Korean-language scholar (pen name Simak)
| Life | 1908 ~ 1994 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 연안 이씨 |
Yi Sung-nyeong was a Korean-language scholar from Seoul; his pen name was Simak (心岳). A graduate of the Faculty of Law and Letters at Keijo Imperial University, he devoted his life to Korean linguistics, especially phonology and Middle Korean grammar.
As a professor at Seoul National University, he pioneered the study of Korean phonology grounded in scientific methodology, and served as chairman of the Korean Linguistics Society and dean of the SNU Graduate School. He is regarded as the scholar who introduced empirical and structuralist methods into the study of Korean.
His major works include Studies in Korean Phonology, Middle Korean Grammar, and Essays in Korean Linguistics, and he received the March 1st Literary Prize and the Order of Civil Merit, among others.