On Mon, 15 Oct 2001, Jungshik Shin wrote: > On Sat, 13 Oct 2001, Jungshik Shin wrote: > > > double consonant.) It's also featural at a lower level. The shape > > of basic consonants - Giyeok [k/g], Nieun [n], Digeut [t/d], etc - were > > devised to 'imitate' the shape of 'vocal organs' when they're pronounced > .......... > > consonants close in terms of pronunciation are similar to each other in > > their shapes as well. This was recorded in Hun-min-jeong-um (a book > > and I should have checked it. It's not Hun-min-jong-um but > Hun-min-jong-um-hae-rye (Explanations and examples of the correct sound > for the instruction of the people) where this explanation of the origin of > the shape was given. The former was published under King Sejong's reign > but the latter was published *a few decades after* the formal announcement
Ooops. I made another blunder. I mixed up 'Hun-min-jong-um-hae-rye' with 'Hun-mong-ja-hoe'. The former was authored by the very scholars in King Sejong's court who invented Hangul under King Sejong's reign. It was the latter which was published (by 'CHOE Se-jin') about 70 years after 'Hun-min-jong-um' and 'Hun-min-jong-um-hae-rye'. Therefore, we can say definitely that the shapes of basic consonants were designed to schematically describe the speech organs involved and the shape of other consonants were derived from them. Jungshik Shin
