Abstract
This paper reports the results of the analysis of Japanese verbal behaviors in situations of discontentment through a comparison of Japanese native speakers and Estonian learners of Japanese language at different levels. Generally, the verbal strategies used by advanced learners were closer to the ones used by Japanese native speakers, the only exception being a situation with a superior(teacher). In that situation, advanced learners tended not to mention the teacher's unfavorable behavior, but native speakers and lower level learners did. Taking these results into account, this paper will analyze Japanese textbooks about the strategies of expressing discontentment and the acquisition of language use in Japanese studies.
