The Same Shape and Different Functions: based on the Consonants ㅇ and ㆁ

Abstract

Among the letters of the Korean alphabet (Hangeul), there exist two characters that look almost identical at first glance: ㅇ and ㆁ. However, whereas the former is widely used in modern Korean, the latter has largely disappeared and exists mainly in historical texts. This paper argues that the now obsolete character ㆁ should be restored. Although the original phonetic difference between the two characters has been lost as Korean phonology has evolved, this paper argues that the two characters ought to be distinguished in terms of their function. Currently, ㅇ represents both a lack of consonant sound as well as the [ŋ] sound. After examining the consonant elements of the Korean sound system, this paper proposes that ㅇ be maintained only as a null-value consonant and ㆁ take its place as the velar nasal sound [ŋ]. In other words, the former should mainly operate as a grapheme, whereas the latter should work as a phoneme.