구어 말뭉치에 나타나는 한국어 강조 정도부사 사용의 사회언어학적 변이 연구

Abstract

This study presents a variationist sociolinguistic analysis of intensifier usage in Korean, using spontaneous speech data from the Korean Dialogue Corpora constructed between 2020 and 2023. The analysis examines whether intensifier usage is influenced by speakers’ gender, age, primary region of residence, conversational frequency, and the purpose or environment of speech. Results indicate that most of these factors significantly affect both the frequency and type of intensifiers used. Female and younger speakers in informal settings are found to use intensifiers more frequently than male and older speakers in formal settings. Female speakers predominantly use neomu, while male speakers favor twege, although the gender difference in intensifier usage has become relatively small. Younger speakers frequently use twege, jinjja, and eomcheong, whereas older speakers favor neomu, gwengjanghi, and cham. The relationship between speakers also plays a role; more frequent interactions correlate with increased use of neomu and jinjja, while less frequent interactions see higher use of twege, jeongmal, and gwengjanghi. Speech purpose and setting further influence intensifier choice, with jinjja, eomcheong, and wanjeon more common in informal contexts, and jeongmal, gwengjanghi, and gajang more prevalent in formal settings. In contrast, regional dialects show minimal effect on intensifier usage. These findings highlight the intricate interplay of sociolinguistic factors in shaping intensifier use in contemporary Korean.