달내

Middle Korean

Alternative forms

• 達川 (hanja form for the tributary of the Han, first character phonogramic, second character logogramic)
• 㺚川 (hanja form for the North Korean stream, first character phonogramic, second character logogramic)

Etymology

The second element is 내〯 (nǎy, “stream”), but the first element is unclear.

There are several streams which still bear this native name in contemporary Korea, along with other locations that seem to be named after such a stream: 달내말/月(월)谷(곡)洞(동) (Dallaemal, literally "Talnay village"), 달내산/月(월)下(하)山(산) (Dallaesan, literally "Talnay Mountain"), and so forth. Many of these are written in Chinese with the character 月 (“moon”), to represent Modern Korean 달 (dal, “moon”). However, this cannot be the etymology of the attested Middle Korean names because the Middle Korean word for "moon" is ᄃᆞᆯ (tol), which has a different vowel. Similarly, the stream in Chungju is now connected to 달— (dal-, “to be sweet”) by folk etymology and is sometimes even written with the corresponding Chinese character 甘 (gān, “sweet”), but this is also impossible because the Middle Korean word for "to be sweet" was also ᄃᆞᆯ— (tol—) with the same incompatible vocalism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /talnaj/

Proper noun

달〮내〯 (Tálnǎy)

1. Various streams in Korea, notably:
   1. a tributary of the Han River running through Chungju, now called 달천(達川) (Dalcheon)
   2. a stream in Chongju, now North Korea, today called 달천(㺚川) (Dalcheon)
   3. presumably other streams in Korea which are now called Dalcheon, Dallae, etc., although these are not attested in Middle Korean

Descendants

• Korean: 달천 (Dalcheon), 달내 (Dallae)

References

• 최범훈 [choebeomhun] (1983) “龍(용)飛(비)御(어)天(천)歌(가)의 正(정)音(음)表(표)記(기) 固(고)有(유)名(명)詞(사)硏(연)究(구)(1)”, in Dong'ak eomunhak, volume 17, pages 125—143
• 조규태 [jogyutae] (2006) “용비어천가 주해 속의 우리말 어휘에 대하여 [yongbieocheon'ga juhae sogui urimal eohwie daehayeo]”, in Eomunhak, volume 92, pages 117—158