A study on the acquisition patterns of Korean affricates by Thai learners

This study examines Thai learners’ perception and production of Korean affricates /tɕ, tɕʰ, tɕ’/ in word-initial and medial positions across proficiency levels. In perception, /tɕʰ/ was acquired from the beginner level, while /tɕ/ improved gradually, reaching acquisition at the advanced level. However, medial /tɕ’/ remained significantly different from native speakers even at higher levels. In production, learners showed greater difficulty overall. Deviations appeared for /tɕ/ in both positions and for /tɕʰ/ and /tɕ’/ medially, even at the advanced level. These findings suggest that certain affricates are especially challenging for Thai learners due to articulatory complexity and limited understanding of the Korean three-way laryngeal contrast. Despite some differences between perception and production, overall error patterns were similar, underscoring the need for more systematic pronunciation instruction on these affricates.