Korean toponyms in the Polish language: sources of transposition, transcription systems, and phonic assimilation strategies Cover Image

Toponimy koreańskie w polszczyźnie - źródła transpozycji, systemy transkrypcyjne i strategie asymilacji fonicznej
Korean toponyms in the Polish language: sources of transposition, transcription systems, and phonic assimilation strategies

Author(s): Kim Gwangseok, Jarosław A. Pietrow
Subject(s): Phonetics / Phonology
Published by: Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA
Keywords: toponym; onomastics; Korean language; Korean language transcriptions; adaptation;

Summary/Abstract: The intensively developing Polish-Korean contacts and direct access to the knowledge of South Korea as one of the major East Asian countries obtained from Internet and media coverage have resulted in Korean toponyms being assimilated in the Polish language to an increasing extent. However, they are adapted in a number of ways, being mediated through two main systems of Latinising the Korean language, i.e. the McCune-Reischauer transcription and the modified MOE transcription, which is officially propagated by Korean authorities. This leads to a certain competition between the two systems, which are, moreover, o􏰀en used in the situation of not only lack of command of the source language itself, but also ignorance of the conventional rules of the Latin transcription of Korean geographical names, which are different in both transcriptions. Moreover, toponyms must be assimilated based on various compromises between the phonological system of the source language and the system of the receiving language. Such a helpful compromise might be an additionally used Polonised transcription in the resource of le􏰅er symbols, but this requires substantial adjustments and additions as well as unavoidable concessions to make it easier for Polish recipients to decipher texts about Korea. From the perspective of historical standardisation of some characteristic Korean toponyms in Polish publications, various transcription tools, methods of their assimilation and adaptations, as well as the obvious cognitive barriers might become definitely more pronounced and informative for both text authors and recipients.

  • Issue Year: 2023
  • Issue No: 01
  • Page Range: 40-57
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish