Gyeongsang dialect
Encyclopedia
The Gyeongsang dialect is a dialect of the Korean language
which is widely used in the Yeongnam
region, which includes North and South Gyeongsang provinces. The Gyeongsang Dialect is considered the direct descendant of the Silla
language by Korean linguists. A highly pronounced intonation distinguishes the Gyeongsang dialect from the standard language. Approximately 10 million Koreans use the Gyeongsang dialect. Unlike standard Korean, Gyeongsang dialect is tonal.
The Gyeongsang dialect also differs from area to area within the Yeongnam
region. A native speaker can distinguish the dialect of Daegu
from that of Busan
despite the two cities being less than 100 kilometers apart. Dialectal forms are relatively similar along the midstream of Nakdong River
but are different near Busan, Jinju
, and Pohang
as well as along the eastern slopes of Mount Jiri.
region, there is very little difference between the vowels ㅡ(eu) and ㅓ(eo). This limits the vowels of dialect down to: a(ㅏ), e(ㅔ), eo(ㅓ), o(ㅗ), u(ㅜ), and i(ㅣ). The speakers of this dialect also have a tendency to leave out medial yoderised vowels and medial-diphthongs. For example, Gwaja (과자), meaning sweets, is pronounced Gaja. Unlike the Seoul Dialect, vowel length remains a distinctive feature
.
The speakers of the Gyeongsang Dialect loosely follow vowel harmony
. For instance, oneul (오늘), meaning "today," is pronounced onal in the dialect. The main difference between the standard dialect vowel harmony and the Gyeongsang Dialect vowel harmony is that e is considered a "central" or "middle" vowel in the latter.
and a wh-question
, while Standard Modern Korean does not. With an informal speech level, for example, yes-no questions end with "-a (아)" and wh-questions end with "-o (오)" in the Gyeongsang dialect, whereas in standard speech both types of questions end in either "-i (이)" or "-eo (어)" without a difference between the types of questions. For example:
Notice that the first question can be answered with a yes or no, while the latter question is to be answered otherwise.
This phenomenon can also be observed in tag questions, which are answered with a yes or no.
to the Kim Young-sam
governments (1961–1997), the Gyeongsang dialect had greater prominence in the Korean media than other dialects as all of the presidents (except Kim Dae-jung, a Honam
native) were natives of Gyeongsang province. That is why some South Korean politicians or high-rank officials have not tried to convert to the Seoul accent
, which is considered standard in South Korea. Also, South Korea's lingual policies have not been so rigid to enforce the standard accent as in the UK in the past.
However, former president Kim Young-sam
was criticised (when he was in office) for failing to pronounce precisely when giving a public speech. He once mistakenly pronounced '경제 (Gyeongje: meaning 'economy')' as '갱제 (Gaengje: a Gyeongsang pronunciation for '경제')' and '외무부 장관 (oemubu-janggwan: meaning 'foreign minister')' as '애무부 장관 (aemubu-janggwan: meaning 'love affairs minister')'. In addition, there was a rumour concerning one of his public speeches that audiences were surprised to hear that he would make Jeju
a world-class 'rapist (관광tourism -> 강간rape)' city by building up an 'adultery (관통하는passing by -> 간통하는 committing adultery)' motorway.
Gyeongsang-born women are more easily used to the Seoul accent when they have to adopt the accent for social reasons or they migrate to Seoul, while male counterparts relatively have difficulties in getting accustomed to it. Due to this, even certain broadcast reporters (except for news anchors, who are rigidly selected by broadcasting companies) who were born in Gyeongsang area may have a few features of a Gyeongsang accent when reporting.
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
which is widely used in the Yeongnam
Yeongnam
Yeongnam is the name of a region that coincides with the former Gyeongsang Province in what is now South Korea....
region, which includes North and South Gyeongsang provinces. The Gyeongsang Dialect is considered the direct descendant of the Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
language by Korean linguists. A highly pronounced intonation distinguishes the Gyeongsang dialect from the standard language. Approximately 10 million Koreans use the Gyeongsang dialect. Unlike standard Korean, Gyeongsang dialect is tonal.
The Gyeongsang dialect also differs from area to area within the Yeongnam
Yeongnam
Yeongnam is the name of a region that coincides with the former Gyeongsang Province in what is now South Korea....
region. A native speaker can distinguish the dialect of Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
from that of Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
despite the two cities being less than 100 kilometers apart. Dialectal forms are relatively similar along the midstream of Nakdong River
Nakdong River
The Nakdong River is the longest river in South Korea, and passes through major cities such as Daegu and Busan.-Geography:...
but are different near Busan, Jinju
Jinju
Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first and second Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War...
, and Pohang
Pohang
Pohang is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River...
as well as along the eastern slopes of Mount Jiri.
Vowels
The Gyeongsang Dialect lacks some of the vowels that are present in the standard dialect. For example, it lacks the vowels ㅟ(wi) and ㅚ(oe). Thus, in the Gyeongsang Dialect, soegogi (쇠고기), meaning beef is pronounced sogogi. Furthermore, there is very little difference between the vowels ㅐ(ae) and ㅔ (e). In some areas of the YeongnamYeongnam
Yeongnam is the name of a region that coincides with the former Gyeongsang Province in what is now South Korea....
region, there is very little difference between the vowels ㅡ(eu) and ㅓ(eo). This limits the vowels of dialect down to: a(ㅏ), e(ㅔ), eo(ㅓ), o(ㅗ), u(ㅜ), and i(ㅣ). The speakers of this dialect also have a tendency to leave out medial yoderised vowels and medial-diphthongs. For example, Gwaja (과자), meaning sweets, is pronounced Gaja. Unlike the Seoul Dialect, vowel length remains a distinctive feature
Distinctive feature
In linguistics, a distinctive feature is the most basic unit of phonological structure that may be analyzed in phonological theory.Distinctive features are grouped into categories according to the natural classes of segments they describe: major class features, laryngeal features, manner features,...
