Do these consonants admit an alternative pronunciation?

Question

Since this question has to do with phonetics, I'll use IPA symbols to represent the sounds I want to describe.

I know that (if I am not mistaken):

1. ㄸ is an explicit [t] sound;
2. ㅌ is [t^h], i.e. a 't' followed by an aspiration;
3. ㄷ is pronounced [d] between two vowels, otherwise [t];
4. ㅉ is an explicit [t∫] sound;
5. ㅊ is [tç] where 'ç' is like the German 'ch' in 'ich';
6. ㅈ is [dʒ] between vowels, otherwise [t∫];
7. ㅅ is [∫] before an [i]/[j] sound, otherwise it's [s];

Moreover, all aforementioned letters are pronounced [t] if they occur at the end of an isolated syllable (꽃, etc.). If they occur before a consonant, almost all of them are pronounced the same, but ㅅ specifically becomes a duplicate of the next consonant.

The pronunciation rules of ㅅ apply to ㅆ as well. Unfortunately, I could not realize the difference between ㅅ and ㅆ yet.

This may be a ridiculous question, but is it OK if, to my comfort:

• I pronounce both ㅅ and ㅆ as though they are the same letter (whose pronunciation varies among [s], [∫], [t] and [{duplicate of next consonant}]),
• ㅈ as [dʒ] (where the [t∫] pronunciation is expected)
• and ㅊ as [t∫] (where [tç] is expected)?

Answer 1

• pronounce both ㅅ and ㅆ as though they are the same letter

I'd strongly recommend that you don't do that. In Korean language system, they are two different sounds. By conflating them, you will be artificially hampering your practice and make yourself harder to understand to others. It won't be just a matter of pronunciation, as there are many word pairs with ㅅ/ㅆ distinction and you will forever struggle to remember which one is which. (E.g., 살/쌀, 상/쌍, 시/씨, 서서/써서, 싶다/씹다, etc.)

Yes, it's true that there are some Korean dialects without this distinction. But you are not learning these dialects: you would be learning what is spoken in the Seoul area, but with an artificially modified sound system that doesn't match the Seoul dialect (or any other dialects).

It's just like there are many actual English dialects without the "th" sound (/ð/ or /θ/), but every English textbook teaches you how to make these sounds. If you are an English learner and can't tell "thin" from "sin", you won't end up sounding like a London or Philadelphia native. You will sound like someone who didn't learn English very well.

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• ㅈ as [dʒ] (where the [t∫] pronunciation is expected)

• ㅊ as [t∫] (where [tç] is expected)?

IMHO, these two are less of a problem: when ㅈ is expected to be voiceless (e.g., "잠"), it does not contrast with any other voiced consonant at the same position, so if you make it a voiced sound, it cannot be confused with another Korean sound. It will likely sound like a "ㅈ with a foreign accent."

Similarly, Korean does not have a distinction between [t∫] and [tç]: the distinction between ㅈ/ㅊ is that of aspiration. So, if you change [tç] to [t∫], it won't become a "different sound": it will still be perceived as "ㅈ (or ㅊ if aspirated) but with a foreign accent."