An Exploratory Study of Acoustic Cues in Stop Production in Gangneung Korean

This study investigated voice onset time (VOT) in Korean stop consonants and the fundamental frequency (f0) of post-stop vowels in Gangneung Korean (a tonal variety). These aspects were compared with those of Seoul Korean (non-tonal), considering phonation types, place of articulation, and vowel context. Twenty speakers provided a total of 1,620 speech samples, and 3,240 measurements were taken. Linear mixed effect modeling was conducted using R. The results showed that Gangneung and Seoul speakers produced similar VOTs for aspirated and lenis stops but revealed f0 differences among phonation types despite the gradual loss of pitch accent in young Gangneung Korean speakers. Place of articulation and vowel context effect did not vary significantly between dialects. This paper discusses the implications for the ongoing changes in VOT and f0 in stop productions in tonal languages.