Yeorinhieut: The Archaic Glottal Stop of the Korean Alphabet
The Korean writing system, Hangul, is renowned for its scientific design and efficiency. However, not all characters used in its early stages survived into the modern era. One such fascinating example is Yeorinhieut (ㆆ), an archaic consonant that provides a glimpse into the phonetic ambitions of early Korean linguistics.
Yeorinhieut, which literally translates to "soft hieut," represents a sound known as a glottal stop [ʔ]—a consonant produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal folds. While it is no longer used in contemporary Korean, its history reveals how the alphabet was adapted to transcribe both native sounds and foreign influences.
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Key Facts
- Character: ㆆ
- Official Name: Yeorinhieut (여린히읗)
- Historical Name: Doenieung (된이응)
- Phonetic Value: Glottal stop [ʔ]
- Status: Archaic (no longer in general use)
- Unicode Points: U+3186, U+1159, U+11F9
Evolution and Nomenclature
The naming of this character has shifted over time. Historically, it was widely referred to as doenieung (된이응), meaning "hard ieung." However, in 1991, the South Korean National Institute of Korean Language officially renamed it yeorinhieut. This change was made because modern South Koreans visually associate the character's shape more closely with hieut (ㅎ) than with ieung (ㅇ).
Visual and Structural Design
Structurally, Yeorinhieut is derived from the letter ieung (ㅇ) with an additional stroke added. According to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye—the seminal text that introduced Hangul—the sounds of these two characters were considered similar, and in some transcriptions, they were used interchangeably.
Usage and Linguistic Role
Scholars suggest that Yeorinhieut served specific, often artificial, purposes rather than representing a common spoken sound in everyday Korean. Its primary roles included:
- Sino-Korean Transcription: It was frequently used as an initial consonant in Chinese dictionaries to represent words beginning with a glottal stop.
- Preglottalization: In the Korean language, it was used to indicate preglottalization before a tensed consonant.
By the end of the 15th century, Yeorinhieut largely fell out of use. Its role in indicating specific phonetic tensions was eventually replaced by the letter siot (ㅅ).
Technical Specifications
Despite its obsolescence in speech, Yeorinhieut remains preserved in digital systems for scholarly and historical purposes. It is encoded in Unicode under several variations depending on its position in a syllable block.
| Version | Unicode Name | Hex Code | Decimal Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compatibility | HANGUL LETTER YEORINHIEUH | U+3186 | 12678 |
| Choseong (Initial) | HANGUL CHOSEONG YEORINHIEUH | U+1159 | 4441 |
| Jongseong (Final) | HANGUL JONGSEONG YEORINHIEUH | U+11F9 | 4601 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What sound did Yeorinhieut represent?
Yeorinhieut represented a glottal stop, transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as [ʔ].
Why was the name changed from Doenieung to Yeorinhieut?
The National Institute of Korean Language changed the name in 1991 because the character's visual appearance is more similar to the letter hieut (ㅎ) than to ieung (ㅇ).
When did Yeorinhieut stop being used?
It largely fell out of use by the end of the 15th century, with its functions eventually being taken over by the letter ㅅ.
Was Yeorinhieut common in spoken Korean?
No; many scholars argue it was relatively artificial and primarily used for transcribing Sino-Korean words in dictionaries or for specific phonetic markers.
How is Yeorinhieut different from the modern letter ㅇ?
While both are related, Yeorinhieut (ㆆ) features an additional stroke compared to ieung (ㅇ) and specifically represented a glottal stop sound.