이 책에서는 한글의 자모자에 대하여 아주 근본적인 문제들을 다루고 있다. 한글을 구성하고 있는 자음자와 모음자의 명칭과 배열 순서를 중심으로 그 특징을 자세하게 살피고 있다. 한글 자모자에 대한 훈민정음 창제 이후 20세기 초반까지의 역사적 고찰 및 제언을 통해서, 한글이 지니고 있는 체계성, 과학성, 용이성을 더욱 확보하도록 하였다.   

자음자의 명칭을 ‘기윽, 디읃, 시읏’ 식으로 바꿔야 한다. 이는 본래 ‘훈몽자회’(1527)에서 제시했던 것이다. 나아가 미래지향적으로는 ‘가나다’ 식으로까지 명명해야 할 것이다. 이것은 지금 유치원생들을 위한 교재에서는 이미 일반화되어 있다. 한편 ‘니은, 리을, 미음’ 등에서 사용되는 ‘ㅣ’와 ‘ㅡ’는 각각 사람과 땅을 뜻하는 모음자이다. 양성과 음성이 중간 중성을 나타내는 균형의 ‘l’와 자신을 드러내지 않는 가장 약한 음인 ‘ㅡ’가 지니는 의미 또한 깊다.

모음자 명칭도 단순히 ‘아야어여’ 식으로 흔히 알고 있는데, 역사적 고증을 통해서 ‘이아, 이야, 이어, 이여’ 식으로 명명했던 것도 살피고 있다. 이때 ‘ㅇ’의 정체는 과연 무엇인지 어디서 왔는지, 또한 소위 딴이 ‘ㅣ’라고 하는 것의 정체는 과연 무엇인지도 추적하고 있다. 자모자의 배열 순서를 변천 과정을 통하여 살피고 있는데, 특히 남북한 통일 국어사전의 표제어 배열을 염두에 두고서 바람직한 통일안을 제시하고 있다. 

제1장 서론 : 기초적 검토

1. 목적과 구성 ·································································································· 15

2. 용어의 기초적인 개념 ·················································································· 16

3. 한글 관련 문헌 및 기록 ·············································································· 18

제2장 한글 자음자의 명칭에 대한 고찰

1. 머리말 ··········································································································· 25

2. ‘기역, 디귿, 시옷’과 ‘기윽, 디읃, 시읏’ ···················································· 27

3. ‘기니디’, ‘그느드’ 및 ‘가나다’ 유형 ··························································· 37

4. 자음자의 이름이 하나인가 둘인가? ···························································· 49

5. ‘ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ’은 이름이 무엇인가? ··················································· 55

6. 맺음말 ··········································································································· 58

제3장 한글의 자음자 이름을 ‘가, 나, 다...’로 하면 어떨까?

1. 머리말 ··········································································································· 63

2. 자음자 이름의 설정 기준과 유형 ······························································ 70

3. 자음자 이름의 논의 사항 ············································································ 81

4. 자음자 이름에 사용되는 모음들: ‘가, 나, 다...’의 실용성 ························ 85

5. 맺음말 ··········································································································· 91

제4장 한글 자음자의 종류와 배열 순서

1. 머리말 ··········································································································· 95

2. 한글 맞춤법과 국어사전의 자모자 배열 순서 ············································ 96

3. 15~16세기 자음자의 종류와 배열은 어떠했는가? ·································· 102

4. 17~19세기 자음자 배열은 어떠했는가? ·················································· 108

5. 20세기 자음자의 종류와 배열은 어떠한가? ··········································· 116

6. 자음자의 종류와 배열 순서를 둘러싼 논의점 ·········································· 121

7. 맺음말: 남북한 합의안 검토 ····································································· 124

제5장 한글 모음자의 명칭에 대한 고찰

1. 머리말 ········································································································· 131

2. 자음자와 모음자의 명칭이 차이 나는 이유는 무엇인가? ························ 134

3. 모음자 명칭에 다양한 방식이 있는가? ····················································· 135

4. 모음자 명칭에 사용되는 ‘ㅇ’은 과연 무엇인가? ······································ 144

5. 맺음말 ········································································································· 151

제6장 한글 모음자의 종류와 배열 순서

1. 머리말 ········································································································· 155

2. 맞춤법과 국어사전의 모음자 배열 순서 ··················································· 156

3. 15~16세기 모음자의 종류와 배열 순서는 어떠했는가? ························· 161

4. 17~19세기 모음자의 종류와 배열 순서는 어떠했는가? ························· 165

5. 20세기 모음자의 종류와 배열 순서는 어떠한가? ···································· 173

6. 맺음말 ········································································································· 177

제7장 딴이 ‘l’는 자음자인가 모음자인가?

1. 문제 제기와 딴이의 개념 ·········································································· 185

2. 딴이 ‘l’의 자음자 논의들 ·········································································· 189

3. 딴이 ‘l’의 모음자 논의들 ·········································································· 203

4. 딴이 ‘l’를 둘러싼 문제들 ·········································································· 207

제8장 한글 겹자음자의 종류와 배열 순서

1. 머리말 ········································································································· 213

2. 겹자음자의 실태와 개념 ············································································ 215

3. 15~19세기의 겹자음자 ············································································· 221

4. 20세기 국어사전의 겹자음자 ···································································· 228

5. 21세기 국어사전의 겹자음자 ···································································· 234

6. 맺음말 ········································································································· 238

제9장 결론: 요약 및 과제

1. 요약 ············································································································ 248

2. 남북한 자모자 통일안 과제 ······································································ 267

✝ 참고문헌 ····································································································· 275

✝ 색인 ············································································································ 286