identification tests using nonce compounds were conducted. The results provide experimental evidence of the laryngeal co-occurrence restriction; Both Seoul and East Kyungsang speakers’s perception of laryngeal contrast in stop consonants is conditioned by laryngeal specification of the preceding consonant. With respect to the perception of laryngeal contrast in fricatives, however, only Seoul Korean speakers exhibit the effect of the co-occurrence restriction. These results lead to the conclusion that the co-occurrence restriction plays a crucial role in the perception of laryngeal contrast both in stops and fricatives in Seoul Korean, while the laryngeal features are phonologically irrelevant for fricatives in East Kyungsang Korean. <img class=“UMSRatingIcon” id=“umsimg_tooltip” />