미주 지역 재외동포 청소년들의 한국어 억양 연구

An Experimental Study on Korean Pitch Patterns of the First Syllable in an Accentual Phrase: A Case Study of Korean Heritage Teenage Learners in the United States

This study investigates Korean pitch patterns of the first syllable in an Accentual Phrase. Four native Korean teenagers (male:2, female;2), five heritage Korean teenage learners who were born in the Korea and immigrated to the United States (male: 3, female:2), and seven heritage Korean teenage learners who were born in the United States (male: 3, female: 4) participated in the study. Fifteen short declarative Korean sentences, which have same nucleus and coda structure ([ar]) in the first syllable, were used. All fifteen sentences have a different consonant as an onset of their first syllable. F0 was measured at the time point where the 50% of the vowel [a]'s total duration was located. We found that male heritage Korean teenage learners who were born in the United States have significantly different pitch patterns of the first syllable in an AP when a sentence starts with fricative [s, s', h], lenis [p, t, k, tʃ], fortis [p', k'], and aspirated [tʰ] from the native Korean male teenagers. On the other hand male heritage Koran teenage learners who were born in the Korea and immigrated to the United States in their early age have no significantly different pitch patterns of the first syllable in an AP from the native Korean male teenagers. In the case of the female heritage Korean teenage learners, both groups have relatively similar pitch patterns of the first syllable in an AP with the native Korean female teenagers. This study’s finding indicates that the heritage Korean teenage learners have different pitch patterns of the first syllable in an Accentual Phrase from the native Korean teenagers according to learners’ gender and a country where they were born.