McCune–Reischauer

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Template:Short description

File:Suwon (McCune-Reischauer Romanisation) (cropped).JPG
lang}} is romanized Template:Transliteration, using McCune–Reischauer. It would be Template:Transliteration in Revised Romanization.

McCune–Reischauer (MR; Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a romanization system for the Korean language. It was first published in 1939 by George M. McCune and Edwin O. Reischauer. Significant work on the system was done by Korean linguists Choe Hyeon-bae, Template:Ill, and Template:Ill.

According to Reischauer, McCune "persuaded the American Army Map Service to adopt [the McCune–Reischauer system], and through the Korean War it became the foundation for most current Romanizations of Korean place names."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

A variant of McCune–Reischauer is currently used as the official system in North Korea. Another variant is currently used for standard romanization library catalogs in North America. On the other hand, South Korea formerly used yet another variant as its official system from 1984 to 2000, but replaced it with the Revised Romanization of Korean in 2000.

Characteristics

  1. redirect Template:Korean writing

The following are some characteristics of the McCune–Reischauer system:

Use of diacritics and their omission

McCune–Reischauer employs dual use of apostrophes, with the more common being for syllabic boundaries. Therefore, it may take some time for learners to familiarise themselves with the placement of apostrophes to determine how a romanized Korean word is pronounced. For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} → Template:Transliteration, which consists of the syllables Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration, and Template:Transliteration.

In the early days of the Internet, the apostrophe and breve were even omitted altogether for both technical and practical reasons, which made it impossible to differentiate the strongly aspirated consonants Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration from the unaspirated consonants Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration, and the vowels {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

For example, if the diacritics in the MR rendering of the name of South Korean city Ch'ŏngju (Template:Korean/auto) are omitted (Chongju), it overlaps with the name of North Korean city Chongju (Template:Korean/auto).<ref name=":2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> There is a claim of uncertain veracityTemplate:Efn that, during the 1950–1953 Korean War, the US Army accidentally (or almost) bombed the wrong city due to this.<ref name="Cheongju">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As a result, the South Korean government introduced a revised system of romanization in 2000.<ref name="MoCT2000">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, Korean critics claimed that the Revised System fails to represent {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in a way that is easily recognizable and misrepresents the way that the unaspirated consonants are actually pronounced.

Guide

This is a simplified guide for the McCune–Reischauer system.

Vowels

Hangul lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} Template:Nowrap lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
Romanization a ae ya yae ŏ e yŏ ye o wa wae oe yo u wŏ we wi yu ŭ ŭi i

Consonants

Word-initially and word-finally

Hangul lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap Template:Nowrap lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
Romanization Word-initial k kk n t tt r m p pp s ss — ch tch ch' k' t' p' h
Word-final k — l — t — ng t — t k t p t

The heterogeneous consonant digraphs ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) exist only as syllabic finals and are transcribed by their actual pronunciation.

Word-medially

The following table is sufficient for the transcription of most proper names.

Final consonant of the previous syllable + initial consonant of the next syllable
InitialTemplate:Efn
Template:Nowrap
—		 lang}}
k		 lang}}
kk		 lang}}
n		 lang}}
t		 lang}}
tt		 lang}}
r		 lang}}
m		 lang}}
p		 lang}}
pp		 Template:Nowrap
s		 lang}}
ss		 lang}}
ch		 lang}}
tch		 lang}}
h
Final Template:Nowrap — g kk n d tt r m b pp s ss j tch h
lang}} k g kk kk ngn kt ktt ngn ngm kp kpp ks kss kch ktch kh
lang}} n n nTemplate:`g nkk nn nd ntt ll nm nb npp ns nss nj ntch nh
lang}} t d tk tkk nn tt tt nn nm tp tpp ss ss tch tch th
lang}} l r lg lkk ll Template:Nowrap ltt ll lm lb lpp ls lss Template:Nowrap ltch rh
lang}} m m mg mkk mn md mtt mn mm mb mpp ms mss mj mtch mh
lang}} p b pk pkk mn pt ptt mn mm pp pp ps pss pch ptch ph
lang}} ng ng ngg ngkk ngn ngd ngtt ngn ngm ngb ngpp ngs ngss ngj ngtch ngh

The following subsections are for cases not covered by the table above, or for cases where the result should be different from the table.

