Coronals in epenthesis in loanwords with comparison to velars

This paper examines cross-linguistic differences in consonant and vowel (CV) interactions in epenthesis in loanwords. In particular, the pattern of coronals is compared to that of velars in three languages, Shona, Sesotho, and Korean. In Shona and Sesotho, a coronal consonant shares its place feature with an epenthetic vowel, but a velar does not share its place feature with the vowel. In Korean, however, only a palatal coronal shares its place feature with an epenthetic vowel, but a plain coronal does not. A velar in Korean also shows a different pattern, sharing its place feature with the vowel. I argue that the differences found among the languages are due to a different feature specification in each language. I also present a new empirical finding on the interaction between a Korean velar and an epenthetic vowel in order to support the claim that velars contribute a feature in Korean