Generational and Gender Variation in the Acoustic Realization of Korean Coda /l/

초록

This study analyzes generational and gender-based variation in the acoustic realization of Korean coda /l/, focusing on how the manner and place of the following consonant condition velarization and retroflexion. The full formant trajectories (F2, F3) and relative indices (F2-F1, F3-F2) measured for 40 native Korean speakers in two age groups were analyzed using Generalized Additive Mixed Models. Results showed that younger speakers exhibit more advanced velarization and retroflexion consistently across acoustic measures. Female speakers show robust generational differences across most manners and places of articulation, with the strongest effects in bilabials, alveolars, and nasals, although gestures are suppressed in fricatives. Male speakers, by contrast, show fewer and more context-specific differences, largely restricted to stops and affricates, with significant shifts only in bilabials. These findings support the gender-differentiated diffusion theory, indicating that female-led changes are more advanced, whereas male realizations are more constrained by articulatory context. Overall, the results underscore the role of generational change in the ongoing phonetic shift of Korean coda /l/ and highlight the importance of considering gender and articulatory environment in models of sound change.

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