ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to introduce some fundamental concepts and empirical findings related to the second language (L2) acquisition of Korean segmental phonology. Our understanding of how Korean segments are acquired by L2 learners is informed by research on the more general topics of L2 phonetic learning, pronunciation teaching, and Korean phonetics and phonology, but the recent increase in interest in KSL instruction suggests that a general survey tying these fields together is in order. This chapter will begin with an introduction to the segmental phonology of Korean, including an overview of some phonetic properties that characterize specific phonological contrasts, followed by a brief summary of some of the theoretical frameworks that have been used to explain and predict patterns of L2 segmental production and perception. We will then present and interpret the results of some empirical studies on the L2 production and perception of Korean stops, affricates, fricatives, and vowels. A cursory overview of these studies suggests that some sounds are “easy” or “hard” for L2 learners from certain native language (L1) backgrounds, but we will argue that such a characterization can sometimes gloss over a more nuanced finding that may result only from carefully comparing the methods of different studies. Lastly, we conclude the chapter by laying out what is still unknown about L2 Korean segmental acquisition and suggesting some potentially fruitful areas for future research.
