Variation in stem-final consonant clusters in Korean nominal inflection

Abstract

This study investigates how Korean stem-final consonant clusters /ps/, /ks/, /lp/, /lk/, /ls/, and /lm/ exhibit variation, when a vowel-initial inflectional suffix is attached to noun stems. It is well-established that the Korean stem-final consonant clusters are either fully faithfully preserved (i.e. conservative), or simplified by deleting one of the two consonantal elements C1 and C2 (i.e. innovative). However, there has been no study about dominant patterns across clusters: which consonant cluster is more prone to preservation or simplification when inflected. When it comes to simplification, it has also been unclear which of C1 or C2 undergoes deletion, and why. Results of a production experiment show that there is a stark dichotomy between the clusters that share the same [±sonorant] feature (/ps/, /ks/, /lm/) and those that do not (/lp/, /lk/, /ls/): the former preferred conservative forms, whereas the latter favored innovative forms. Innovative forms in particular are accounted for in relation to consonant cluster simplification in isolation forms of nouns, following Kenstowicz’s (1996) Base-Identity effect. While the nature of the consonant cluster turned out to be a significant factor for variation in inflected forms, other factors (inflectional suffixes, speakers’ regional dialects, and gender) did not. This study is significant, in that it sheds light on a blind spot in the discussions of variation in stem-final consonant clusters in Korean and provides a comprehensive analysis that connects consonant cluster simplification in isolation forms with conservative/innovative forms in inflected forms.