Hunminjeongeum Medials and Cardinal Vowels

Abstract

This study investigates the Hunminjeongeum medials and the Cardinal Vowelsfrom the perspective of writing system. This study has discussed similaritiesand differences between the Hunminjeongeum medials and the Cardinal Vowelsin terms of phonetic, graphical, and philosophical properties. It is shown thatthe Hunminjeongeum medials are characterized by a triangular vowel space,while the Cardinal Vowels are characterized by a quadrangular structure. Bothsystems were commonly based on extreme and polar vowels and the vowelspace is divided into back and non-back series, with the intervening vowelspace (possibly equidistantly) divided. It is interesting that theHunminjeongeum medials demonstrate a central-to-front series and the CardinalVowels have two sets of monophthongs distinguished by lip shape. There wasa remarkable similarity in the configuration of the system between theHunminjeongeum medials and the Cardinal Vowels. It is significant that theHunminjeongeum medials were invented half millennium earlier than theCardinal Vowels.