ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ다

Middle Korean

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mʌ̀jŋ.kʌ́l.tá/, [mʌ̀jŋ.ɡʌ́.dá]

Verb

ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮다〮 (mòyngkótá) (infinitive ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮라〮 (mòyngkólá), sequential ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮니〮 (mòyngkóní), phonemic spelling ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ〮다〮)

1. to make, to create

   Synonym: ᄆᆞᆫᄃᆞᆯ다 (montolta)

   • 1446, Sejong the Great, 訓民正音諺解本 / 훈민정음언해본 [Hunmin jeongeum eonhae]‎^[1]:

     새〮로〮 스〮믈〮여듧〮 字(ᄌᆞ)ᄅᆞᆯ〮 ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮노니〮

     sáy-lwó súmúlyètúlp CO-lól mòyngkónwòní

     I have newly created twenty-eight letters

   • 1447, 釋譜詳節 / 석보상절 [Seokbo sangjeol], page 11:13a:

     優(우)塡(뎐)王(와ᇰ)이〮 ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮론〮 金(금)像(샤ᇰ)ᄋᆞᆯ〮 象(샤ᇰ)애〮 싣〯ᄌᆞᄫᅡ〮 가〮더니〮 […]

     WU.TYEN.WANG-í mòyngkólwón KUM.SYANG-ól SYANG-áy sǐtcòWá kátèní […]

     [As they] move the golden Buddha statue made by King Udayana on an elephant […]

Usage notes

This verb was used together with 지ᇫ〯다〮 (cĭztá), of similar meaning. The two were not wholly synonymous:

• ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ〮다〮 (mòyngkóltá) was preferred or obligatory for physical objects (e.g. to make a statue, to make an implement); for laws or institutions; and for making someone adopt a new social position (e.g. to make one a slave).
• 지ᇫ〯다〮 (cĭztá) was preferred or obligatory for taking on a certain expression or mood (e.g. to make a certain face); for religious concepts (e.g. to commit sin, to win merit); for human relationships (e.g. to forge a friendship, to form a crowd); and for certain idiomatic objects.
• Both were used for buildings, clothes, food, and written works, although ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ〮다〮 (mòyngkóltá) may have had a somewhat wider scope.

It has been proposed that ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ〮다〮 (mòyngkóltá) had a connotation of creation via active human effort and that 지ᇫ〯다〮 (cĭztá) had a connotation of natural emergence, although this remains disputed.

Descendants

• Jeju: 멩글다 (menggeulda)
• Korean: 맹글다 (maenggeulda) (dialectal)

References

• 홍사만 (Hong Sa-man) (2001) “중세 근대국어 어휘의미 연구(8) — '짓다', 'ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ다'의 의미분석 — [jungse geundaegugeo eohwiuimi yeon'gu(8) - jitda , mᆡᇰgᆞlda ui uimibunseok -, A study on the lexical semantics of Middle and Early Modern Korean (8): An analysis of the semantics of cista and moyngkolta]”, in Eoneo gwahak yeon'gu, volume 19, pages 339—374