Any non-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} syllabic final + syllabic initial {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

In this combination, the syllabic final (except {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, which is always Template:Transliteration) is

  1. either directly transferred to the syllabic initial position of the next syllable (i.e. replacing the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}),
    1. When the syllabic final {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (including {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) is followed by {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, palatalization occurs.
    2. Syllabic final digraphs are split.
  2. or neutralized to one of {ㄱ, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ, ㅁ, ㅂ} first, and then transferred to the syllabic initial position of the next syllable.
Any non-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} syllabic final + syllabic initial {ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅈ}

If the syllabic initial is pronounced

  • {[{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}]}, they are romanized {g, d, b, j}. When Template:Transliteration is preceded by Template:Transliteration, an apostrophe is added between them (i.e. Template:Transliteration).
  • {[{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}]}, they are romanized {k, t, p, ch} (not {kk, tt, pp, tch}).

Examples:

Any syllabic final + syllabic initial {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

Any combination with the syllabic initial {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is transcribed based on the actual pronunciation, except when the result is [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}], or [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}]; these are treated as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Transliteration), {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Transliteration), and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Transliteration) respectively.

Syllabic final {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} + any syllabic initial

Any combination with the syllabic final {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (including {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) is transcribed based on the actual pronunciation.

Personal names

The rules stated above are also applied in personal names, except between a surname and a given name. A surname and a given name are separated by a space, but multiple syllables within a surname or within a given name are joined without hyphens or spaces.

The original 1939 paper states the following:Template:Sfn

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

The Romanization of Proper Names and Titles

Proper names like words should not be divided into syllables, as has often been done in the past. For example, the geographic term {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} should be romanized Kwangju. Irregularities occurring in proper names such as in P'yŏngyang {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} which is colloquially pronounced P'iyang or P'eyang, should usually be ignored in romanizations intended for scholarly use.

Personal names demand special consideration. As in China, the great majority of surnames are monosyllables representing a single character, while a few are two character names. The given name, which follows the surname, usually has two characters but sometimes only one. In both two character surnames and two character given names the general rules of euphonic change should be observed, and the two syllables should be written together.

The problem of the euphonic changes between a surname and given name or title is very difficult. A man known as Paek Paksa {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Dr. Paek) might prove to have the full name of Paeng Nakchun {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} because of the assimilation of the final k of his surname and the initial n of his given name. The use in romanization of both Dr. Paek and Paeng Nakchun for the same person would result in considerable confusion. Therefore it seems best for romanizations purposes to disregard euphonic changes between surnames and given names or titles, so that the above name should be romanized Paek Nakchun.

For ordinary social use our romanization often may not prove suitable for personal names. Even in scholarly work there are also a few instances of rather well-established romanizations for proper names which might be left unchanged, just as the names of some of the provinces of China still have traditional romanizations not in accord with the Wade–Giles system. There is, for example, Seoul, which some may prefer to the Sŏul of our system. Another very important example is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the surname of the kings of the last Korean dynasty and still a very common Korean surname. Actually it is pronounced in the standard dialect and should be romanized Template:Serif, but some may prefer to retain the older romanization, Yi, because that is already the familiar form. In any case the other romanizations of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Ri and Li, should not be used.{{#if:|

|}}{{#if:|

— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}

The original paper also gives McCune–Reischauer romanizations for a number of other personal names:

History

Template:See also George M. McCune, son of Pyongyang-based missionary George Shannon McCune,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> was born in Korea in 1905.Template:Sfn After attending university in the United States,Template:Sfn he returned to Korea (which was then under Japanese rule) in the summer of 1937 to work on his PhD dissertation for the University of California, Berkeley.<ref name=":0" /> In Korea, he studied at Chōsen Christian College (predecessor to Yonsei University) in Seoul (then called "Keijō") under the Korean linguists Choe Hyeon-bae, Template:Ill, and Template:Ill.Template:Sfn<ref name="Newsletter">Template:Cite news</ref> Around September of that year, Japanologist Edwin O. Reischauer became stranded in Keijō while he was en route to Beijing due to the Second Sino-Japanese War.<ref name=":0" />Template:Sfn<ref name="Newsletter" /> During Reischauer's two-month stay there, he and McCune worked with Choe, Jeong, and Kim to develop what would become the McCune–Reischauer romanization system.<ref name=":0" />Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Work continued on the system even after Reischauer departed Korea to China. Eventually, the system was published in 1939 in the journal Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch.<ref name="Newsletter" />

