Characteristics of 13th-Century Korean Consonants Reflected in Variant Spellings of Personal Names on the Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana ― Focusing on the Development of Aspirated Consonants ―

A groundbreaking analysis of the 13th-century Korean woodblocks at Haeinsa Temple’s Janggyeong Panjeon reveals key characteristics of Middle Korean consonants, particularly aspirated sounds. The study found that while aspirated consonants were most developed among fricatives and affricates, they lagged in non-aspirated counterparts, aligning with prior research but also uncovering traces of ancient phonetic patterns—such as the homophony between characters like '楊' (yang) and '良' (ryang). By examining variant spellings of personal names in the Tripitaka Koreana, researchers identified distinctions between alveolar and dental sounds, as well as the interchangeability of velar and palatal consonants. This work bridges ancient and medieval Korean phonology, offering new insights into linguistic evolution during a pivotal era.

Shin, H. (2026). Characteristics of 13th-Century Korean Consonants Reflected in Variant Spellings of Personal Names on the Woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana ― Focusing on the Development of Aspirated Consonants ―. Korean Historical Linguistics, 42, 153–188. https://doi.org/10.14727/khl.2026.42.153