거지
Korean[edit]
Etymology[edit]
First attested in the Seokbo sangjeol (釋譜詳節 / 석보상절), 1447, as Middle Korean 것ᄫᅡᅀᅵ〮 (Yale: kèsWàzí). The Jeju language forms 걸버시 (geolbeosi) and 걸바시 (geolbasi), which are clearly cognate to but cannot be directly descended from the Middle Korean form (which show later inter-sonorant lenition of /p/ and /s/ to /β/ and /z/), implies that the first element was derived from Sino-Korean 乞 (geol, “to beg”).
The intermediary Middle Korean form 거ᇫ워ᅀᅵ (Yale: kezwezi) is attested in the later fifteenth century. The first /z/ was regularly deleted sometime in the sixteenth century, while the second underwent an irregular fortition to /ts/, producing the Early Modern forms 거어지 (geo'eoji) and 거워지 (geowoji). These coalesced into 거지 (geoji) towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈkɘ(ː)d͡ʑi]
- Phonetic hangul: [거(ː)지]
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | geoji |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | geoji |
| McCune–Reischauer? | kŏji |
| Yale Romanization? | kēci |
- South Gyeongsang (Busan) pitch accent: 거지의 / 거지에 / 거지까지
Syllables in red take high pitch. This word always takes high pitch only on the first syllable, and lowers the pitch of subsequent suffixes.
Noun[edit]
거지 • (geoji)
References[edit]
- 조항범 (Jo Hang-beom) (2014) “'거지' 관련 어휘의 語源과 意味 [Etymologies and semantics of keci-related words]”, in Urimalgeul, volume 61, pages 1–34