Editing Korean language (section)

===Speech levels===
{{Main|Korean speech levels}}
There are seven verb [[paradigm]]s or [[Korean speech levels|''speech levels'' in Korean]], and each level has its own unique set of verb endings which are used to indicate the level of formality of a situation.<ref>{{cite book |last= Choo|first=Miho |date=2008 |title=Using Korean: A Guide to Contemporary Usage |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=3 |isbn=978-1-139-47139-8}}</ref> Unlike [[honorifics]]—which are used to show respect towards the referent (the person spoken of)—''speech levels'' are used to show respect towards a speaker's or writer's audience (the person spoken to). The names of the seven levels are derived from the non-honorific [[Imperative mood|imperative]] form of the verb {{lang|ko|[[wikt:하다|하다]]}} (''hada'', "do") in each level, plus the suffix {{lang|ko|체}} (''che'', [[Hanja]]: {{lang|ko|體}}), which means "style".

The three levels with high politeness (very formally polite, formally polite, casually polite) are generally grouped together as ''jondaesmal'' ({{lang|ko|존댓말}}), whereas the two levels with low politeness (formally impolite, casually impolite) are ''banmal'' ({{lang|ko|반말}}) in Korean. The remaining two levels (neutral formality with neutral politeness, high formality with neutral politeness) are neither polite nor impolite.

Nowadays, younger-generation speakers no longer feel obligated to lower their usual regard toward the referent. It is common to see younger people talk to their older relatives with ''banmal''. This is not out of disrespect, but instead it shows the intimacy and the closeness of the relationship between the two speakers. Transformations in social structures and attitudes in today's rapidly changing society have brought about change in the way people speak.{{sfnp|Sohn|2006}}{{page needed|date=January 2022}}