대중가요 가사의 언어적 특징 연구 ― 계량적 방법을 중심으로 ―

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to conduct a quantitative analysison words found in lyrics of popular songs and to understandhow those words are used. The study referred to the final rankingspresented in ‘GAON Music Chart’ in the first half year of 2013and selected these songs from the first rank to the 50th rankin the digital general chart as research subjects. As songs enjoyed by the public, popular songs are regardedas a significant channel to mirror and represent languages ofthe public. However, nevertheless, the academic world has notdealt with the popular songs often. But, today, it is the popularsongs that are read and remembered more frequently than eithercontemporary novels or poems, and that being so, this studybelieves that the popular songs are worth being investigatedmore than any of the latter from a viewpoint of the linguistics. In the light of that, this study selects the latest and the mostfamous popular songs and carries out a quantitative analysison the songs in order to understand the real characteristics ofthe present language. This study aimed to know these particular linguistic characteristicsfound in the popular songs using the quantified figures. In particular, the study focused on personal pronouns and relativehonorific systems appeared in the lyrics of the popular songs. As for the personal pronouns, the study noticed the developmentof ‘Neo’, a second-person pronoun. While these other second-personpronouns such as ‘Nim’ and ‘Dangshin’ were frequently appliedin the past, now, ‘Neo’ or even ‘Nee’ which is an advancedspoken version of ‘Neo’ was being used in the lyrics quite often. In terms of the relative honorific systems used in the lyrics of the popular songs, the study found more of the informal systemthan the formal system, and plus, ‘Haera’ and ‘Hae’ turned outto be most frequently used in the lyrics. In addition, ‘Haera’went with the second-person pronoun, ‘Neo’, and that provedhow often the informal system is preferred for the lyrics of thecontemporary popular songs. This study is considered academically significant in that ithad analyzed the lyrics of the popular songs quantitatively andthat it had tried to look into the language of the public by understandingthe frequency.