Ma-han Language Phonology79

IntroductionThe Ma-han language was a member of the Puyŏ-Ye branch of the Japonic language family, spoken in what is now North Korea. It was closely related to Old Japanese and the extinct Baekje language. The Ma-han language is known from a small corpus of inscriptions, the most famous of which is the Geumgwan Gaya Stele.

PhonologyThe phonological system of Ma-han was very similar to that of Old Japanese. The following is a summary of the main features of Ma-han phonology:
Vowels: The Ma-han vowel system consisted of five vowels: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/. These vowels could be either short or long.
Consonants: The Ma-han consonant system consisted of the following consonants:

Plosives: /p/, /t/, /k/, /b/, /d/, /g/
Fricatives: /s/, /z/, /h/
Nasals: /m/, /n/
Liquids: /r/, /l/
Semivowels: /w/, /y/


Syllable structure: Ma-han syllables could be either open or closed. Open syllables ended in a vowel, while closed syllables ended in a consonant.
Stress: Stress in Ma-han was typically on the first syllable of a word.

Phonological changesThe Ma-han language underwent a number of phonological changes over time. These changes included:

The merger of the vowels /i/ and /e/.
The merger of the consonants /s/ and /z/.
The loss of the final consonant in closed syllables.

These changes resulted in the development of the modern Korean language.

ConclusionThe Ma-han language was an important member of the Puyŏ-Ye branch of the Japonic language family. It was closely related to Old Japanese and the extinct Baekje language. The Ma-han language underwent a number of phonological changes over time, which resulted in the development of the modern Korean language.

2024-12-31

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