In 1980, Reischauer wrote in a letter that the system was devised at his suggestion because he "found absolutely no uniform system of any sort, and [he] needed something for the Korean names that appeared in [his] studies on the travels of the [Japanese] monk Ennin".<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also wrote that they designed the system "with only scholars in mind", and that he felt it was too complicated for regular use.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> He expressed hope that a new romanization that "everyone would use for both scholarly and popular use [would] be worked out and adopted".<ref name=":2" />

The new South Korean government adopted the system in 1948.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn English-language newspaper The Korea Times adopted the system in the 1950s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The system received pushback from Koreans. It came to be seen as more intuitive for foreigners and less intuitive for Koreans, as it reflected pronunciation changes that most Koreans were not consciously aware of.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Sfn Fouser argued that another point of contention was related to nationalism; some disliked that the system had been developed by foreigners during the Japanese colonial period, and wanted a natively developed alternative.Template:Sfn In 1959, the Template:Ill published a romanization system, which has since been dubbed the Ministry of Education system (MOE).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The system was immediately controversial, especially among foreigners. Fouser evaluated the system as prioritizing use for Koreans; it had a one-to-one correspondence from Hangul to Latin script and did not reflect pronunciation changes that Hangul did not.Template:Sfn In June 1981, a number of scholars met at the University of Hawaii's Center for Korean Studies and developed a number of proposed changes to MR.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref> The changes were largely based on a draft proposal from the US Library of Congress and were meant to aid use by librarians. For example, it was designed to promote reversibility, which was to the interest of librarians.<ref name=":3" /> In the 1980s, the South Korean government began considering whether to use a more foreigner-friendly system in anticipation of the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which were to be held in Seoul. In 1984, a slightly modified version of McCune–Reischauer was adopted.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Some South Koreans reportedly had negative reactions to the system, which they viewed as confusing and overly beholden to pronunciation.Template:Sfn

With the spread of computers and the Internet in the 1990s, complaints and debate about MR grew. This was primarily related to the system's use of diacritics, which are difficult to access on standard keyboards. In 1997, the South Korean government began moving to revise or switch romanization systems.Template:Sfn

In contemporary South Korea, which has since adopted Revised Romanization, MR has left a lasting legacy in a number of cases:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

  • "TK" standing for Daegu and Gyeongbuk (from the MR spellings "Taegu" and "Kyŏngbuk")
  • "PK" standing for Busan and Gyeongnam (from the MR spellings "Pusan" and "Kyŏngnam")

Variants

North Korean variant

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

A variant of McCune–Reischauer is currently in official use in North Korea.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The following are the differences between the original McCune–Reischauer and the North Korean variant:

  • Aspirated consonants are represented by adding an h instead of an apostrophe.
    • However, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is transcribed as ch, not chh.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is transcribed as j even when it is voiceless.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is transcribed as jj instead of tch.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is transcribed as lr instead of ll.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is transcribed as lh instead of rh.
  • When {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is pronounced as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, it is still transcribed as r instead of n.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} are differentiated by a hyphen.
    • But when ng is followed by y or w, a hyphen is not used, like the original system.
  • In personal names, each syllable in a Sino-Korean given name is separated by a space with the first letter of each syllable capitalized (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} An Pok Chŏl). Syllables in a native Korean name are joined without syllabic division (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Kim KKotpuni).

The following table illustrates the differences above.

Hangul McCune–Reischauer North Korean variant Meaning
lang}} Template:Transliteration phyŏnji letter (message)
lang}} Template:Transliteration Juche Juche
lang}} Template:Transliteration anjjok inside
lang}} Template:Transliteration ppalri quickly
lang}} Template:Transliteration Palhae Balhae
lang}} Template:Transliteration mongran Magnolia sieboldii
lang}} Template:Transliteration yŏn-gu research, study
lang}} Template:Transliteration yŏng-ŏ English language
lang}} Template:Transliteration An Pok Chŏl lang}}, given name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})

South Korean variant

A variant of McCune–Reischauer<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was in official use in South Korea from 1984 to 2000. The following are the differences between the original McCune–Reischauer and the South Korean variant:

