@article {Kim:January 2004:0925-8558:59,
	author = "Kim M-R.",
	author = "Duanmu S.",
	title = ""Tense" and "Lax" Stops in Korean",
	journal = "Journal of East Asian Linguistics",
	volume = "13",
	year = "January 2004",
	abstract = "Korean is thought to be unique in having three kinds of voiceless stops: aspirated /p<SUP>h</SUP> t<SUP>h</SUP> k<SUP>h</SUP>/, tense /p* t* k*/, and lax /p t k/. The contrast between tense and lax stops raises two theoretical problems. First, to distinguish them either a new feature [tense] is needed, or the contrast in voicing (or aspiration) must be increased from two to three. Either way there is a large increase in the number of possible stops in the world&#039;s languages, but the expansion lacks support beyond Korean. Second, initial aspirated and tense consonants correlate with a high tone, and lax and voiced consonants correlate with a low tone. The correlation cannot be explained in the standard tonogenesis model (voiceless-high and voiced-low). We argue instead that (a) underlyingly &quot;tense&quot; stops are regular voiceless unaspirated stops, and &quot;lax&quot; stops are regular voiced stops, (b) there is no compelling evidence for a new distinctive feature, and (c) the consonant-tone correlation is another case of voiceless-high and voiced-low. We conclude that Korean does not have an unusual phonology, and there is no need to complicate feature theory.",
	pages = "59-104(46)",
	url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/jeal/2004/00000013/00000001/05147651"
}