이 연구에서는 중세국어 문헌들의 검토와 해석을 통해 입성은 성조가 아니며, 입성 한자 형태소는 기본적으로 중세국어 및 현대 국어 성조 방언(창원 방언)의 세 가지 성조 가운데 거성과 동일한 성조적 특질을 가진다는 논지를 마련하고 중고한음, 중세국어, 창원 방언의 한자음 성조를 비교 연구하여 그를 입증하였다. 대립 가능한 위치에서 나타나는 성조를 기본으로 『소학언해』와 창원방언 자료에 나타난 한자어에서 개별 한자 형태소의 성조를 판별ㆍ확정한 기초 위에서 표본 추출의 방법으로 중고한음, 중세국어, 창원 방언의 한자음 성조를 비교하였다. 그 결과, 중고한음 가운데 입성 한자음의 거의 대부분이 중세국어에서 거성에 합류되어 중세국어에서 기본적으로 거성과 동일한 성조적 특성을 가지게 되었고, 그 밖의 몇 가지 이유로 중세국어 거성 한자음의 주류로 되었다. 그리고 이러한 입성 한자음의 기본적 성조와 거성 한자음에서 차지하는 비중은 중세국어의 성조 체계를 계승한 현대 국어 성조 방언(창원 방언)에도 그대로 이어졌다는 사실을 확인할 수 있었다.
The purpose of this paper is how the tone of the rapid closing morphemes of Sino-Korean words is reflected in Middle Korean and Changwon dialect, a dialect of Gyeongnam Province. I extracted Middle Korean data from Sohag-eonhae published at the end of the 16th century, and Changwon dialect data from professor Gim's own handriting which consists of about 10,000 Sino-Korean words. He has also much helps to me directly as a informant of Changwon dialect. There are three tones, the even tone, corresponding to Chinese ping (平; ‘high-level’), the rising tone, Chinese shang (上; ‘rising’), and the departing tone, Chinese qu (巨; ‘falling’) tone. But according to dichotomy, in Korean, the three tones are divided into one marked/plain tone corresponding to Chinese ping (平) and two unmarked tones Chinese tse (仄). And the two unmarked tones are divided into a simple level tone corresponding to Chinese qu (巨) and a long rising tone corresponding to Chinese shang (上) according to phonetic complexity. In Middle Korean the even tone is the low tone which is represented as no dot (□), the departing tone is the high tone, represented as one dot (·□), and the rising tone is rising, represented as two dots (:□). In Changwon dialet, the way representing the three tone is the same as in Middle Korean. The pitch form of the former underwent remarkable change Thus the even tone is the high, the departing tone, and the rising tone, low. The even tone (□) allows contrast of marked tone (·□) and unmarked (□), but the not departing tone (·□) 40)and rising tone (:□) are neutralized into 1 dot(·□, marked tone) in its following syllable because its neutralization effect is weak. However, the two marked tones does not allows any tonemic contrast in the following syllable because their neutralization effect is strong, in which any kind of tones are neutralized into 1 dot(·□, marked tone). The most Sino-Korean rapid closing morphemes mid level pitch, in Changwon dialect, neutralize any tone into 1 dot (·□, marked tone) obligatorily. Therefore we conclude that the under?? lying tone of them is departing tone (·□). Several exceptional Sino-Korean rapid closing morphemes seems to be the underlying even tone, which have high pitch and allows only the contrast of marked tone (·□) and unmarked (□). And only two Sino- Korean rapid closing morphemes appeared as underlying low tone (:□) in our data. The most Sino-Korean rapid closing morphemes in our data can neutralize any tone into 1 dot (·□, marked tone) optionally in Middle Korean, so that the underlying tone of them is departing tone (·□). Several Sino-Korean rapid closing morpheme appeared as even tone, and a few, as rising tone.