민요 용어의 설정 재고 - ‘향토민요’와 ‘통속민요’를 중심으로 -

Abstract

Many terms exist to identify Korean folk songs. Local folk songs (향토민요),traditional folk songs (전통민요), aboriginal folk songs (토착민요), native folk songs (토속민요), indigenous folk songs (토민민요), popular folk songs (통속민요), merrymaking folk songs (흥민요), narrative folk songs (창민요), trendy folk songs (유행민요), modern folk songs (근대민요), new folk songs (신민요), and composed folk songs (창작민요) are only a few of the immensely diverse terminology of Korean folk songs. Although these terms, with their different connotations, are used in different contexts, they can be roughly divided into three categories: local folk songs (향토민요), popular folk songs (통속민요), and new folk songs (신민요). Before Korean folk songs were divided into such categories, scholars of the early and mid-20th century did not differentiate local folk songs and popular folksongs, but thought of the masoneset, contrasted by the group of “newfolksongs.” This type of categorization was continued by the scholars Ko Jeong-Ok and Lim Dong-Gwon. Recent scholars, on the other hand, have divided folk songs into local folk songs and popular folk songs. This classification is based on the assumption that both kinds of folk songs are sung by the common people. However, considering that local folk songs are generated naturally in the daily lives of commoners and popular folk songs are created by professional entertainers, these two groups cannot be dealt in a parallel manner. Neither can popular “folk songs” be truly considered folk songs, which all scholars agree to be songs created and enjoyed by the common people. Regarding these points, one can also see that the word “local” is unnecessary in the term “local folk songs,” as the very nature of folk songs guarantee that they are generated locally. Yet the problems do not end here. Much more inaccuracy can be found within particular researches, in which many scholars continue to erroneously divide folk songs into local folk songs and popular folk songs. For instance, researchers sometimes classify popular folk songs into rice farming songs (논농사요) after hearing from informants that popular folk songs were sung during rice farming. However, such a classification disguises popular folk songs as local folk songs,confusing people with inaccurate terminology and blurring the distinct characteristics of particular folk songs. More examples can be found in abundance. Eoreori, a folk song created by commoners, is sometimes restricted as a type of a work song (노동요), although it can be classified in other ways as well. Local folk songs and traditional folk songs are sometimes seen to have similar characteristics because they both are folk songs, despite their dissimilar roots. Furthermore, local folk songs and popular folk songs are occasionally discussed only on the grounds that they are widely sung by the people, and their different roots are left out from deliberation. Such ignorance and inaccuracy lead to a neglect of particular characteristics of folk songs or flawed conclusions about their nature.