Language Analysis and Language Learning 681

Andrew Pollard (12605057)

Mini-Research Outline: A case for a uniform transliteration in Korean Introduction While transliteration is not a necessity for a language that utilizes its own written system independent of a Romanized system, the Korean language is unfortunate in the sense that it is has no transliteration system that is accepted across the board. No less than twenty transliteration systems have been introduced to the Korean language, some of which are practical for Korean speakers, while others are aimed at non-Korean speakers that read a Roman alphabet or even readers of a Cyrillic alphabet (Sohn, 1999). This project will look at two of the prominent transliteration systems of Korean, namely those of McCune-Reischauer (hereafter MR) romanization and the Revised Romanization of Korean (hereafter RR) as these are two of the most well-established, with MR being used in numerous textbooks and documents since its inception and RR being the accepted form of romanization by the Korean government as of the year 2000 (Song, 2005). Potential short-comings of each respective system is to be considered before proposing changes that could offer a system of transliteration that is true to the Korean language as well as offering a system that can be both implemented easily and accepted by non-Korean speakers. Background and Literature The primary literature that will be looked at in this project will surround the two systems of transliteration that are to be analyzed; MR and RR. The first article listed below is an overview of the MR system of transliteration and offers all possible combinations of romanization depending on the orthography of what is transcribed in native Korean. The second article outlines the government initiative that is known as RR and also offers a critical appraisal of the MR system. This appraisal notes shortcomings of the system through the eyes of the Korean committee, whereas these same short-comings are often rebutted by the international community as being necessary for a successful transliteration system.
Romanization system for Korean. (n.d.). Retrieved 7 April, 2010, from http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/Romanization/Romanization_Korean.pdf 1

Language Analysis and Language Learning 681

Andrew Pollard (12605057)

Introduction to Korean language. (n.d.). Retrieved 28 April, 2010, from http://www.korea.net/detail.do?guid=28281

Where both of these papers fail, and where both of the above transliteration systems fail is the lack of consideration for differing interpretations of the actual transliteration. Pronunciation guidelines are only considered in the sense that they have their foundation in standard Korean pronunciation (Introduction to Korean language, n.d.), but should the reader of the transliteration not have a base in Korean pronunciation norms then the possibilities are multiple. It is because of these issues that a general text on Korean phonology needs to be consulted to gain a theoretical understanding of the issues at play, and such a text will be:
Kim-Renaud, Y. (Ed.). (1997). The Korean alphabet: its history and structure. USA: University of Hawai'i Press.

This work has a dedication to the phonological system of Korean and will provide a basis for further analysis of the transliteration systems and how a uniform system may be promoted that more accurately reflects the Korean language. A major difficulty with facilitating such an idea will be the need to offer standards of pronunciation that not only reflect Korean phonology, but also have a concrete understanding of how the transliterated phonemes are to be produced. The most realistic way of doing this will be to offer a preface to any transliteration system proposed through making use of the standard already in place, the International Phonetic Alphabet (hereafter IPA). Two texts that will prove priceless in the initial stages of this project will be:
Sohn, H. (1999). The Korean Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Song, J. J. (2005). The Korean Language: structure, use and context. New York: Routledge.

These texts not only probe the Korean language in some detail on the level of phonology, but also consider transliteration as above with regard to potential differences in pronunciation and offer IPA equivalents for both individual phonemes
2

Language Analysis and Language Learning 681

Andrew Pollard (12605057)

and a selection of lexical items. To further gain understanding of the usage of IPA with the Korean language, consultation of the Korean-specific section of the text below will be required as contained within there is an accurate representation of Standard Korean already in place together with a non-linear model of phonology.
The International Phonetic Association. (1999). Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: a guide to the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Objectives of the Project The objective of this project is to analyze two established systems of transliteration for the Korean language MR and RR and to determine if the potential shortcomings of each respective system can be improved upon. This project will attempt to answer the question, how possible is it to construct a transliterated form of Korean that is true to the pronunciation of the Korean language while offering a system that is easily utilized by non-Korean speakers with accuracy. Significance of the Project There are a number of systems of transliteration present for the Korean language, and while this is true, it is also true that no single system has proved to be both accurate and accepted by the populations that make use of such things; these populations generally being divided between the academic non-Korean speaking community and the Korean policy makers (Song, 2005). Should this project deem it possible to improve upon existing systems of transliteration, the significance is obvious. It is known that establishing a system of transliteration that is true to the Korean language where pronunciation is considered is possible, and it also known that systems easily utilized by non-Korean speakers are possible. The problem is that there is no singular, unified system of transliteration that is capable of achieving both of these goals simultaneously, and it is within this field to which this project is attempting to contribute. Should a uniform transliteration be established for the Korean language, this could not only assist people that are incapable of reading Korean in its native (or hangeul, han'gl, hanqkul, (hangyl'), gksrmf)

Language Analysis and Language Learning 681

Andrew Pollard (12605057)

yet may have this need for professional or personal reasons, but it also has the potential of making Korea as a country more accessible to the non-Korean speaking population of the globe on more fundamental levels such as tourism. Methodology This project will analyze two established systems of transliteration for the Korean language, namely MR and RR. The analysis will look at the phonology of the Korean language and compare these two transliteration systems accordingly. Through the analysis, the project hopes to show how the existing transliteration may be adapted to accommodate the phonology of the Korean language more accurately. It will be impossible to analyze the Korean language in its entirety due to the constraints of this project, and as such, a select sample of Korean lexis primarily dealing with phonological shifts when final consonants are concerned will be scrutinized. These final phonemes often alter and are dependent on the following phoneme and this is an issue with many transliteration systems as they can not accurately gauge phonemic shifts in the language while still being easily implemented (Kim, 1997; Sohn, 1999). This data will be presented through the usage of a linear phonology model, which should allow us to perceive which areas of the transliteration systems are in need of adaption. References
Introduction to Korean language. (n.d.). Retrieved 28 April, 2010, from http://www.korea.net/detail.do?guid=28281 Kim, C. W. (1997). The structure of phonological units in han'gl. In Y. Kim-Renaud (Ed.), The Korean alphabet: its history and structure (pp. 145-160). USA: University of Hawai'i Press. Kim-Renaud, Y. (Ed.). (1997). The Korean alphabet: its history and structure. USA: University of Hawai'i Press. Romanization system for Korean. (n.d.). Retrieved 7 April, 2010, from http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/Romanization/Romanization_Korean.pdf Sohn, H. (1999). The Korean language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Song, J. J. (2005). The Korean language: structure, use and context. New York: Routledge. The International Phonetic Association. (1999). Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: a guide to the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Language Analysis and Language Learning 681

Andrew Pollard (12605057)

Appendix Sample of lexical items to be analyzed with both McCune-Reischauer and Revised Romanization of Korean transliterations.

Hangeul

McCune-Reischauer yllak han'gungmal yngnyang kach'i kmgok anko hancha ant'a wryo'il ynghyangnyk

Revised Romanization yeollak han-gungmal yeongnyang gachi geumgok an-go hanja anda woryoil yeonghyangnyeok