Linking Sounds (Yeoneum)

What You Will Learn in This Unit

In this unit, you learn the rule that when a syllable with a final consonant (batchim) is followed by a syllable that begins with a vowel, the batchim moves to the initial-sound position of the next syllable and is pronounced there. You also learn to distinguish between the batchim ㅇ, which does not move, and the batchim ㅎ, which disappears without sound before a vowel. You also confirm that the spelling stays the same and only the sound changes.

When a Batchim Moves to the Initial Sound of the Next Syllable

A batchim is a consonant that comes at the end of a syllable. When a syllable with a batchim is followed by a syllable beginning with 'ㅇ', that 'ㅇ' takes up the position without making a sound, so the batchim of the preceding syllable moves into that empty initial-sound position and is pronounced there. This phenomenon is called 연음(連音, yeoneum, linking). In this case, the sound of the batchim does not change; only its position moves.

As the table shows, the '국' in '한국어(Korean language)' is pronounced [구거] because the batchim ㄱ moves to the initial-sound position of the next syllable '어'. Linking occurs only when a syllable beginning with a vowel directly follows a batchim.

The Batchim ㅇ Does Not Move

The batchim 'ㅇ' does not move to the initial-sound position of the next syllable. The 'ㅇ' batchim is a sound that resonates through the nose at the end of a syllable, so even when a vowel follows, it is pronounced in its place. 강아지(gangaji) (dog) is read [강아지], and 공원(gongwon) (park) is also read [공원]. Because the 'ㅇ' at the beginning of the following syllable is a silent position, the batchim does not move even when it meets a batchim ㅇ.