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was written as shi instead of the original system's Template:Transliteration. When {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is followed by {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, it is realized as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (similar to English {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (sh as in show)) instead of {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. The original system uses sh only in {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, as Template:Transliteration.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was written as wo instead of the original system's Template:Transliteration. Because the diphthong w ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} as a semivowel) + o ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) does not exist in Korean phonology, the South Korean government omitted the breve in Template:Transliteration.
  • Hyphens were used to distinguish between {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, between {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and between {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in this variant system, instead of the apostrophes and ë in the original version. Therefore, apostrophes were used only for aspiration marks and ë was not used in the South Korean system.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was written as lh instead of Template:Transliteration.
  • Assimilation-induced aspiration by a syllabic initial {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} was indicated. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is written as Template:Transliteration in the original system and as kTemplate:` in the South Korean variant.
  • In personal names, each syllable in a given name was separated by a hyphen. The consonants {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} right after a hyphen were transcribed using the voiceless letter (k, t, p, and ch respectively) even when they are voiced (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Namgung Tong-cha). But a hyphen can be omitted in non-Sino-Korean names (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Han Hana).

The following table illustrates the differences above.

Hangul McCune–Reischauer South Korean variant Meaning
lang}} Template:Transliteration shijang market
lang}} Template:Transliteration swipta easy
lang}} Template:Transliteration sowon wish
lang}} Template:Transliteration yŏn-gu research, study
lang}} Template:Transliteration yŏng-ŏ English language
lang}} Template:Transliteration hoesa-esŏ at a company
lang}} Template:Transliteration ch'ago-e in a garage
lang}} Template:Transliteration Palhae Balhae
lang}} Template:Transliteration nak'asan parachute
lang}} Template:Transliteration mot'ada to be poor at
lang}} Template:Transliteration kop'agi multiplication
lang}} Template:Transliteration Namgung Tong-cha lang}}, given name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})

ALA-LC variant

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Among the various ALA-LC romanization systems is one for Korean.<ref name="ALA-LC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is currently used for standard romanization library catalogs in North America.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is based on but deviates from McCune–Reischauer. The following are some differences between the original McCune–Reischauer and the ALA-LC variant:

  • Unlike the original McCune–Reischauer, it addresses word division in 29 pages of detail.<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp
    • A postposition (or particle) is separated from its preceding word,<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp even though the original McCune–Reischauer paper explicitly states that this should not be done.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "The nouns, likewise, should be written together with their postpositions, including those called case endings, not separately as in Japanese, because phonetically the two are so merged that it would often be difficult and misleading to attempt to divide them."</ref>
  • /{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/ + /{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/ is written as ts instead of ss.<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp
  • The surname {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is written as Yi instead of Template:Serif.<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp
  • For given names:
    • A hyphen is inserted between the syllables of a two-syllable given name only when it is preceded by a surname, with the sound change between the syllables indicated<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Yi Sŏng-min). The original McCune–Reischauer paper explicitly states that this also should not be done.<ref>Template:Harvnb: "A simple example, the word Silla, will help to clarify the point. In Chinese, hsin 新 plus lo 羅 are pronounced Hsin-lo but in Korea, sin 新 plus na (la) 羅 are pronounced Silla. To hyphenate this name as Sil-la would imply that it is composed of two parts which individually are sil and la, which is obviously misleading."</ref>
    • If a given name is three syllables long<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp or is of non-Sino-Korean origin, the syllables are joined without syllabic division<ref name="ALA-LC" />Template:Rp (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Sin Saimdang, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Kim Satkat).
    • However, it is not really possible to follow this rule because a certain name written in hangul can be a native Korean name, or a Sino-Korean name, or even both. For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} can not only be a native Korean name,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> but can also be a Sino-Korean name (e.g. 寶濫).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In some cases, parents intend a dual meaning: both the meaning from a native Korean word and the meaning from hanja. In fact, ALA-LC admitted that it is not really possible to determine whether a certain given name is Sino-Korean or not.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The following table illustrates the differences above.

Hangul McCune–Reischauer ALA-LC variant Meaning
lang}} Template:Transliteration kkot i flower + (subject marker)
lang}} Template:Transliteration kutseda strong, firm
lang}} Template:Transliteration Yi Sŏng-min lang}}, given name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})

The older (1997) version<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> of the ALA-LC rule used Template:Serif for strongly aspirated consonants and Template:Serif for {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} machTemplate:SerifanTemplate:Serifgaji), even though the original McCune–Reischauer paper uses the Template:Serif shape for both. This distinction in the older ALA-LC rule was removed in the new ALA-LC rule above.

Notes

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References

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Sources

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