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초록

This study aims to analyse the usage of verbs such as ‘Cohta’ (좋다) and ‘Alta’ (알다) as topic-shift markers in Korean discourse. Topic shifts are crucial for maintaining the flow of conversation, and it has generally been understood that adverbs, interjections, or fixed expressions serve this role. However, this study finds that the adjective ‘Cohta’ and the verb ‘Alta’ can function as topic-shift markers through expressions of agreement or acknowledgment in conversation. To explore this in detail, a corpus analysis of debate transcripts was conducted to examine the contexts and combination patterns of these verbs. The results reveal that ‘Cohta’ and ‘Alta’ perform topic-shifting functions when combined with final endings and frequently appear alongside specific co-occurring words, explicitly signaling the topic shift. These findings can provide new insights into Korean topic-shift markers and may contribute to understanding the diverse discourse functions of verb-based expressions.