Though there have been many efforts to identify the mechanism of /ㄹ/ deletion, there are something unclear and undefined in them. The problem is derived from lack of identifying specific realization of /ㄹ/ based on setting underlying forms of a set of the ending '-eu' or poor consideration of diachronic changes in Korean language. Therefore, this study aims to describe phonetic motivation and realization aspects of the /ㄹ/ deletion based on the set underlying forms of a set of the ending '-eu' and identify its diachronic traces, that is, the types of linguistic fossils. The results are presented as follows : First, the underlying forms of a set of the ending '-eu' are categorized into '-euX' and '-X' and they are selected according to the conditions of verbal stems. Second, the conditions of the /ㄹ/ deletion are roughly classified into two : phonetic condition and morphological condition. The former includes homorganic dissimiliation, that is, /ㄹ/ deletes before /ㄴ,ㅅ/ and the /ㄹ/ deletion by restrictions in syllabic structures of 'consonant clusters simplification'. The latter includes certain morphological conditions rather than phonetic conditions, that is, the /ㄹ/ deletion that is applied for special environments before or after pre-final Ending '-op'-, close final of Haoche '-o' and close final of Harache '-ma' [inflected stem 'mal-(勿) + imperative final '-la']. Third, linguistic fossils occurring in respect to /ㄹ/ deletion are roughly categorized into two : the one occurs from synchronic linguistic variation based on phonetic conditions of /ㄹ/ deletion such as 'ajido, heomureusigo' in 'ajido~aljido' and 'heomureusigo~heomusigo'. The other occurs in respect to morphological conditions of /ㄹ/ deletion. For example, /ㄹ/ deletions when /ㄹ/ comes before commissive close final of Haerache '-ma', pre-final ending '-op-', close final of Haoche '-o', and commissive close final of Haerache '-ma' or when verbal stem 'mal-'(勿) is accompanied by imperative final '-la'. All of them are traces of the /ㄹ/ deletion rule that is diachronically, linguistic fossils.
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