Learning phonetics is indeed easy if you know the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Today we are going to discuss what is the best way to learn Korean Phonetics. According to the Webster English dictionary, Phonetics is the study and systematic qualification of the sounds made in spoken utterances. The different configurations of the vocal tract produce different sounds. These sounds are then applied to a particular language and it forms the phonetics of that particular language.

Korean consonants have three principal positional allophones: initial, medial (voiced), and final (checked). The initial form is found at the beginning of phonological words. The medial form is found in voiced environments, intervocalically and after a voiced consonant such as n or l. Due to a number of unusual and interesting properties, Korean phonetics and phonology have been generating productive discussion within modern linguistic theories, starting from structuralism, moving to classical generative grammar, and more recently to post-generative frameworks of Auto segmental Theory, Government Phonology, Optimality Theory, and others.

 In addition, it has been discovered that a description of important issues of phonology cannot be properly made without referring to the interface between phonetics and phonology on the one hand, and phonology and morpho-syntax on the other. Some phonological issues from Standard Korean are still under debate and will likely be of value in helping to elucidate universal phonological properties with regard to phonation contrast, vowel and consonant inventories, consonantal markedness, and the motivation for a prosodic organization in the lexicon.

So, the first and the most important step to learn Korean phonetics is to get a Korean Phonetic alphabet chart. Study this chart thoroughly, unless and until you have mastered the Korean phonetic alphabets you will never be able to learn phonetics. These phonetics are the sound elements of every word. It is also important to have a thorough knowledge of the Korean vowels as well as the consonants. Until you have learned the vowels, consonants and the phonetic alphabets you cannot jump directly to studying and analyzing Korean phonetics. The nice thing about learning Korean alphabet pronunciation is that it is very similar to the English alphabet pronunciation. Hangul pronunciation has similar sounds in English. For example, the Korean alphabet character ㄱ is pronounced similar to the letter “g”. It’s easier with Korean than many other languages. Each Korean word, or letter-block, has several different meanings. But they are all pronounced the same way. After learning the alphabets, you can start and take up a small group of Korean words and analyze their phonetics. One of the best aids you can get is to download and install a Korean dictionary with audio features. You will be able to pronounce the words correctly by listening as well as studying the phonetic alphabets. These will enhance your phonetic knowledge.

Once you are able to analyze the phonetics for almost every word you can start practicing phonetics for a full sentence. There is a great website that offers great audio as well as phonetic transcription. Visit easypronunciaition.com and you will be directed to a dialogue box where you can write down the Korean sentence that you want to analyze. Then it will automatically start the transcription and provide you both the written phonetic transcription as well as audio transcription.

Sometimes you might forget how a phonetic alphabet is pronounced but with the help of the audio feature you will remember it easily after listening to it. Then again, we have to remember the sound stress. Since stress plays a crucial role in the pronunciation of a language. Audio features will effectively help you in learning sound stress.

Practice all these ways by yourself at home with the help of resources from the internet as well as from offline resources. But the very best way to learn Korean phonetics and to master it is to take guidance from an expert. They will have the knowledge of the correct methods of learning and practicing them. So, taking guidance is very essential and the best way but mastering it depends on your dedication and consistency. Without regular practice, you will never be able to learn it. After all, your hard work will pay off when you learn Korean phonetics.