The reason why soup sounds like gunggu: foreigners listening to Korean and consonant assimilation

Consonant assimilation is a phenomenon in which one consonant changes to the same or similar sound under the influence of another neighboring consonant, and is considered a major cause of foreign learners having difficulty listening to Korean. Because words learned through letters sound different in actual speech, you may not be able to understand a word even if you know it.

This article sequentially summarizes the meaning and examples of consonant assimilation, comparison with other listening obstacles, and how to teach it in Korean classes.

Why is it difficult to listen to Korean?

Just as it is difficult for us to understand the rapid speech of native English speakers at once, listening to Korean is a high barrier for foreign learners as well. Many factors, such as speech speed, unfamiliar vocabulary, formal expressions, and abbreviations, make listening difficult, but among them, phonological changes in which letters and sounds change are difficult for learners to overcome on their own. If the shape of a word studied in a book does not match the sound heard, learners tend to think it is a word they are hearing for the first time.

So, when designing listening education, it is necessary to first look at why learners cannot understand what they know rather than what they do not know.

How does consonant assimilation occur?

Consonant assimilation typically includes nasalization and voicing. Nasalization is a phenomenon in which the final consonant or trailing consonant changes to a nasal sound such as ㄴ, ㅁ, or ㅇ, just as soup sounds like [gungmul] and jongno sounds like [jongno]. Assonance is a phenomenon where ㄴ meets ㄹ and changes to ㄹ, just as Silla sounds like [Sila] and Stove sounds like [Nallo]. Considering characteristics of language that the relationship between letters and sounds is a fixed promise, we can see that these rules are also promises of sound that Korean speakers keep together.

When choosing examples, it is better to choose easy words that learners already know. This is because the experience of knowing words sounding different helps you remember the rules.

복습은 배운 날 저녁에 십 분만 해도 기억이 꽤 오래가더라고요. 중간중간 짧게 쉬는 시간을 정해 두는 것도 저한테는 꽤 도움이 됐어요.

What is the difference compared to the polite expression?

Addressing polite expressions is also difficult for foreigners, but when it comes to listening, the personality is a little different. Even if the ending or word of an honorific expression is changed, the sound of the key word in the sentence generally remains the same, allowing you to guess the meaning. On the other hand, consonant assimilation changes the central pronunciation of the word itself, so it is easy for learners to misunderstand it as a completely different word. Through this comparison, it can be argued that consonant assimilation is the most likely cause of listening difficulties.

When making an argument, comparing different factors side by side is more persuasive than simply saying something is difficult.

How to teach in class?

It is better to focus on consonant assimilation separately rather than teaching it all at once in combination with other pronunciation rules. First, letters and actual sounds are shown side by side, and several words to which the same rules apply are shown, allowing children to discover the rules themselves. Then, if you expand your practice by finding and listening to the word in short conversations, songs, or news sentences, it will lead to actual listening skills. Comparing letters and sounds while dictating is also helpful.

If the class steps are divided into discovery, practice, and actual listening, it is easy to adjust which step to spend more time on depending on the learner's level.

How to write the report conclusion?

In conclusion, it would be good to summarize that consonant assimilation changes the central pronunciation of a word and is the biggest obstacle to listening, so it needs to be taught separately. Campus-like Korean Listening and Consonant Assimilation Report is good to refer to when looking at the flow of the text that analyzes learning difficulties. The analysis goes deeper if we add that difficult pronunciations may vary depending on the learner's native language.

When creating class materials, it is effective to select examples from expressions that learners frequently hear. If you have students look for consonant assimilations in sentences that can be heard in everyday life, such as subway announcements or words used in restaurants, the rules learned in the classroom will naturally lead to listening in real life.