Adaptation of English Liquid Loans in Korean: An OT Analysis on the Distinct Patterns of /r/ and /l/

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the patterns of English liquid loans in Korean by an OT analysis. The liquid representations of loanwords in Korean have general patterns according to the syllable position. However, there are a few exceptions: an intervocalic /l/ has two representations (e.g., melon [mel.lon˺]/[me.ron˺]) and in some words, the coda /r/ is not deleted (e.g., organ [o.ri.gan]˺) without abiding by the general rule, the coda /r/-deletion. This paper suggests that the exceptions are not subject to two co-existing phonologies (loanword phonology and Korean phonology) but due to the input difference through indirect and direct borrowing from another language besides English. The paper also claims that a single loanword phonology can account for liquid loanwords from different languages in Korean.