.
The speakers of the Gyeongsang Dialect loosely follow vowel harmony
Vowel harmony
Vowel harmony is a type of long-distance assimilatory phonological process involving vowels that occurs in some languages. In languages with vowel harmony, there are constraints on which vowels may be found near each other....
. For instance, oneul (오늘), meaning "today," is pronounced onal in the dialect. The main difference between the standard dialect vowel harmony and the Gyeongsang Dialect vowel harmony is that e is considered a "central" or "middle" vowel in the latter.
Consonants
The Gyeongsang dialect lacks some of the tensed consonants, most notably the ss (ㅆ) consonant. Thus, the speakers of the dialect pronounce ssal (쌀), meaning rice, sal (살). Recently, this phenomenon is losing its power, especially influenced by Seoul dialect.Grammar
The Gyeongsang dialect maintains a trace of Middle Korean: the grammar of the dialect distinguishes between a yes-no questionYes-no question
In linguistics, a yes–no question, formally known as a polar question, is a question whose expected answer is either "yes" or "no". Formally, they present an exclusive disjunction, a pair of alternatives of which only one is acceptable. In English, such questions can be formed in both positive...
and a wh-question
Five Ws
In journalism, the Five Ws is a concept in news style, research, and in police investigations that are regarded as basics in information-gathering. It is a formula for getting the "full" story on something...
, while Standard Modern Korean does not. With an informal speech level, for example, yes-no questions end with "-a (아)" and wh-questions end with "-o (오)" in the Gyeongsang dialect, whereas in standard speech both types of questions end in either "-i (이)" or "-eo (어)" without a difference between the types of questions. For example:
- "밥 묵읏나?" (Bap mugeutna?) as opposed to "밥 먹었니?" (Bap meogeotni?) or "밥 먹었어?" (Bap meogeosseo?) — "Did you eat?"
- "머 하노?" (Meo hano?) as opposed to "뭐 하니?" (Mwo hani?) or "뭐 해?" (Mwo hae?) — "What are you doing?"
Notice that the first question can be answered with a yes or no, while the latter question is to be answered otherwise.
This phenomenon can also be observed in tag questions, which are answered with a yes or no.
- "Eopje, geujya?" (업제 그쟈?) as opposed to "Eopji, geureotchi?" (없지, 그렇지?) — "It isn't there, is it?"
Recent history and social stigma
From the Park Chung-heePark Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
to the Kim Young-sam
Kim Young-sam
Kim Young-sam was a South Korean politician and democratic activist. From 1961, he spent 30 years as South Korea's leader of the opposition, and one of Park Chung-hee's most powerful rivals....
governments (1961–1997), the Gyeongsang dialect had greater prominence in the Korean media than other dialects as all of the presidents (except Kim Dae-jung, a Honam
Honam
Honam is a region coinciding with the former Jeolla Province in what is now South Korea. Today, the term refers to North and South Jeolla Provinces....
native) were natives of Gyeongsang province. That is why some South Korean politicians or high-rank officials have not tried to convert to the Seoul accent
Seoul dialect
The Seoul dialect is the basis of the standard language of Korean in South Korea. It is spoken in the Seoul National Capital Area, which includes Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. The dialect does not merely mean 'a standard accent'. The exact form of the South Korea's standard accent is that of...
, which is considered standard in South Korea. Also, South Korea's lingual policies have not been so rigid to enforce the standard accent as in the UK in the past.
However, former president Kim Young-sam
Kim Young-sam
Kim Young-sam was a South Korean politician and democratic activist. From 1961, he spent 30 years as South Korea's leader of the opposition, and one of Park Chung-hee's most powerful rivals....
was criticised (when he was in office) for failing to pronounce precisely when giving a public speech. He once mistakenly pronounced '경제 (Gyeongje: meaning 'economy')' as '갱제 (Gaengje: a Gyeongsang pronunciation for '경제')' and '외무부 장관 (oemubu-janggwan: meaning 'foreign minister')' as '애무부 장관 (aemubu-janggwan: meaning 'love affairs minister')'. In addition, there was a rumour concerning one of his public speeches that audiences were surprised to hear that he would make Jeju
Jeju City
Jeju is the capital of Jeju province in South Korea and the largest city on the island of Jeju. Its geographical location is . The city is served by Jeju International Airport ....
a world-class 'rapist (관광tourism -> 강간rape)' city by building up an 'adultery (관통하는passing by -> 간통하는 committing adultery)' motorway.
Gyeongsang-born women are more easily used to the Seoul accent when they have to adopt the accent for social reasons or they migrate to Seoul, while male counterparts relatively have difficulties in getting accustomed to it. Due to this, even certain broadcast reporters (except for news anchors, who are rigidly selected by broadcasting companies) who were born in Gyeongsang area may have a few features of a Gyeongsang accent when reporting.