Template:oko-k irregular

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This Old Korean reconstruction is based on a Middle Korean form which has an irregular allomorphy, surfacing as a CV.CV form in isolation but as a CVC.k- or CVC.ɤ- connective form when followed by most suffixes. The reflexes of modern dialects variously include CV.CV, CVC.ki, CVC.ku, and CV.CVk.

The conventional Old Korean reconstruction is *CV.C(o/u)k, with the Middle Korean isolated form created by deletion of the final consonant and the connective form by deletion of the vowel. The exact phonological motivation for this unusual sound shift is still poorly understood, but is connected to the fact that these irregular forms uniformly have the rare low-low accentual pattern in Middle Korean, whereas most nouns have a low-high pattern.