A Study on the Stylistic Characteristics of the New Korean Translation : Based on Genre Grammar

This study analyzes the stylistic features of the New Korean Translation (NKT) from the perspective of genre grammar, focusing on personal pronouns, connective and sentence-ending expressions, and causal constructions in order to identify genre-specific stylistic strategies. The findings show that the NKT reconstructs its style by reflecting contemporary Korean linguistic sensibilities and reader acceptability while maintaining the traditional meaning and authority of the biblical text. In the Pentateuch, the style preserves the authority of legal discourse while enhancing colloquial rhythm and logical clarity. The selective omission and modernization of personal pronouns, the paratactic use of connectives, and the modernization of sentence endings can be interpreted as genre-grammatical strategies aimed at securing both normativity and readability. The Historical Books are modernized through the structuring of narrative stages and the natural flow of temporal progression. The clearer use of personal pronouns for referential clarity, the explicit marking of causal relations, and the colloquialization of connectives contribute to improving reader comprehension and engagement. The Poetic Books are characterized by the direct expression of emotion and the modernization of parallel structures. The active use of personal pronouns expressing emotion and relationships, along with discourse-oriented and colloquial connective and sentence-ending expressions, enhances emotional immersion. In particular, the explicitness of causal constructions through inversion simultaneously achieves poetic tension and semantic emphasis, strengthening the realism of confessional faith. The Prophetic Books maintain the nature of public discourse and prophetic authority while strengthening communicative effectiveness through modern language. The clarification of the speaker’s identity through personal pronouns, the dialogic use of connectives, and the explicit presentation of theological causality function as key persuasive strategies. The Epistles are marked by the modernization of argumentative structure and the reinforcement of community orientation. The communal use of personal pronouns, the logical coordination of connectives, and the modernization of sentence endings enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of doctrinal communication. In conclusion, the NKT preserves the distinctive features of each genre while strategically adjusting linguistic forms to realize a style aligned with contemporary Korean usage. It can thus be evaluated as a reader-oriented linguistic reconstruction that goes beyond a mere translation.