Editing Korean language (section)

====Assimilation and allophony====
The [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] symbol {{angbr IPA|◌͈}} ({{unichar|0348|cwith=◌}}) is used to denote the [[Tenseness|tensed]] consonants {{IPA|/p͈/, /t͈/, /k͈/, /t͡ɕ͈/, /s͈/}}. Its official use in the [[Extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet|extensions to the IPA]] is for [[Fortis and lenis|"strong"]] articulation, but is used in the literature for [[faucalized voice]]. The Korean consonants also have elements of [[stiff voice]], but it is not yet known how typical this is of faucalized consonants. They are produced with a partially constricted [[glottis]] and additional subglottal pressure in addition to tense vocal tract walls, laryngeal lowering, or other expansion of the larynx.

{{IPA|/s/}} is aspirated {{IPA|[sʰ]}} and becomes an [[alveolo-palatal consonant|alveolo-palatal]] {{IPA|[ɕʰ]}} before {{IPA|[j]}} or {{IPA|[i]}} for most speakers (but see [[North–South differences in the Korean language]]). This occurs with the tense fricative and all the affricates as well. At the end of a syllable, {{IPA|/s/}} changes to {{IPA|/t/}} (example: beoseot ({{lang|ko|버섯}}) 'mushroom').<!-- it's actually much more complicated than this, isn't it?-->

{{IPA|/h/}} may become a [[bilabial consonant|bilabial]] {{IPA|[ɸ]}} before {{IPA|[o]}} or {{IPA|[u]}}, a [[palatal consonant|palatal]] {{IPA|[ç]}} before {{IPA|[j]}} or {{IPA|[i]}}, a [[velar consonant|velar]] {{IPA|[x]}} before {{IPA|[ɯ]}}, a voiced {{IPA|[ɦ]}} between voiced sounds, and a {{IPA|[h]}} elsewhere.

{{IPA|/p, t, t͡ɕ, k/}} become voiced {{IPA|[b, d, d͡ʑ, ɡ]}} between voiced sounds.

{{IPA|/m, n/}} frequently denasalize at the beginnings of words.

{{IPA|/l/}} becomes alveolar flap {{IPA|[ɾ]}} between vowels, and {{IPA|[l]}} or {{IPA|[ɭ]}} at the end of a syllable or next to another {{IPA|/l/}}. A written syllable-final '{{lang|ko|ㄹ}}', when followed by a vowel or a glide (''i.e.'', when the next character starts with '{{lang|ko|ㅇ}}'), migrates to the next syllable and thus becomes {{IPA|[ɾ]}}.

Traditionally, {{IPA|/l/}} was disallowed at the beginning of a word. It disappeared before {{IPA|[j]}}, and otherwise became {{IPA|/n/}}. However, the inflow of western [[Konglish|loanwords]] changed the trend, and now word-initial {{IPA|/l/}} (mostly from English loanwords) are pronounced as a free variation of either {{IPA|[ɾ]}} or {{IPA|[l]}}.

All [[obstruent]]s (plosives, affricates, fricatives) at the end of a word are pronounced with [[no audible release]], {{IPA|[p̚, t̚, k̚]}}.

Plosive sounds {{IPA|/p, t, k/}} become nasals {{IPA|[m, n, ŋ]}} before nasal sounds.

[[Hangul]] spelling does not reflect these assimilatory pronunciation rules, but rather maintains the underlying, partly historical [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]]. Given this, it is sometimes hard to tell which actual phonemes are present in a certain word.

The traditional prohibition of word-initial {{IPA|/ɾ/}} became a morphological rule called "initial law" ({{lang|ko|두음법칙}}) in the pronunciation standards of  South Korea, which pertains to Sino-Korean vocabulary. Such words retain their word-initial {{IPA|/ɾ/}} in the pronunciation standards of North Korea. For example,
* "labor" (勞動) – north: '''''r'''odong'' ({{lang|ko|로동}}), south: '''''n'''odong'' ({{lang|ko|노동}})
* "history" (歷史) – north: '''''ry'''eoksa'' ({{lang|ko|력사}}), south: '''''y'''eoksa'' ({{lang|ko|역사}})
* "female" (女子) – north: '''''ny'''eoja'' ({{lang|ko|녀자}}), south: '''''y'''eoja'' ({{lang|ko|여자}})