This introduction to the sounds of Korean is designed for English-speaking students with no prior knowledge of the language and includes online sound files, which demonstrate the sounds and pronunciation described. It will be an invaluable resource for students of Korean wanting to understand the basis of the current state of Korean phonetics and phonology, as well as for those studying Korean linguistics. • Provides a complete and authoritative description and explanation of the current state of Korean phonetics and phonology • Gives clear comparisons with English and provides practical advice on pronunciation • Provides a wealth of authentic Korean examples • Each chapter contains exercises and Did you know? sections to help students put their knowledge into practice.

No abstract

This paper deals with how speech rate in Korean is affected by the sociolinguistic factors such as region, gender and generation. Speech rate was quantified as articulation rate (excluding physical pauses) and speaking rate (including physical pauses), both expressed as the number of syllables per second (sps). Other acoustic measures such as pause frequency and duration were also examined. Four hundred twelve subjects were chosen from Korean Standard Speech Database considering their age, gender and region. The result shows that generation has a significant effect on both speaking rate and articulation rate. Younger speakers produce their speech with significantly faster speaking rate and articulation rate than older speakers. Mean duration of total pause interval and the total number of pause of older speakers are also significantly different to those of younger speakers. Gender has a significant effect only on articulation rate, which means male speakers' speech rate is characterized by faster articulation rate, longer and more frequent pauses. Finally, region has no effect both on speaking and articulation rates.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the mediation of self-esteem between body image and depression among female university students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey design. We collected 193 female university students. They was completed a self reported questionnaire including demographic characteristics, body image, self-esteem and depression. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires and analyzed with the SPSS 20.0 Program. Results: The mean age was 21.3 years old. Over 58% of subjects hoped for plastic surgery, and 78.8% had experienced weight loss control. There were a positive correlation between body image and self-esteem (r=.60, p<.001), and negative correlations between body image and depression (r=-.47, p<.001), self-esteem and depression (r=-.50, p<.001). Self-esteem had a partial mediating effect in the relationship between body image and depression of female university students. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, depression management program focusing on body image management and self-esteem improvement are recommended to control depression in female university students.

No abstract