This study investigates the characteristics and causes of Korean final consonant (coda)
pronunciation errors among Mongolian learners. Forty learners participated, including 10
beginners (levels 1–2) and 10 intermediate learners (levels 3–4) from ...
This study investigates the characteristics and causes of Korean final consonant (coda)
pronunciation errors among Mongolian learners. Forty learners participated, including 10
beginners (levels 1–2) and 10 intermediate learners (levels 3–4) from both Korea and
Mongolia. The study focuses on error patterns according to coda consonant types, parts of
speech, and learners’ proficiency levels.
To identify differences between the target language and the learners’ native language,
the phonological features of both Korean and Mongolian were examined. Mongolian
allows up to three consonants in coda positions, all pronounced according to their
original phonetic values, whereas Korean restricts coda positions to a single
consonant, realized as one of seven possible sounds (/ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ, ㅇ/). This
contrast suggests that Mongolian learners may experience difficulties in accurately
producing Korean single-final consonants due to interference from their native
language.
Vocabulary items were selected to allow learners to produce basic forms of coda
consonants. Error frequency was analyzed in terms of consonant type, part of speech,
and proficiency level. The study is organized into five chapters: Chapter 1 reviews
the necessity of pronunciation education for Mongolian learners and prior studies;
Chapter 2 compares the consonant systems and syllable structures of Korean and Mongolian to predict potential error patterns; Chapter 3 details participants,
experimental methods, and word lists; Chapter 4 analyzes experimental results,
highlighting the characteristics and causes of coda pronunciation errors; Chapter 5
summarizes the findings and discusses implications for Korean pronunciation
instruction.
This study provides foundational data to address pronunciation difficulties of
Mongolian learners and to inform more effective teaching strategies in Korean
language education.