Pyongan dialect

The Pyongan dialect (평안도 사투리: p'yŏngando sat'uri), alternatively Northwestern Korean (서북 방언: sŏbuk pangŏn, 西北方言), is the Korean dialect of the northwestern Korean peninsula and neighboring parts of China. It has influenced the standard language of North Korea, but is not the basis of it, which remains Seoul dialect.

Pronunciation

Jamo

In the Pyongan dialect an eight vowel system is used (이·에·애·으·어·아·우·오). The sound of 어 is much closer to that of 오 compared to other dialects. There are various features that differentiate the sound of words from southwestern and midland dialects. 위, 왜, 워 and 와 are closer to an original sound of 야, 여, 요 and 유.

Palatalization

The ㄷ (d) consonant, in addition to the first syllable of ㄱ (g) and ㅎ (h) are not palatalized in the Pyongan dialect (e.g. 뎡거댱, 정거장: chyŏnggŏjyang, chŏgŏjang). Sino-Korean words beginning with ㄴ (n) in southern dialects are pronounced as ㄹ (r), as in the cases of 뉴행 (nyuhaeng) and 노동 (nodong).

Conjugation

Stems of the ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ irregulars use both forms, such as in the case of 듣다·드드니, 들으니 (tŭtta-tŭdŭni, tŭrŭni) (listening, to hear).

Words

Vocabulary

Various words used in the Pyongan dialect differ to that of other Korean dialects, such as 간나 (sissy), 클마니 (father) and 클마니 (grandmother). The etymology of words such as "우틔" (衣) arises from the Manchu language.

References