ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ다

Middle Korean

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • (Morphophonemic) IPA(key): ⫽mʌ̀jŋkʌ́ltá⫽

Verb

ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞᆯ〮다〮 (mòyngkóltá) (infinitive ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮라〮 (mòyngkólá), sequential ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮니〮 (mòyngkóní))

  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 (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:
      ()()(와ᇰ)이〮 ᄆᆡᇰᄀᆞ〮론〮 ()(샤ᇰ)ᄋᆞᆯ〮 (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 — [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