The Roles of Phonology, Morphology, and Frequency in the Variation of Noun-final Coronal Obstruents in Korean

This study investigates the phonological variation of Korean noun-final coronal obstruents, focusing on /s/, /c/, /cʰ/, and /tʰ/. It addresses three key questions raised in previous experimental studies: the influence of suffixes, underlying representation (UR), and token frequency. To tackle these issues, the study analyzes patterns found in spontaneous spoken data published by National Institute of Korean Language. The findings reveal that while noun-final /s/ consistently maintains its underlying form, other coronal obstruents exhibit varying degrees of analogical realization. Specifically, /c/ or /cʰ/ was realized either faithfully or as the analogical /s/, while /tʰ/ appeared as faithful [tʰ], palatalized [cʰ], or analogical [s]. This variation is influenced not only by phonological factors, such as vowels, but also by morphological elements, like suffixes. Additionally, the differences depend on UR, suggesting that these patterns cannot be explained solely by output forms. Lastly, token frequency appears to play a role in the strength of analogical processes and the faithfulness to UR.