한국어 의태어는 외국어로서의 한국어 학습자들이 어려워하는 것이며, 한국어의 느낌을 섬세하게 표현하는 데에 기여하기 때문에 그 중요성이 크다. 그동안 이뤄진 대부분의 의태어 연구는 음운이나 형태 구성에 치우쳐 이뤄져 왔으며 의미와 어원에 대한 논의는 매우 부족한 실정이다. 의태어는 한국어의 특징적인 어휘 체계일 뿐 아니라 한국어의 어휘 형성 과정을 보여주기도 한다. 본고에서는 1) 명사와 의태어 2) 용언의 어간 3) 접미사와의 결합 4) 한자어와의 관련성 5) 일부가 유연성이 있는 어휘가 있는 예로 나누어 어휘를 실제적으로 분석하여 보았으며 이를 통해 의태어 190여 개의 어원을 제시하여 보았다. 의태어의 어원을 연구하는 것은 한국어 어휘의 발달 과정을 보여주는 것이며 한국어 어휘의 다양성을 찾아내는 길이기도 하다. 또한 의태어와 다른 어휘 간의 유연성을 찾아 보이는 것은 한국어 어휘 학습에도 도움이 될 것이다.
The purpose of this study is to examine the etymology of Korean mimetic words. Korean mimetic words are not only important features of the Korean language but also provide traces in the formation of Korean vocabulary. In this study, previous research was divided according to studies of the formation and listing of mimetic words and etymology research of mimetic words. Relatively, there was a wide range of detailed studies consisting of word lists, compared to the amount and depth of research on etymology.
In this study, methods of unveiling the etymology were divided according to: 1) what words were specifically emulated, 2) examples of differentiation of vocabulary and affix due to the replacement of a phoneme, 3) the stems of predicates when the etymology was obscure. As a result, the rationale of the etymology of mimetic words was established. Since mimetic words are found to be used specifically to describe nouns and other subjects, etymology was able to be obtained. Also, in difficult cases of reconstructing the etymology, related vocabulary was found when applying differentiation of vocabulary and affix by replacement of phonemes, especially vowels. Moreover, the etymology could be rebuilt when the stem of the predicate was used in the form of zero morphemes on mimetic words.
In order for a practical analysis of the etymology of mimetic words, the analysis was divided according to: 1) nouns and mimetic words, 2) the stem of the predicate, 3) the combination with a suffix, 4) the relevance of Chinese characters, and 5) examples of flexibility of vocabulary. Throughout this process, a number of etymologies of mimetic words were revealed. However, there were limitations regarding the detailed analysis of each vocabulary as the focus of this study was to provide an overall methodology in etymology studies of Korean mimetic words. The researcher aims to reveal the etymology of a variety of mimetic words in more detail along with specific explanations of the proposed etymology within future studies.
The purpose of this study is to examine the etymology of Korean mimetic words. Korean mimetic words are not only important features of the Korean language but also provide traces in the formation of Korean vocabulary. In this study, previous research was divided according to studies of the formation and listing of mimetic words and etymology research of mimetic words. Relatively, there was a wide range of detailed studies consisting of word lists, compared to the amount and depth of research on etymology.
In this study, methods of unveiling the etymology were divided according to: 1) what words were specifically emulated, 2) examples of differentiation of vocabulary and affix due to the replacement of a phoneme, 3) the stems of predicates when the etymology was obscure. As a result, the rationale of the etymology of mimetic words was established. Since mimetic words are found to be used specifically to describe nouns and other subjects, etymology was able to be obtained. Also, in difficult cases of reconstructing the etymology, related vocabulary was found when applying differentiation of vocabulary and affix by replacement of phonemes, especially vowels. Moreover, the etymology could be rebuilt when the stem of the predicate was used in the form of zero morphemes on mimetic words.
In order for a practical analysis of the etymology of mimetic words, the analysis was divided according to: 1) nouns and mimetic words, 2) the stem of the predicate, 3) the combination with a suffix, 4) the relevance of Chinese characters, and 5) examples of flexibility of vocabulary. Throughout this process, a number of etymologies of mimetic words were revealed. However, there were limitations regarding the detailed analysis of each vocabulary as the focus of this study was to provide an overall methodology in etymology studies of Korean mimetic words. The researcher aims to reveal the etymology of a variety of mimetic words in more detail along with specific explanations of the proposed etymology within future studies.