Abstract
This paper reports research examining the stylistic shifts of verbs in the expression of critical thinking of mid- to high intermediate Korean learners of Japanese. In both Japanese and Korean, stylistic shifts between standard and polite expressions are not allowed in either written and spoken language. However, in this research, which examined the written expression of opinions elicited through tasks of 31 Korean learners of Japanese, instances of style shift were found in both Korean and Japanese. An analysis demonstrated evidence of style shifts at the boundary between descriptive and evaluative statements.
