므슥

Middle Korean

Etymology

This is one of four related Middle Korean interrogatives all beginning with /mɨsɨ-/: 므슥 (musuk), 므스 (musu), 므슴 (musum), and 므슷 (musus). The precise etymological relationship between the four remains unclear.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɨsɨk/

Pronoun

므슥〮 (mùsúk)

1. (interrogative) what
   • 1447, Sejong the Great, 月印千江之曲 / 월인천강지곡, page 56b:

     누〯를〮ᄃᆞ려〮 므스〮기라〮 ᄒᆞ〮시랴〮

     nwǔ-lúltòlyé mùsúk-ìlá hósìlyá

     What would he say, and to whom?

Usage notes

• 므스 (musu) is used before the interrogative particle 고 (-kwo).
• 므슴 (musum) is used before other consonant-initial particles, and before the verb ᄒᆞ다〮 (Yale: hò-tá) "to do".
• 므슥 (musuk) is used before vowel-initial particles.
• In the Early Modern period, the pronouns are ultimately supplanted by the new pronoun 므엇 (mwues), whence modern 무엇 (mueot), 뭐 (mwo).

Derived terms

• 므스그라 (musukula, “for what reason”)

References

• 이광호 (Yi Gwang-ho) (2009) “'므스'와 '므슥/므슴/므슷'의 의미특성 및 형태변화”, in Gugeo gungmunhak, volume 151, pages 35—57
• 장요한 (Jang Yo-han) (2013) “중세국어 의문사 '므스'류의 교체 양상과 단일화”, in Eoneowa jeongbo sahoe, volume 20, pages 235—259
• 장요한 (Jang Yo-han) (2017) “중세 국어 의문사 '므슴'의 품사 발달과 그 원리”, in Urimalgeul, volume 75, pages 29—50