Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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A comparative study to identify regular phonetic correspondences between consonants in Chinese and Korean was conducted by a student of the Department of Oriental Studies Humanitarian Institute of Novosibirsk State University Artem Tashlykov. The result of the work was a summary table of regular phonetic correspondences of consonant phonemes of the Chinese and Korean languages. When compiling it, all possible syllables of the Chinese language were taken into account, as well as all syllables of the Korean language corresponding to each syllable of the Chinese language. For an objective comparison of the articulatory-acoustic characteristics of sounds, the young researcher used the methods of electroacoustic analysis – spectrography and oscillography. Artem Tashlykov conducted his research under the scientific supervision of Anton Shamrin, PhD in Philology, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Oriental Studies. This work is very important, because there are very few comparative studies on the Chinese and Korean languages in the Russian-speaking scientific space. The results of the study can be used to improve linguodidactic and methodological materials used in training specialists who speak both languages. Such employees are currently in high demand on the labor market.
— Some words in different Eastern languages sound similar to a certain extent, which causes certain difficulties for those who study them in parallel. This similarity is especially clearly expressed in vocabulary based on hieroglyphic writing. The writing of Korea and Japan has been influenced by Chinese hieroglyphic writing since ancient times, which became one of the reasons for the penetration of a certain set of hieroglyphic vocabulary into the vocabulary of these countries. When borrowing vocabulary, pronunciation was accordingly borrowed. But over time, it inevitably underwent changes. This happened, perhaps, due to the difference in the articulatory-acoustic base of these three languages. As a result, pronunciation was distorted to some extent, adapting to the set of sounds familiar to native speakers of these languages. Probably, phonetic changes that occur in all languages of the world due to their natural and logical development also made their contribution. The result of changes in the pronunciation of hieroglyphic vocabulary in Chinese and Korean was the fact that one phoneme of the Chinese language corresponds to several phonemes of the Korean language, just as one phoneme of the Korean language can correspond to several phonemes of the Chinese language. In this way, regular phonetic correspondences were formed. My goal was to identify such regular phonetic correspondences and their subsequent systematization, – said Artem Tashlykov.
The young researcher had previously compiled a list of 150 two-syllable words that had common hieroglyphic roots in both Chinese and Korean. These words were selected in such a way that it would be possible to analyze each of the phonemes presented in both languages in all variants of their implementation in speech. Then audio recordings were made of two native speakers of Chinese and two native speakers of Korean.
The informants were first asked to familiarize themselves with the given list of words and then read them out loud. In order to eliminate recording errors and expand the statistical data, each word was pronounced 4 times, with a pause between them. This helped to avoid combinatorial changes in pronunciation between words when reading. Thus, a total of 2400 audio fragments were analyzed.
In order to measure the absolute durations of sounds and to describe in detail the formant characteristics, the recorded material was analyzed using electroacoustic methods – oscillography and spectrography.
— Using an oscillogram, we can determine the boundaries of vowels and consonants, as well as the method of articulating consonants. However, using only an oscillogram, it is almost impossible to determine which sound is being pronounced. Therefore, for a more detailed analysis and determination of the row and rise of vowels, the place and method of articulating consonants, we obtained spectrograms, which are graphs of the dependence of the spectrum of sound frequencies on time. As a result of applying such a comprehensive approach, we were able to establish the degree of correspondence between similar consonant phonemes of the two languages and discover differences in the articulation and acoustic characteristics of the sounds of the Chinese and Korean languages. We compared the syllabic structures of both languages, compiled a description of the acoustic properties of the main allophones of all consonant phonemes, and made a statistical calculation of the correspondences. A total of 40 regular phonetic correspondences were established, including 32 correspondences between phonemes that have a similar method of articulation, 4 regular correspondences in the affricate-plosive pair, 3 in the fricative-plosive pair, and 1 in the affricate-fricative pair, explained Artem Tashlykov.
The young researcher compiled a table containing all the unique correspondences of syllables between Chinese and Korean, on the basis of which calculations were made, and created tables of the frequency of occurrence of phonetic correspondences. A summary table of the identified regular correspondences was also formed with a classification of phonemes by the method of articulation, which clearly demonstrated the presence or absence of regular correspondences between certain phonemes of the Chinese and Korean languages.
— My work systematizes extensive empirical material and creates a basis for further theoretical and applied research in the field of comparative phonetics of East Asian languages. And the practical significance of my research is that it contains information useful for the simultaneous study of Chinese and Korean. The results of my work can be used in the development of teaching aids and methods aimed at students who speak one of the languages and study the second, — said Artem Tashlykov.
Material prepared by: Elena Panfilo, NSU press service
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