외래어의 관용 표기에 관한 고찰

Contemplation of Conventional Methods for the Transliteration of Foreign Words

This thesis is aimed at examining conventional ways of transliterating foreign words in Korean and debating the possible improvement and proper way of carrying out this task. Among methods for transliterating foreign words in Korea currently in use, there are cases in which conventional ways are permissible :writing proper nouns, writing based on spelling, tensed pronunciations, and writing the same words according to divergent meanings. First, in the case of proper nouns, they should be written along with principles and words that are allowed to be written in a conventional way so that users can easily differentiate words. Second, a considerable number of foreign words are transliterated conventionally based on spelling. In particular, many vowels are transliterated based on spelling, not on pronunciation. That results in a deviation with the original pronunciation of native speakers. Therefore, such words should be transliterated according to the rules for the sake of language policies and the convenience of users. Third, whether fortes should be transliterated or not has long been an issue. Current rules state that fortes should not be inscribed. However, there is a growing trend in which the transliteration of fortes is allowed. As long as it is stipulated that fortes should not be inscribed, the acceptance of the inscription should be reconsidered. Forth, some same foreign words are written in different ways when they diverge to have different meanings. At first, these words were written in a different way in another field, and then such a way of inscription became common. This problem can be cause for confusion to users. Therefore, when certain words are used in divergent meanings, each word and its meaning should be articulated to prevent confusion. The number of foreign words in everyday use will continue to grow. Under these circumstances, the current methods for their inscription should not be left as is. If we allow confusing conventional ways of inscription, it will mar the boundaries between principal ways and convention always, resulting in the confusion of inscription. Therefore, we must transliterate foreign words introduced recently and words that will be introduced in the future in accordance with the rules, minimizing the use of conventional systems.