[우리문화신문=김슬옹 김슬옹 문학박사ㆍ세종국어문화원 원장]
정의 공주는 세종과 소헌 왕후 사이에서 태어난 막내딸이다. 어릴 적부터 지혜롭고 총명해서 사랑을 듬뿍 받았다. 세종은 1443년 《훈민정음》창제 전까지 신하들과 백성들에게 알리지 않고 홀로 새 문자를 만들어야 했다. 당시 사대부 양반들에게 중국 한자가 아닌 새로운 문자를 만들어 쓰는 것은 상상조차 할 수 없었기 때문이다.
그렇다고 모든 것을 혼자 생각하고 연구할 수는 없었다. 비밀리에 소리와 문자 연구를 하면서 늘 가까이했던 자식들과 신하들의 간접 도움을 받았다. 그 가운데서도 정의 공주는 시집을 간 뒤에도 궁궐 밖에 살면서 소리 연구에 많은 도움을 주었다. 아버지 세종을 닮아 절대 음감을 가지고 있었고 실록에 사관이 기록에 남길 만큼 수학과 천문에 밝아, 세종이 문자를 연구하다 막힐 때면 함께 토론하고 결정적인 도움을 주었다고 한다.
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Princess Jeongui Helps Her Father, King Sejong, with His Hangeul Research
Living outside the palace, she provided significant help in the study of phonetics.
[Women and Events Who Shined Upon Hangeul] Part 2
Professor Kim Sle-ong
Princess Jeongui was the youngest daughter of King Sejong and Queen Soheon. From a young age, she was known for her wisdom and intelligence, earning her much affection from her father. Before the creation of Hunminjeongeum in 1443, King Sejong worked in secrecy, creating a new script that would not be known to his subjects or officials. At that time, the idea of creating a new alphabet, rather than using the Chinese characters, was unthinkable to the aristocratic scholars. However,
Sejong could not undertake such a monumental task alone. He received indirect help from his children and trusted officials while secretly researching sounds and characters. Among his children, Princess Jeongui was particularly helpful. Even after her marriage and moving out of the palace, she continued to assist with the sound research. Like her father, she possessed a remarkable sense of absolute pitch and a strong understanding of mathematics and astronomy.
It is said that whenever Sejong encountered difficulties while creating the script, he would often engage in discussions with her, and her input proved to be crucial in advancing the development of Hangeul. Her contributions were so significant that the royal historians recorded them in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (Joseon Wangjo Sillok).
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貞懿王女、父・世宗のハングル研究を助ける
宮廷の外に暮らしながら、音声研究に多大な協力を果たす
[ハングルを輝かせた女性と事件] 2
金瑟擁（キム・スロン）教授
貞懿（ジョンイ）王女は、世宗（セジョン）と昭憲（ソホン）王妃の間に生まれた末娘である。幼い頃から聡明で賢く、深い慈愛を受けて育った。世宗は1443年の『訓民正音』創製に至るまで、臣下や領民に一切知らせることなく、独りで新たな文字を作らねばならなかった。当時の士大夫（両班）にとって、中国の漢字ではない独自の文字を作り出すなど、想像すらできないことだったからである。
だからといって、すべてを独りだけで考え、研究し尽くせるわけではなかった。極秘裏に音声や文字の研究を進める中で、常に身近にいた子供たちや、信頼を寄せる臣下たちから間接的な協力を得ていた。その中でも貞懿王女は、嫁ぎ先へ移り宮廷の外に暮らすようになってからも、音声研究において多大な助けとなった。父・世宗に似て絶対音感を備えていたほか、実録の修撰官が記録に書き残すほど数学と天文学に精通しており、世宗が文字研究で行き詰まるたびに共に議論を重ね、決定的な助言を与えたという。
